Lab firm Pioneer Group deepening Scots footprint with planned major expansion at BioCity Glasgow campus near Chapelhall

Pioneer Group, which says it is the UK’s largest developer and operator of laboratories, has unveiled plans to extend its Scottish footprint by upping capacity at its BioCity Glasgow campus.

The firm, which north of the Border is also behind 126-acre science and business park Edinburgh Technopole, has secured planning permission on 72,800 square feet of high-quality purpose-built lab space at Glasgow. It is set to be delivered in two phases; the first will include a three-storey building comprising 33,300 sq ft of lab space, while phase two will encompass a two-storey building that will provide 39,500 sq ft of “much-needed” facilities.

Pioneer Group added that the new facilities will suit firms from start-ups to blue-chips by incorporating flexible layouts and fully fitted grade A space, and will take its footprint in Scotland to more than 308,000 sq ft.

BioCity Glasgow – a scheme aimed to be a globally competitive site for research and innovation – is a 22-acre life sciences campus near Chapelhall that is home to 108,000 sq ft of lab and office space across eight buildings, hosting companies like BioAscent, Sampled, Devro and Invzius.

Pioneer Group has secured planning permission on 72,800 square feet of high-quality purpose-built lab space at Glasgow BioCity. Picture: contributed.

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, and the lab firm says it is looking to deliver more than 200,000 sq ft of purpose-built space north of the Border over the next two years amid high demand.

John Mackenzie, director (Scotland) at Pioneer Group, said: “Modern biotech and techbio companies have high standards for lab space and amenity, and crucially they demand proximity to life science cluster locations to support hiring the best and brightest talent.

"Our two new buildings’ currently planned two phases will be plugged into an already-pioneering innovation ecosystem within BioCity Glasgow. We are delighted that Pioneer Group are investing in Scotland and continuing to expand our footprint across the country to retain, as well as attract, start-up companies and talent.”

Separately, Scottish healthtech start-up Infix Support – founded by consultant anaesthetist Dr Matthew Freer and whose offering includes cloud-based software that improves operating theatre efficiency – has secured various new contracts, including with NHS Highland and NHS Forth Valley, and a firm based in Massachusetts helping internationalise its technology.