A £4.6m investment is set to rejuvenate laboratory space at Charnwood Campus and create over 200 job opportunities. The unused highly-specialised lab space will be transformed into a world-class biochemistry building, enabling a research organization to expand into the LLEP area. Additionally, existing facilities will be upgraded as part of the initial phase of an Innovation Centre project, providing modern regulatory-compliant specialized laboratories for Leicester and Leicestershire’s life sciences cluster. The total investment will be provided through Enterprise Zone Retained Rates Funding from the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) in partnership with Charnwood Borough Council.
LLEP co-chair, Andy Reed OBE, emphasized the importance of this project, stating that it would attract inward investment through the arrival of the first tenant. Furthermore, it will support the growth of pharmaceutical, bio-tech, and med-tech businesses by offering research, development, and small batch manufacturing capacity in Leicestershire.
The project aims to make available 9,417m² of highly specialized bio-chemistry laboratory and office space, creating 100 high-value jobs within 12 months and a total of 222 jobs within five years. Additionally, it will introduce a further 1,110 jobs in the supply chain while providing 50 parking spaces equipped with electric car charging points.
Cllr Jewel Miah, leader of Charnwood Borough Council, expressed enthusiasm for the project, highlighting the potential it holds for inward investment and job creation. He emphasized the positive impact it will have on the local economy by strengthening the supply chain.
Gosia Khrais, commercial and marketing director at Charnwood Campus, welcomed the investment as a means to accelerate their ambition of becoming a prominent life sciences asset in the region. The project not only attracts inward investment but also provides employment opportunities directly on the site and within the local supply chain. Khrais credits successful partnerships with local and regional authorities for making this initiative possible.
