Cambridge BioMedical Campus

Removing their land from the Green Belt, by promoting a vision of a global biomedical research campus through the planning system, helped the landowners secure a land allocation and outline planning consent for 3.1m sq. ft. of commercial research space. Bringing in Liberty Property Trust and Countryside Properties to share the risk in a joint venture was the catalyst for development to happen.

But AstraZeneca’s (AZ) commitment to build an 875,000 sq. ft. HQ was the real gamechanger. Cambridge’s success story, Abcam, arrived after the forward funding and sale of its 100,000 sq. ft. Grade A biotech research facility next to AZ, with life science researchers drawn like a magnet to this now global centre of collaboration.

This first phase of development has brought global giants, industry start-ups, university spin-outs and healthcare entrepreneurs side-by-side on the campus. Its design continues to evolve and create spaces that prioritise people and chance encounters to foster the vibrant buzz associated with research collaboration.