Plans announced for £40m Aberdeen science hub

The University of Aberdeen has announced plans to build a £40m innovation hub focusing on health and life sciences.The aim is to double the number of life sciences companies in North East Scotland and support the national ambitions for the sector to develop and commercialise the next generation of therapies and healthcare solutions.The Bio-therapeutics Hub for Innovation in Aberdeen has secured £20m of capital funding from the UK and Scottish governments through the Aberdeen City Region Deal (CRD), a partnership between Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils and Opportunity North East (ONE).The 69,000 sqft new-build facility will include accommodation for spin-outs, start-ups and established companies; collaboration space; and shared facilities for events, small conferences and networking. Sector-specific support programmes in the hub will include incubation, acceleration, mentoring, commercialisation and growth planning.A planning application for the hub will be submitted in spring 2019 and construction is scheduled to start later that year.