Pioneer Group, the UK's largest developer and operator of lab space, has begun work on 20,000 square feet of high-quality purpose-built lab space at the company's Edinburgh Technopole campus.

Branded Moubray, the new building will see Pioneer Group's footprint in Scotland grow to over 238,000 square feet once complete. Planning permission also exists for Pioneer Group to deliver a further 20,000 square feet of space on site.

The new development will cater to all segments of the market - from start-ups to blue-chip companies - by incorporating flexible layouts and fully-fitted Grade A space. Tenants will also be plugged into an innovation ecosystem that benefits from the triple helix of academia, government and investors. The site is situated just a few minutes walk from the University of Edinburgh's Easter Bush Campus, while the Edinburgh Technopole science park is already home to the likes of AMD, BioBest, Roslin CT, Cambrex and Almac. 

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Edinburgh Technopole is a 126-acre life sciences campus comprising 10 buildings that provide 108,000 square feet of lab and office space. The site forms part of the Midlothian Science Zone, a world-leading centre of animal health and life sciences research.

A recent report from Pioneer Group and JLL revealed that Scottish life science start-ups raised a record £253 million over the last five years. Investment activity was driven by large fundraises from the other Scottish Pioneer Group site, BioCity Glasgow tenants, Amphista Therapeutics and Enterobiotix.

Despite this, the growth of Scotland's world-leading life sciences sector is being held back by a lack of lab development, with start-ups and scale-ups often being locked out of the market. In response, Pioneer Group is looking to deliver over 200,000 square feet of purpose-built space in Scotland over the next two years. 

Ogilvie Construction, one of Scotland's largest privately owned construction companies, has commenced groundworks with completion expected in August 2023.

John Mackenzie, Director (Scotland) at Pioneer Group, said: "Providing suitable accommodation for scale-ups is crucial. Modern biotechs have high standards for lab space and amenity, but crucially they demand proximity to leading institutions for collaboration and to support hiring the best and brightest talent. Our new Moubray building will be plugged into a world-leading ecosystem within Midlothian Science Zone.

"To truly capture the full potential of Scotland's life sciences sector though, it is up to developers and operators, such as ourselves, to deliver the physical real estate that will help the unicorns of tomorrow scale today, and which is why we're continuing to expand our footprint across the country."