Lab/Office Space
Whether you are an expanding business setting up operations in the UK, spinning our or just starting up, or relocating in Oxfordshire this page is designed to help you find the ideal property for your company.
Research OBN carried out in 2008 strongly suggested the Oxford BioCluster was the fastest growing life sciences cluster in the UK as well as leading the field in raising private investment. Independently in 2008, Oxford was ranked the foremost location outside US for attracting investment in life sciences research: according to a report recently published by Oxford Intelligence Limited, "MedTech 2008", Oxford is the 4th most attractive location globally for life sciences companies to be located from an investment perspective, with California, Boston, US West Coast taking the top 3 positions. This also make Oxford the most attractive location for an R&D-based company seeking investment anywhere outside the US.
OBN has created a separate web page for information about meeting rooms in Oxfordshire.
The majority of small-to-medium sized biotechnology companies are based in and around MEPC Milton Park. You can meet Milton Park's Asset Manager, Philip Campbell, at many of our regular OBN networking events ("BioTuesdays") around Oxfordshire. Milton Park is conveniently located near the A34, and houses thousands of employees for the high tech industries (about 7000 people, 170 companies). Find space for your business at MEPC Milton Park.
Where to locate your R&D company
MEPC Milton Park has created the Science Campus at 154 Milton Park to provide facilities for R&D companies including cost-effective lab/office grow-on facilities from 1000 sq ft and up (to 30,000 sq ft) available in a new build for expanding bioscience companies coming. Contact Jon Rees at OBN to arrange a tour of the show lab. See photograph above.
Key Features of the Science Campus:
- New development of flexible science, R&D and business units
- Part glazed and rendered elevations to meet high standard of thermal insulation
- Double entrance doors with roller shutters to larger units
- Soft zones in roof and external envelope to facilitate laboratory fit out
Where to locate if you are seeking serviced office space
 Small cost-effective managed offices (200 sq ft and up) will be available at the heart of the biocluster online from late 2008, take a look at 99 Milton Park's impressive looking Innovation Centre. This complements MEPC's existing facilities in Cambridge in Granta Park.
- Serviced offices with a range of support services
- State-of-the-art building for entrepreneurs and start-up businesses
- Meeting and Conference facilities available
Milton Park also offers standard office space all the way up to large headquarters space, take a look at their current availability tool to find out what meets your requirements.
Many of OBN's networking events, partnering meetings or seminars are held at Milton Park, so it is the location of convenience to plug into the local biotechnology and healthcare business community.
Why have over 150 bioscience businesses chosen to locate in Oxfordshire?
Oxford is not just a beautiful city, it is a great place to live: many founders and directors who live here value the fact that their companies are accessible. There are some very strong motivations for locating a biotech business in the Oxford BioCluster, but better than these are the reasons cited by the CEOs who have based their companies here:
- Accessibility and good transport links to London and Heathrow, easy access to motorways
- Availability of good facilities
- Good cluster of life science companies, good network
- Customer recognition of prestige "Oxford" brand and reputation as biotech centre of excellence
- Ease of recruiting good scientific staff, skilled workforce, centre of academic excellence
- Close to wealth of scientific expertise and knowledge in this area
- Investment community and entrepreneurs
The second most popular destination for biosciences companies in Oxfordshire is the Oxford Science Park, which includes some incubator type space at the Magdalen Centre.
Begbroke Science Park is home to a number of the high tech spin outs from the Univesity of Oxford via Isis Innovation. There are several other facilities including the Diagnox incubator for diagnostics companies. In 2007, a further incubator opened at START Harwell at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. Culham Science Centre, also in South Oxfordshire, offers lab facilities.
Oxford Business Park has office-only facilities for those looking for pure office space, and the EastPoint development on the Oxford ring road close to Cowley may also provide suitable facilities.
Currently vacant
Following the acquisition of Cobra Biomanufacturing PLC by Recipharm AB and the formation of RecipharmCobra Biologics, the company has decided to divest it’s multi-product biomanufacturing facility in Oxford because it no longer fits with the long term growth strategy of the company. The facility is suitable for phase I//II/III clinical studies. It meets current cGMP standards of the MHRA for the production of investigational products for human clinical trials as well as the EU Clinical Trials Directive. The facility has a total area of 16,000 sq ft including 700 sq ft Process Development facilities and 4,394 sq ft of clean rooms (classes 1,000, 10,000 and 100,000) plus office and storage space. The site includes ample secure parking for staff and visitors. Contact Joan Lancaster at RecipharmCobra for more information.
Future Developments
Most R&D company directors in Oxfordshire will realise that there is a need for new developments of laboratory-office buildings, and thankfully there appears to be a number of new developments in the pipeline.
Hill Street Holdings have submitted a planning application for the development of the "Oxford Technology Park" near Oxford Airport, however, this has yet to be approved. The vision is for a 16 acre development at Langford Lane, Kidlington, would create approximately 23,200 sq m (250,000 sq f) of B1(b) research and development space within a campus style format.
Meeson Williams have also released plans for a new purpose-built R&D building on Langford Locks in Kidlington. The detached building will stand in its own plot, and the design can be modified to accommodate particular requirements. This R&D facility can be designed for flexible laboratory, office and light assembly uses. There would be the capability for external loading and plant areas, full height section using ‘soft spots’ in the first floor slab, and sufficient drainage points. The building would be 1,260 sq m (13,560 sq ft) GIA in total over two floors, and can be divided from 269 sq m (2,896 sq ft). It is being offered to let or for sale. Details can be downloaded from www.meesonwilliams.com, or contact 01865 349011.
If you are unable to find what you are looking for please email info@obn.org.uk
Further information on the region can be found here. (pdf format)  | 
