Edinburgh BioQuarter has signalled its intention to launch a procurement process to deliver a world-leading Health Innovation District for Edinburgh.
The 167-acre site located three miles south of Edinburgh city centre and currently 8,000 people work and study within its boundary.
The vision is a £1bn transformation to create Edinburgh’s Health Innovation District, a new and vibrant mixed-use neighbourhood, ultimately supporting a community of more than 20,000 people. It will include commercial labs and offices as well as residential housing, cafes, bars, restaurants, hotel, retail and leisure.
Anna Stamp, Edinburgh BioQuarter’s Interim Programme director, said: “BioQuarter is one of very few locations in Europe which offers the combination of globally ranked academic and clinical research at scale with the space to accommodate a large cluster of commercial companies and associated services, as well as residential housing to create a vibrant community.
“We are currently consulting with the community on revising our masterplan and placemaking strategy as we develop our requirements for a new partner to be part of this opportunity. Due to the current Covid-19 restrictions, our intention is to gather information through an online questionnaire and to host a virtual bidders’ day in September.”
The prior information notice (PIN) in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) is notification of the BioQuarter partners’ search for a partner to invest in and accelerate plans for the 61 acres of developable land. So far over £500m of capital has been invested at BioQuarter, with a further £330m of capital investment planned for the next five years for buildings, infrastructure, and specialist equipment.
Ivan McKee, Scotland’s Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation, said: “The planned expansion of the BioQuarter into a vibrant community centred around the sector is undoubtedly one of the most exciting investment and collaborative opportunities available It will have far-reaching benefits for investors, local communities and global health innovators alike, which will be all the more important as we plan our economic recovery from Covid-19.”
BioQuarter is a partnership between the University of Edinburgh, Scotland’s second largest health board, NHS Lothian, the City of Edinburgh Council and regional development agency Scottish Enterprise.
