Citylabs 4.0 opens, further strengthening Manchester’s life sciences ecosystem
Citylabs 4.0, the newest phase of Manchester’s health innovation campus, has officially opened its doors.
Developed by Bruntwood SciTech – the UK’s largest property provider dedicated to the growth of the nation’s science, tech and innovation sectors – in a joint venture with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), the UK’s largest NHS Trust – the £42m, 125,000 sq ft facility is set to drive forward life sciences and healthcare innovation across Greater Manchester.
The opening was marked by a special launch event featuring renowned scientist, doctor, and broadcaster Prof Robert Winston.
The seven-storey building provides a mix of high-specification office and laboratory space, including containment level 1 (CL1) and level 2 (CL2) biology and chemistry labs, designed to support businesses of all sizes working in life sciences, medtech, biotech, diagnostics, genomics, precision medicine, AI and digital health.
Manchester’s life science sector continues to expand, ranking third in the UK following Oxford and Cambridge in sector growth.
This progress has been driven by a combination of purposeful clustering, aligned public and private sector vision, and strategic investment, which have supported the city’s statement of intent to be a world-class hub for health innovation.
The opening of Citylabs 4.0 builds on this momentum, providing modern facilities designed to foster research and industry collaboration, further strengthening Manchester’s position in the sector.
Located in MFT’s Oxford Road hospital hub and within Europe’s largest clinical-academic campus, Citylabs 4.0 is the latest addition to the growing Citylabs cluster.
The campus is already home to major global life science companies, including global diagnostics company QIAGEN, which has established its Global Centre of Excellence for Precision Medicine at Citylabs 2.0, as well as APIS Assay Technologies, ophthalmic instrument manufacturer Takagi and MAC Clinical Research, one of Europe’s largest contract research organisations.
Dr Kath Mackay, chief scientific officer for Bruntwood SciTech, said: “Citylabs 4.0 is a significant milestone in the continued evolution of Manchester’s world-leading life sciences ecosystem. The campus has already played a crucial role in supporting pioneering healthcare businesses to scale and work in direct collaboration with the NHS, and this latest development further cements its position as a location for scientific breakthroughs and innovation.”
Mark Cubbon, MFT CEO, said: “The opening of Citylabs 4.0 represents an exciting new chapter in our pioneering partnership with Bruntwood SciTech. By co-locating life sciences businesses within the NHS services at our Oxford Road campus, we are creating an environment where research and innovation can rapidly translate into real-world healthcare solutions for our patients and communities in Greater Manchester, and beyond.”
Cllr Bev Craig, leader, Manchester City Council, said: “Citylabs 4.0 is the latest iteration of a proven and successful model – the top specification lab space it offers will be key to responding to the demand we are seeing from the exciting start-ups and spin-outs generated along the Oxford Road Corridor and the city more widely.”
Contractor, GMI Construction Group, led the build of the Sheppard Robson-designed development, with local teams also working on the project including Arup, Hilson Moran, Gardiner and Theobald and Layers.
The development of Citylabs 4.0 is supported by a loan from the North West Evergreen Fund, managed by CBRE’s Investment Advisory team, part of CBRE Capital Advisors.
