Tech-City-style Hub for Life Science Means Great London Managed Offices

The launch of a Tech City-style initiative for the life sciences sector is set to attract billions of pounds of investment into London. It also aims to put the sector on a par with financial services in terms of economic contribution. The scheme means great things for London managed offices and we expect to see some phenomenal new refurbishments to accommodate the project.

Known as MedCity, it has been devised as a partnership between the Mayor of London and King’s Health Partners, Imperial College Academic Health Science Centre and UCLPartners.

The initiative has been modelled on the Tech City Investment Organisation which has brought more than 1,300 tech businesses to East London and established Shoreditch as a world-leading hub for the technology sector. A wide selection of co-working and impressively creative London managed offices can be found supporting young businesses and start-ups throughout Tech City

Med City will see London-based life science organisations – both commercial and academic – working with those in Oxford and Cambridge to raise the profile of the UK as a leading destination for scientific research, development and manufacturing. The aim is to create a world-leading interconnected cluster for the sector; one which will attract life sciences companies of all sizes to the UK.

The creative offices of Tech City we’re sure will be unfamiliar sights within Med City where high quality managed offices with advanced technology will take the forefront. Professional decor with plenty of collaborative space as well as areas designed for focused and quiet working will be necessary for the project to work as effectively as the Tech City London managed offices work for their businesses.

This project and new London managed offices will also facilitate collaborative work between the NHS, university science departments and the private sector to spur the development of new treatments. Collaboration with the City to attract more investment will also play an important role in the success of the cluster.

Outlining the vision for Med City, The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “Together with Oxford and Cambridge we form a ‘golden triangle’ of scientific innovation and we need to channel that intellectual pre-eminence into a positive impact on our economy. Med City will span everything from research to clinical trials to manufacturing, across biotech, med tech and health tech.

I am in no doubt that having the whole ‘chain’ from small spin-offs to massive companies doing their research, clinical development and manufacturing here in London and the south east can be as important to our economy as the financial services sector is today.”

These views were echoed by Jo Pisani, Head of UK Pharma and Life sciences Consulting at PWC, who stressed the importance of a unified brand: “We believe that the Med City programme is a critical element to deliver the economic ambition for life sciences in London and the Greater South East; presenting a single international brand to connect customers and investors to the life sciences community.”

We will leave the final word to Xavier Rolet, CEO London Stock Exchange Group: “Ensuring the future of the next generation of innovators is key, which is why we are delighted to support the launch of Med City. As we have seen through the phenomenal success of Tech City, bringing together expertise within concentrated hubs helps to fast track the development of start-up businesses, which form the foundation of the blue chip companies of tomorrow.”

Will life sciences be the next boom industry for London and how will London managed offices adapt and to this new initiative. Let us know what you think of the planned project in the comments below.