GSK to shut Stevenage R&D hub under plans to open new site in Cambridge

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GSK has revealed it will shut its main research and development hub in Stevenage and slash costs across the group under plans to open a new site in Cambridge as part of a wider £400 million investment.

Around 1,800 staff work at the R&D site in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, but GSK has said the new 300,000sq ft centre in Cambridge will house more than 1,000 scientists, with a phased move for staff by 2029.

The group said some staff currently based at Stevenage will also move to its nearby Ware site, which is set to be upgraded.

GSK is spending £400 million over the next three years on the changes.

The group is looking to makes savings across other areas to fund the investment plans and new site, such as from support services.

It is understood there will be some roles impacted, but GSK did not confirm numbers.

Luke Miels, chief executive at GSK, said: “This investment will accelerate our R&D and help us deliver new, competitive products.

“It integrates GSK further into one of the world’s leading centres of knowledge and demonstrates the attractiveness of the UK’s life sciences ecosystem.”

The new R&D centre is being developed by Prologis and is within the wider Cambridge Biomedical Campus – one of the largest of its kind in Europe.

Tony Wood, chief scientific officer at GSK, said: “Cambridge has built one of the world’s best life sciences ecosystems, with leading universities, hospitals and biotech companies.

“The campus provides exceptional opportunities for collaboration.

“With our existing connections and experience, we see this move as a catalyst for faster, bolder medicines discovery by accelerating the science that matters most for GSK’s next wave of medicines.”

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