Work underway on £42m specialist lab space

Bruntwood SciTech has commenced construction on a £42m specialist lab and office workspace at the Citylabs cluster.Citylabs 4.0 is located within Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust’s (MFT) Oxford Road Campus and will offer highly specialist space specifically designed to support companies working in precision medicine, including those in diagnostics, genomics, biotech, medtech and digital health.The seven-storey development incorporates infrastructure to accommodate CL2 labs and specialist equipment, including increased floor loading, enhanced cooling systems and ventilation provisions, and a large platform lift.Businesses that locate at the scheme will also benefit from 100GB superfast connectivity, shared breakout spaces, an internally secure cycle storage with showers and kit drying room, and have access to the campus’ 150-person event space, multiple meeting rooms, cafes and supermarket.The campus, created in a joint venture partnership between Bruntwood SciTech and MFT, provides life science and healthcare businesses with a unique opportunity to gain access and collaborate with the UK’s largest NHS Trust.Citylabs is surrounded by some of the UK’s most eminent teaching hospitals including the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Manchester Royal Infirmary (with emergency helipad access), Saint Mary’s Hospital and the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, and is located in the heart of the city’s Oxford Road Corridor innovation district.The campus is also a government-designated High Potential Opportunity Zone for Diagnostics and Healthy Ageing, and a named Enterprise Zone. It is surrounded by wresearch centres including Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, The University of Manchester Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Manchester Clinical Research Facility, and the Pankhurst Institute. It is also home to the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre.The development of Citylabs 4.0, the third phase in the Citylabs masterplan taking the campus from 192,000 sq ft to 327,000 sq ft, will build on and enhance the existing health innovation cluster at Citylabs, which is home to more than 20 life science and healthcare businesses.Citylabs 4.0 is expected to achieve Net Zero carbon in construction and operation in its shared spaces and will be 100 per cent electric.With the site having undergone enabling works since early this year, contractor GMI Construction Group has been appointed to build the Sheppard Robson-designed development and local teams also working on the development include Arup, Hilson Moran, Gardiner and Theobald, and Layers.It is expected to open in spring 2025. The development of Citylabs 4.0 is supported by a £32m senior loan from the North West Evergreen Fund, managed by CBRE’s Investment Advisory team, which is part of CBRE Capital Advisors.Dr Kath Mackay, director of life Sciences at Bruntwood SciTech, said: “There has never been a greater opportunity for the UK and Manchester to support the life science sector as there is currently by investing in the much needed specialist lab space and infrastructure companies need to scale and collaborate.”Manchester’s life science ecosystem continues to thrive and at Citylabs through our partnership with MFT we can provide businesses with direct access into the NHS and have tests and treatments adopted at a faster pace and scale here more than anywhere else, resulting in improved healthcare for the people of Manchester and wider region.”Professor Rick Body, group director of research and innovation at MFT, said: “As one of the UK’s leading healthcare providers we are committed to improving patient treatment and care through research and innovation, so we are delighted to see the expansion of Citylabs continues at our Oxford Road Campus.”Citylabs provides a unique platform to involve clinicians, patients, and our communities, at the start of the research innovation journey. It also meets our ambition to strive for the highest possible standards of sustainability in healthcare for the benefit of future generations. We look forward to welcoming new partners from the life sciences industry to co-locate, along with the opportunity to develop our hosted research and innovation infrastructure.”Marc Banks, divisional managing director of GMI North West, said: “There is no doubt that Manchester is the driving force for science, technology and innovation in the North and for GMI to be a part of that, working alongside Bruntwood SciTech, is something we are immensely proud of. Not only will we create a world class office space, but it will also be one which has sustainability at the heart.”Andrew Antoniades, head of CBRE Lending, said: “We are delighted to fund the next phase of the Citylabs campus. The Evergreen Fund has a long history of supporting Bruntwood SciTech in the creation of employment space and associated economic growth in the North West and this advanced lab space will help cement Greater Manchester’s ambitions as a Life Sciences leader.”Bruntwood SciTech is a 50:50 joint venture between Bruntwood and Legal & General.