Partners promise to ‘accelerate health discoveries’ as £60m Greenheys tops out

Bruntwood SciTech and construction firm Willmott Dixon are on track to hand over UK Biobank’s new HQ at Manchester Science Park in summer 2026.

Once complete, the £60m Greenheys will provide 131,000 sq ft of workspace, half of which will be occupied by research and development firm UK Biobank.

UK Biobank collects, stores, and provides biological samples for health research. To do this it requires a larger, more specialised facility than the one it currently occupies in Stockport.

Professor Sir Rory Collins, principal investigator and chief executive, UK Biobank, said: “This new facility will accelerate the public health discoveries UK Biobank is already enabling, by allowing us to deliver the generously donated biological samples and health data from our half a million participants even faster to scientists.”

Professor Collins thanked the UKRI Infrastructure Fund, from which UK Biobank received a £128m investment for its expansion.

Critically for UK Biobank and other potential occupiers, Greenheys will provide specialist CL2 lab space dedicated to the tech, innovation, and science sectors.

Companies at Greenheys will also benefit from the pool of talent provided by neighbouring universities in the Oxford Road Corridor.

Dr Kath Mackay, chief scientific officer, Bruntwood SciTech, highlighted the need for businesses to “have access to connect and partner with other like-minded businesses and leading academic institutions”.

She added that the topping-out ceremony was another step closer to empowering businesses to “collaborate, scale, and succeed”.

Greenheys will host a broad range of scientific disciplines, which will take advantage of advanced technical features instilled into the block.

Increased vibration resistance, piped gas distribution systems, and enhanced cooling and ventilation systems will provide tenants with tailored options for research and development.

• BOOK NOW: Life Sciences Update 2025

The build is expected to achieve an EPC A standard and a BREEAM Excellent rating, employing the use of air source heat pumps, LED lighting, and rooftop solar panels.

Michael Poole-Sutherland, director for Willmott Dixon in the North, added: “This milestone celebration is a great opportunity for our team of science and commercial sector specialists and those that are starting their careers in construction on this project to reflect on the impact we’ve made to date and look ahead with excitement at the great work to come.”

Bruntwood SciTech’s team for Greenheys includes Willmott Dixon, BDP, Deloitte, DW Consulting, Silcock Leedham, Walker Sime, East Coast Construction & Regeneration, NX Consulting, and I Want Plants.