• Pioneer Group is launching 15,000 sq. ft of newly refurbished lab space at iconic building.
• Hexagon Tower, which has undergone a £10 million refurbishment project, has provided a home for some of the world’s most well-known science and technology companies.
• New high-quality facilities will provide much-needed space for Manchester’s fast-growing science and technology sectors.
MANCHESTER – 25 SEPTEMBER, 2023 – The landmark Hexagon Tower in Manchester is today celebrating its 50th anniversary with the announcement that Pioneer Group is launching 15,000 sq. ft of high-quality life science space at the facility for local start-ups and scale-ups.
The 165,000 sq. ft., 11storey building – which is owned by Pioneer Group, one of the UK’s largest developers and operators of lab space – has been home to some of the world’s most advanced science and technology companies since its completion in 1973, including the likes of FTSE 100-listed pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca and Fujifilm, the Japanese conglomerate.
Designed by Richard Seifert, one of Britain’s foremost modernist architects, Hexagon Tower has become one of Manchester’s premier incubators for growing life science businesses, recognised for its sense of community and collaboration opportunities. The facility, which currently counts companies like Intertek as tenants, is estimated to support over 300 highly skilled local jobs.
For the last year, Pioneer Group has been carrying out an extensive £10 million refurbishment of the building to provide much-needed lab space for Manchester’s fast-growing science and technology sectors. The next-generation design – which has also involved upgrades to the building’s energy performance and exterior – will provide much-needed CL1/2 labs split across 12 units, meaning the facility will be capable of supporting a range of businesses.
Demonstrating the company’s strong ESG credentials, Pioneer Group has spent the last two decades transforming previously abandoned campuses and business parks into thriving economically resilient ecosystems that are home to organisations from start-ups to some of the world’s largest scientific companies. By breathing new life into brownfield sites, Pioneer Group helps create new highly skilled jobs while enhancing tenants’ ability to attract and retain top-tier talent.
News of the anniversary and launch of new lab space at Hexagon Tower comes just a few weeks after the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, announced £650m of pledges to fire up the UK’s life sciences sector. Dubbed the “Life Sci for Growth” package, it will see up to £250m committed to incentivising pension schemes to invest in “promising” science and technology companies while nearly £50m has also been pledged to scientific efforts to prepare for future health emergencies. In addition, £154m will go towards increasing the capacity of the UK’s biological data bank.
Manchester is home to world-leading research and development assets like the Manchester Cancer Research Centre and UK Biobank. As the first city in the UK to have devolved control over its £6 billion health and social care budget, the region has developed a more streamlined innovation adoption pathway that is overseen by Health Innovation Manchester.
The birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, Manchester has since pioneered hundreds of new scientific and technological discoveries including the Bionic Eye and Proton Beam Therapy at the Christie.
“Today’s milestone demonstrates the strength of our retrofit-first approach, by where we ensure that the carbon emissions related to providing new critical research space are kept to a minimum. As a company, we take pride in providing the places for ground-breaking, world-class discovery to happen, helping to maximise the impact of our partners while minisiming our collective environmental footprint.
“Manchester remains one of the UK’s fastest-growing life sciences hubs but, much like other regions across Britain, the city is suffering from an acute shortage of lab space. To truly capture the potential of our country’s life sciences sector, we must focus on developing the physical infrastructure that enables discovery and research.”
Jeroen Houtzager, Director at Pioneer Group
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About Pioneer Group
Pioneer Group’s mission is to help life sciences and high-tech businesses to thrive in tackling challenges in both human and planetary health. Across the UK and Ireland, Pioneer leads the way in integrating the provision of mission critical real estate, venture building and venture investment.
Since 2003 its connected cluster model has provided powerful sector-specific, business-focused ecosystems in which businesses are more likely to succeed.
Real Estate
As a leading developer and operator of life science and high-tech campuses, Pioneer Group manages over £1 billion of real estate (over 4 million square feet) in 12 leading innovation locations across the UK and Ireland. Pioneer’s campuses offer a range of flexible, specialist laboratory, industrial and office space to support scientists, technologists, engineers and entrepreneurs on every step of the innovation journey from R&D to manufacturing. Pioneer’s campuses are home to organisations ranging from start-up to multi-national.
Media Contact:
Montfort Real Estate, London.
Billy Moran, account director +44 7540 659036 / moran@montfort.london
Tom Roberts, director +44 7722 440999 / roberts@montfort.london
