In just three months, rarely available lab space within Sciontec Developments Limited’s (Sciontec) portfolio, has now been snapped up once again.
Three new deals have been done at Liverpool Science Park (LSP) site, with a combined total of 4,589 sq ft (426 sq m) of Containment Level 2 labs.
Pierion Biosciences, has expanded further following their initial inward investment into LSP’s iC3 innovation centre in 2022 and University of Liverpool spin-out ReNewVax, which aims to prevent life-threatening bacterial infections and combat antimicrobial resistance with vaccines, has also joined the community.
The final space has also been taken by another University of Liverpool spin-out and will be announced in the coming weeks.
City centre laboratory space is currently in high demand and Liverpool is no exception, with the start of the pandemic prompting a boom in demand for life sciences users, which has not since slowed.
Colin Sinclair, CEO of Sciontec and Knowledge Quarter Liverpool, said: “The general sentiment is that lab demand still outstrips supply, and that is certainly the case in the Knowledge Quarter Liverpool Innovation District. The North West new build development lab pipeline is c. 850,000 sq ft, including our new buildings, HEMISPHERE One and Two, of which a significant percentage is pre-let or in advanced negotiations.
“With lab space at LSP once again hitting 100% occupancy, innovative, research intensive occupiers are now able to lease the new-to-market labs within CENTRAL TECH, which will help to meet some of that demand in the immediate term.”
Launching on the 14th May, CENTRAL TECH will offer over 2,000 sq ft (189 sq/m) of prototyping labs and write-up space, in which innovators can design, make, test and validate their concepts ahead of commercialisation. Previously accessible for support services only, these labs are now available for private occupancy for the first time.
The commercial labs will be available to rent immediately and are ideal for start-ups, university spin-outs and corporate project teams who need a move-in ready facility to work from, thanks to the lab suites being inclusive of a range of high spec equipment, including environmental chambers, digital microscopes, spectrum analysers and 3D printers.
Sciontec is already in discussions with a number of organisations who are keen to be first movers into the innovation hub’s labs, and who will benefit from the Academic Support and Knowledge (ASK) initiative, which will connect CENTRAL TECH customers to a specialist team or expert at the University of Liverpool or Liverpool John Moores University, to support their research and innovation objectives and help grow or scale up their business.
CENTRAL TECH will also be hosting regular lab focused drop-in sessions and sector specific events within the building, as well as being strongly connected with the wider Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool) innovation district’s dynamic technology, health and life sciences ecosystem.
Sciontec has also recently progressed plans for two purpose built, new-build lab developments, HEMISPHERE One and Two, at nearby Paddington Village, Liverpool City Council’s flagship development site.
HEMISPHERE One and Two will offer 183,183 sq ft of chemistry labs, data labs, bio labs and innovation labs, alongside incubator and grow-on space, with some of the world’s most advanced robotics and AI facilities.
For more information about Sciontec’s Liverpool city centre lab facilities, visit their website or get in touch to book a viewing: enquiries@sciontec.co.uk.
