Words by Jade Williams
BioNTech has announced a £1bn investment in the UK over the next decade, marking one of the most significant foreign investments in the history of British life sciences.
Supported by up to £129m in government grant funding, the move is a major step forward in the UK’s mission to establish itself as a leading global hub for biomedical innovation.
The agreement will see BioNTech establish two new research and development centres – one in Cambridge and one in London – as part of a broader expansion in the country. The Cambridge site will focus on genomics, oncology, structural biology and regenerative medicine, while the company’s new UK headquarters in London will house an AI-powered medical research hub.
Over the next 10 years, the investment is expected to create over 400 highly skilled jobs in fields including clinical drug development, bioinformatics and AI.
The company, known for its mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, aims to leverage AI to accelerate drug target discovery and disease modelling – furthering its mission to “translate science into survival”, according to Uğur Şahin, CEO and Co-Founder, BioNTech.
“This investment is a testament to the fantastic skills, research capabilities and scientific infrastructure we have in the UK,” commented Richard Torbett, Chief Executive, ABPI. “It is also a template for how the UK could unlock further life science sector growth by removing the barriers and roadblocks to investment.”
According to data from the Academy of Medical Sciences, every £1 spent on medical research in the UK delivers a return of 25p per year. The economic impact of an investment of this scale is therefore expected to be significant.
As the government prepares to unveil its Life Sciences Sector Plan, the BioNTech deal could serve as a benchmark for future international investment and public-private collaboration in the UK health space.
