New Medical Business Park to boost Amsterdam's life sciences industry
Construction has begun at the new Medical Business Park in the grounds of Amsterdam UMC, which will provide high-quality communal laboratory and office space for institutions, startups and larger companies to meet and exchange ideas.
A dedicated hub for innovation and collaboration
Construction has begun on a new Medical Business Park in Amsterdam to stimulate innovation in the life sciences and health sector.
Amsterdam University Medical Centre (UMC) and the City of Amsterdam will develop around 100,000 square metres of space in the grounds of the UMC in Amsterdam Zuidoost. The buildings will include communal lab facilities and offices where medical companies and research institutions can work and collaborate.
Dutch developer Kadans Science Partner has started work on the first building of the park, Plus Ultra Amsterdam. Set to be completed by 2023, it will be a modern, BREEM-excellent sustainability rated building. Future labs will comply with high classification requirements and offer scope for simultaneous use by several parties.
Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs Victor Everhardt said: “The Medical Business Park stimulates innovation in Life Sciences & Health. The area meets the increasing (international) demand for lab space. Because lab space is shared, knowledge can also be exchanged. By building the Medical Business Park, we are creating high-quality employment opportunities for the region. We are currently in talks with other parties interested in developing in the field. This illustrates the opportunities that lie in this area.”
A thriving life sciences industry
The development is a boon for Amsterdam’s already thriving life sciences and health sector. The city’s high concentration of research institutions, universities and medical centres thrive on cooperation. They’re joined by businesses and startups leveraging cutting-edge technology to advance knowledge, and boosted by the presence of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). In 2021, an Elsevier report on the state of science research and innovation in 20 global cities found research from Amsterdam has the third highest scientific impact in the world.