Catalysing company creation and growth
For life sciences start-ups and high-growth enterprises, custom-built laboratory and office facilities are essential. Opportunity North East (ONE) also recognises the power of collaborative working across the sector's business, research, academic and clinical interests in identifying new opportunities to create value and grow businesses.
The £40 million BioHub on Aberdeen's Foresterhill Health Campus will provide the support programmes and physical infrastructure to grow businesses, nurture new commercialisation opportunities and connect academics and health researchers to industry. It will be the nucleus of the life sciences cluster in the north east of Scotland.
BioHub has secured £20 million of capital funding from the UK Government and Scottish Government through the Aberdeen City Region Deal, a partnership between both governments, Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council and Opportunity North East (ONE). ONE has committed up to £5.6 million of funding to deliver BioHub's objectives and Scottish Enterprise is contributing £2 million. The project has been developed by the ONE Life Sciences sector board, which includes life sciences business leaders, the University of Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University, and NHS Grampian.
The partners for BioHub are ONE, the University of Aberdeen and NHS Grampian, and the Aberdeen City Region Deal. A new company, BioAberdeen Limited, has been created to deliver the capital project.
BioHub will deliver a unique combination of facilities, networks and support programmes to help business leaders, academics and clinicians to realise their commercial ambitions. BioHub will provide:
- laboratory space bespoke to the business and its plans for growth;
- office space that places companies in the heart of the life science cluster;
- incubation facilities that support spinouts and early-stage business models;
- hot desk and co-working space, alongside collaboration and meet up areas;
- the centre for sector-specific commercial training workshops and accelerator programmes in north east Scotland; and
- a place where academics and researchers can connect to the commercial world and access the business start-up support that they need.
BioHub will bring together the world-leading research expertise and commercial strengths developed in the region to enable the growth of the life sciences industry for decades to come.
The main construction phase for BioHub started in March 2021 and is programmed to run through to autumn 2022, followed by fit-out and the first phase opening to tenants in 2023.
Opportunity North East Ltd
11 Queens Gardens
Aberdeen
AB15 4YD