Less than three years since it was founded, BioCity Nottingham, the bioscience incubation centre, is now moving on to its second phase. This involves bringing back on stream a specialist chemistry facility at the heart of the old Boots site on Pennyfoot Street in Nottingham.
The development of BioCity Phase II is being partly funded by grants of £1.7 million from the European Regional Development Fund, operated by the Government Office for the East Midlands, and from emda. emda Chief Executive Jeff Moore said: “We are very pleased to support this development, which will create a centre of excellence in pharmaceutical development in the region. BioCity offers some of the best facilities in the UK for the Bioscience industry; an ideal environment for innovative companies to grow and prosper, key to our aim of becoming a top twenty region in Europe by 2010."
The building contains approximately 3,000 sqm of highly specialised laboratories along with a manufacturing facility that can produce pharmaceuticals for use in clinical trials. It will be occupied by a range of early stage chemistry-based companies as well as EMiNate, a new Nanotechnology centre. EMiNate, has been formed from a broad consortium led by the University of Nottingham and has received £3.5 million funding from the DTI as part of its MNT initiative.
The first companies are expected to move in at the end of this year, with three moving across from phase I, having outgrown their current space. Said CEO Dr Glenn Crocker “It’s great to see the companies being so successful they need to expand into larger facilities. The move across by these three will also free up space in Phase I, which means we can provide a home to the next generation of companies coming through”. There are now 36 companies based at BioCity, which is now firmly established as one of the largest bioscience centres in the UK.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. BIOCITY NOTTINGHAM LTD

Press enquiries to: Dr Glenn Crocker, Chief Executive.

Tel: +44 (0)115 912 4280 Mobile: +44 (0)7867 506 802
Email: g.crocker@biocity.co.uk www.biocity.co.uk

BioCity Nottingham Ltd was founded in November 2002. The company provides facilities and support for early stage bioscience, pharmaceutical and healthcare companies within a site consisting of 12,000 sq m of laboratories and offices.

2. EAST MIDLANDS DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
Press enquiries to: Matt Genever, Media & PR Manager
East Midlands Development Agency
Tel: +44 (0)115 988 8375

3. GOVERNMENT OFFICE FOR THE EAST MIDLANDS

Press enquiries to: Peter Dale, Head of Compliance and Technical Support, European Secretariat
Tel: +44 (0) 115 971 2596
Email: peter.dale@goem.gsi.gov.uk www.goem.gov.uk