The transformation of Alderley Park into a "large and vibrant ecosystem of bioscience companies" is progressing ahead of schedule, site director Dr Chris Doherty has told Insider.
Alderley Park was for many years the global R&D headquarters for AstraZeneca but, in March 2013, the pharmaceutical giant announced a planned investment of around £330m into a purpose-built R&D centre and corporate headquarters in Cambridge alongside proposals to end R&D at its complex in Cheshire. This project took a major step forward when AstraZeneca sold Alderley Park to Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) in March 2014.
MSP is aiming to convert Alderley Park into an internationally renowned campus for biotech, life science and pharma businesses.
The 400-acre site features more than 1 million sq ft of premier scientific laboratory space and a further 400,000 sq ft of office space. It also features restaurants, cafes, gym facilities, a sports centre and an employee social club, while upcoming development includes the building of a new village incorporating housing, a gastropub and a hotel.
Dr Doherty (pictured below) said: "We're going from one occupier to probably 200 companies focused on biotech and life sciences.
"We're creating the UK's largest biopark. My vision is to create a large and vibrant ecosystem of bioscience companies.
"We're further down the road than we thought we would be at this point."
Besides AstraZeneca which is retaining around 700 staff in non-R&D roles, Alderley Park is now home to a host of other companies including Redx Pharma, Blueberry Therapeutics and Redag Crop Protection. It also hosts the new Medicines Discovery Catapult and the AMR Centre, which has just joined US President Barack Obama's fight against drug-resistant bacteria.
Dr Doherty added: "We'll see 30 to 50 new biotech companies formed here in the next five years. Eventually about 7,000 people will work here."
Alderley Park is also expected to benefit from a renewed focus on science and innovation across the North West. Manchester, the 2016 European City of Science, has just hosted the biennial pan-European multidisciplinary science conference the EuroScience Open Forum where its pioneering research into 'wonder material' graphene took centre stage, while Liverpool was last week selected by the Royal College of Physicians as the location of its first centre of excellence outside London.
