VECTURA’S £58M CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE GRANTED PLANNING PERMISSION

Vectura, the inhaled medicines business which was bought by cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris International in 2021, has been granted planning permission for a new 10,000 sq m Inhalation Centre of Excellence facility on the Bristol & Bath Science Park.

Vectura, which moved from its former Chippenham headquarters after the takeover, is one of the few companies globally with the device, formulation and development capabilities to deliver a broad range of complex inhaled therapies.

The building, which should be ready in 2025, will enable the company to expand operations, providing new career opportunities for research and development scientists and engineers in pharmaceutical and device development, as well as manufacturing and lab services.

Michael Austwick, Chief Executive Officer at Vectura, said: “The new-build will enable our successful pharmaceutical company to expand upon its vital work, providing innovative inhalation and other advanced drug delivery solutions that have the potential to improve the

lives of patients around the world.

“For nearly 25 years, Vectura has been providing a combination of formulation science, device technology and pharmaceutical development expertise, helping our partners and licensees develop products which are used by 10 million patients worldwide. This new facility will help us to build on this successful track record, increasing workspace capacity and attracting talent to the area.”

Councillor Ben Burton, cabinet member responsible for corporate resources at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “The Bristol & Bath Science Park in South Gloucestershire offers a prime location for a company of this type as it is a world-class centre for science and technology businesses with a focus on research and development, innovation and collaboration.

“This new research and development facility will bring additional high-tech employment opportunities to our area and I’m pleased to see that Vectura’s plans for the new building include a number of environmental and sustainability considerations.”

Some of the largest science parks across the region

Birmingham Health Innovation Campus

Birmingham Research Park

Bristol and Bath Science Park, Emersons Green

Bristol SETsquared Centre

Coventry University Technology Park

Gloucestershire Science and Technology Park, Berkeley

Malvern Hills Science Park

Science Creates, Bristol

University of Warwick Science Park

Where the region’s universities rank in global life sciences and medicine

Universities play an important role in attracting foreign direct investment into the UK. A report published by the Higher Education Policy Institute argues that a more co-ordinated approach could create many additional benefits for universities and local economies.

The University of Oxford comes second in the top 500 universities for global life sciences and medicine (just knocked off the top spot by Harvard in the United States).

Other universities across the region appearing in the list include Birmingham, Bristol, Warwick and Bath.