New multi-billion pound biosecurity lab for Harlow Essex

The government is investing billions of pounds in the project, including £250 million over this Parliament, for vital research and testing that is currently split across UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) sites in Porton Down and Colindale under one roof.

The NBC will increase the speed and scale of research into dangerous pathogens and life-saving vaccines, boosting healthcare and economic growth, and protecting UK national security.

Once complete, the NBC will be the largest in Europe, creating around 1,600 new jobs to support construction of the site and enabling the development of new treatments and vaccines that could save countless lives

The investment is part of a series of ways in which this government is making the UK a life sciences powerhouse to improve access to life-changing and innovative treatments for patients, as set out in the 10 Year Health Plan. This follows the launch of a new digital hub for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in Leeds to ensure that life-saving healthcare innovations reach patients faster.

Being physically closer to industry partners in the Oxford-Cambridge corridor will furthermore strengthen collaborations. Science Minister Lord Vallance said: “The NBC will help to strengthen the UK life sciences sector for decades to come, by backing our world-renowned researchers with highly advanced facilities to develop life-saving treatments in the face of new health threats.

“By enabling further collaboration between researchers at the cutting-edge and industry, the new hub can help drive the economic growth that benefits us all, building on the highly skilled new jobs already being delivered, and supporting our Plan for Change.”