MSP sets sights on US for international life science investment in Manchester
By Bruntwood
Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) is targeting global life sciences companies as the UK’s leading science and technology park operator prepares to visit the US.
A team from MSP led by Managing Director Tom Renn will be visiting Philadelphia and Boston to meet key contacts and prospects following the major announcement in July that a world-leading precision medicine hub will be created in Manchester at its Citylabs campus.
After visiting the global MedTech Conference in Philadelphia, the MSP team will join up with MIDAS – Manchester’s inward investment agency for a series of high level, one-on-one meetings and roadshows in Boston.
MSP’s managing director Tom Renn said: “This summer’s precision medicines announcement was a defining moment for life science investment in our city.
“Manchester has the world-class talent, clinical and academic facilities, collaborative business networks and pioneering research that global life science businesses require in this new era for personalised healthcare innovation.
“We’re looking forward to showcasing Manchester’s assets and capabilities, such as our city region’s UK-first health devolution offer, to an international audience and forging new contacts and relationships in the US, which as the world’s largest healthcare market is of critical importance.”
The timing of this year’s MedTech Conference falls well as construction on the £60m expansion of the Citylabs campus is due to begin this Autumn, providing highly sought after space for an ever expanding cluster of national and international genomics, health informatics, big data and other health and medical technology businesses.
The investment in the new Citylabs campus underlines Manchester’s status as an early leader in precision medicines, led by the city’s global clinical and academic strengths in this field. As an emerging industry with enormous growth potential, research functions including the £20m Stoller Biomarker Discovery Centre, based in Citylabs 1.0 and part of the University of Manchester’s Precision Medicines Institute, and the Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine are leading the way for the city.
Tom Renn added: “Alongside these important academic assets, the city is committed to leading the revolution in personalised medicine by working with industry and pioneering the integration of electronic health data with genomic technologies. In addition, the last five years have seen the award of more than $130m (£100m) in personalised medicine grant income to the city region from the UK government, charities and industry, which is a further positive for Greater Manchester.”
The Life Sciences sector already contributes more than £10.8 billion a year to the UK economy and was identified in the Northern Powerhouse Independent Economic Review as one of the North of England’s key strengths and opportunities and in the government's industrial strategy as a huge opportunity.
Citylabs’ expansion will be delivered under a joint venture partnership between Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) and MSP. The development will be delivered by MSP’s majority shareholder, Bruntwood, which has a 10 year Strategic Property Partnership with MFT.
Manchester and Cheshire are already UK flagships for life sciences, with major innovation hubs in the Oxford Road Corridor innovation district and nearby Alderley Park, where MSP operates the Mereside life sciences campus, a vibrant ecosystem of more than 220 life sciences businesses.