Billions to be invested in Harlow biosecurity hub
The NBC is designed to increase the speed and scale of research into dangerous pathogens and life-saving vaccines, boosting healthcare and economic growth, and protecting UK national security.
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 be the largest facility of its kind 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.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “This transformational investment in the UK’s national biosecurity will better protect the British public from future health emergencies, boost the life sciences sector and create new jobs.
“COVID-19 taught us how crucial it is to be able to respond quickly to new emerging threats, and the new NBC will allow us to do exactly that - ensuring Britain remains a world leader in pandemic preparedness.
“Harlow will become a scientific hub, with the NBC exploring new ways to treat illnesses, improve people’s health and save more lives.
“By backing innovation, research and life sciences, we will make our NHS fit for the future, and cement the UK as a life sciences superpower as part of our Plan for Change.”
The NBC will enable closer collaboration between leading scientists and the life sciences sector - paving the way for potential research breakthroughs including in the realm of infectious diseases, environmental health and behavioural sciences.
Harlow will deliver state-of-the-art highly secure laboratories that will be used to research the most dangerous and new diseases. Being physically closer to industry partners in the Oxford-Cambridge corridor will further strengthen collaborations according to Science Minister Lord Vallance.
He 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.”
Work to prepare the NBC for operation will begin as soon as possible, with the first facilities due to open by the mid 2030s and the whole site scheduled to be in operation by 2038.