MSP reveals plans for Citylabs 4.0

Manchester Science Partnerships and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust have unveiled plans for Citylabs 4.0, a £35m development that will grow its existing campus by 125,000 sq ft.

Subject to planning approval by Manchester City Council, Citylabs 4.0 will be built at the south of MSP’s existing Oxford Road Campus, adjacent to Citylabs 2.0 and 3.0. The new phase, designed by Sheppard Robson, will provide seven floors of office and lab space.

This proposal follows the £60m expansion already under way to create Citylabs 2.0 and 3.0. Citylabs 2.0 is under construction and is due for completion in late 2020. Global diagnostics company Qiagen will base its European hub for diagnostics development on the campus.

Citylabs 3.0 is the redevelopment of Old Saint Mary’s Hospital and adjoining chapel. The site has planning permission, and construction is due to begin when Citylabs 2.0 is complete. Citylabs 3.0 has been mooted as the potential home for the University of Manchester’s Pankhurst Institute, revealed earlier this year.

The scheme’s development follows the announcement of MSP’s next phase of its masterplan for Manchester Science Park. An initial phase will create an 80,000 sq ft hub for materials science, energy technology, and advanced manufacturing businesses in the redevelopment of Base.

Rowena Burns, chair of Manchester Science Partnerships, said: “We’ve seen huge developments and significant growth in the life sciences and digital technology sectors over the last five years, with pioneering solutions being created to tackle some of our most pressing health challenges. We’re keen to harness the opportunities created by the growth in these sectors and our plans for Citylabs 4.0 speak to this ambition.

“At Citylabs we have created a dynamic ecosystem, a place where companies and researchers work side by side, benefitting from being co-located on Europe’s largest clinical academic campus.

Sir Michael Deegen, group chief executive of MFT, said: “The proposed development of our Citylabs campus will further increase the interaction between our hospitals, staff, and patients with industry, to help develop the diagnostics and treatments of the future. It is essential that the NHS and industry work closely together, co-creating solutions to address real gaps in the technology and services we need to constantly improve the treatment outcomes for our patients.

“Due to our successful joint venture with MSP, we now have many new collaborative projects and programmes underway that will benefit the services we provide to patients. This supports our vision to improve the health and quality of life of our diverse population, by building an organisation that excels in quality, safety, patient experience, research, innovation and teaching.”

Professor Neil Hanley, MFT’s director of research and innovation, said: “We are all rightly proud that the Citylabs approach has brought together NHS, academic and commercial sectors, completely in line with the UK Government’s Life Sciences Industrial Strategy which made this a national priority.”

A public consultation on the proposals for Citylabs 4.0 will be held at Citylabs 1.0 on Tuesday 22 October between 4pm and 7:30pm.