AstraZeneca opens new £1bn research fortress in Cambridge for army of 2,200 scientists
AstraZeneca has officially opened The Discovery Centre (DISC) in Cambridge, its newest research and development facility which will swing open its doors to 2,200 research scientists from today.
The new £1bn facility will include robotics, high-throughput screening and AI-driven technology. It will support AstraZeneca’s focus on specialised and precision medicines and foster the discovery and development of therapeutics, including nucleotide-based, gene-editing and cell therapies, the company said.
The DISC will add to AstraZeneca’s R&D presence in around 40 countries across the globe, including its other strategic research centres in Sweden and the US, and development facilities in China and Japan. Worldwide, the company employs around 80,000 people.
“Our ambition today is to not only unveil a building, but to also drive the next wave of scientific innovation,” said a proud Pascal Soriot, AstraZeneca’s chief executive officer.
“Our new Discovery Centre in Cambridge raises the bar for sustainable R&D and global collaboration across our industry. It will allow us to break new boundaries in the understanding of disease biology, bring life-changing medicines to patients and power the next stage of our company’s growth,” he added.
The company invests around $7bn in R&D globally each year, a large part of which takes place in the UK.
The Centre will help further nurture partnerships, develop the next generation of science leaders and accelerate AstraZeneca’s industry-leading levels of productivity, Soriot explained.
Located within the Cambridge Biomedical Campus1, the physical proximity of the building’s 19,000m2 laboratories to hospitals, the University of Cambridge, other research institutions and a number of biotech companies will “promote a culture of open partnership and innovation in its inviting open spaces,” AstraZeneca said in a statement.