GSK plc has announced plans to establish a new global Research and Development (R&D) centre at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in the UK as part of its strategy to accelerate innovation and strengthen its R&D pipeline.

The new 300,000-square-foot facility will house GSK’s UK R&D operations and accommodate more than 1,000 scientists. Located within one of Europe’s largest biomedical campuses, the centre is expected to provide direct access to a leading ecosystem of biomedical research, healthcare and academic institutions, supporting translational research by connecting laboratory science with clinical practice.

The facility will feature advanced laboratories and technology-enabled infrastructure to support research across GSK’s key therapeutic areas, including oncology, respiratory diseases, hepatology, vaccines and HIV.

The Cambridge Biomedical Campus is home to more than 22,000 professionals working in life sciences, with over 470 biopharma, biotechnology and artificial intelligence companies based on the campus. It also hosts several existing GSK collaborations, including the Cambridge Centre for Data-Driven Discovery, the Cambridge-GSK Translational Immunology Collaboration, the Cambridge-GSK Metabolic Science Collaboration, Cambridge Immune Ageing, the GSK-Teichmann Lab and GSK’s Clinical Unit at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

Commenting on the announcement, Luke Miels, Chief Executive Officer, GSK, said the investment would accelerate the company’s R&D efforts and support the development of new, competitive medicines while strengthening its presence within one of the world’s leading life sciences ecosystems.

Tony Wood, Chief Scientific Officer of GSK, said Cambridge offers an exceptional environment for collaboration among universities, hospitals and biotechnology companies. He added that the new facility would serve as a catalyst for advancing medicines discovery and accelerating scientific innovation.

The Cambridge site, currently being developed by Prologis, will become part of GSK’s wider UK research network, complementing collaborations with institutions including the University of Oxford, King’s College London, Imperial College London, the University of Manchester, Wellcome and the Francis Crick Institute.

As part of the transition, GSK will gradually relocate employees from its Stevenage R&D site in Hertfordshire to Cambridge by 2029. The company will also upgrade its existing R&D laboratories in Ware, Hertfordshire and relocate some employees there to create an integrated drug development and commercial manufacturing scale-up capability.

GSK plans to invest Euro 400 million over the next three years to support these developments. The company confirmed that its global headquarters will remain in London.

GSK invests more than Euro 6 billion annually in research and development, including over Euro 1.5 billion in the UK, as it continues to advance its portfolio of innovative biopharmaceuticals.