MediCity, a collaboration between Boots, the UK’s leading pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer and BioCity, the UK’s leading life sciences incubation company officially opens for business this week.
More than 300 guests, including experts in health, beauty and wellness technology, are expected to attend events during MediCity Innovators’ Week, with the official opening taking place on Thursday November 21.
Boots UK will be recognised by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) for its pioneering work, headed-up by Dr Stewart Adams, which led to the discovery of ibuprofen in the 1980s and which is now used by millions worldwide for pain relief. The conferring of the RSC Chemical Landmark plaques by Boots UK and BioCity symbolises the foundations of innovation that underpin both businesses.
The new innovation hub is housed in the historic D6 building on the Boots site in Beeston, Nottingham, and is the first initiative to open within the Nottingham Enterprise Zone.
Enterprise Zones are designated areas by Government with incentives to encourage the creation of new businesses, which will contribute to the growth of local and national economies.
The Nottingham Enterprise Zone is comprised of part of the Alliance Boots site in Beeston and three other smaller sites – the Beeston Business Park, the Nottingham Science Park and the MediPark site (at Queens Medical Centre) which together make up 286 acres (116 hectares).
The D6 building has been refurbished to provide fully serviced office and laboratory space, designed to offer a stimulating and supportive business development environment for innovators in consumer healthcare, medical technology, diagnostics and beauty products. Support for early stage businesses based at MediCity is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
MediCity also offers a venue for conferences and events of eventually up to 1,000 delegates focused on health, beauty and wellness innovation with the objective of developing dynamic teams driving innovation across these three business sectors.
D2N2 LEP Chief Executive David Ralph said: “To see MediCity officially open its doors for business this week is a huge boost to the Nottingham Enterprise Zone and another forward step for the area.
“This is a specialist area of business and will further enhance Innovation in the D2N2 region, something that is key to driving jobs and economic growth.
“This collaboration highlights the benefits available from our Enterprise Zone to a national and international audience and it will provide a great location for MediCity.
“It also shows the work and progress being made to the site and we look forward to seeing more businesses follow MediCity’s lead by locating to the Enterprise Zone in the near future.”
David Browning, Director of MediCity, says: “MediCity offers the ideal environment for both start-up and established companies to grow and achieve success.
“By introducing hot desks and ‘pods’, we are catering for individuals or small teams at the very early stages of developing a business idea, as well as laboratory and office facilities for more established ventures. Our colleagues at Boots are also in a position to offer access to innovation and product development knowledge, as well as supply chain expertise.”
During Innovators’ Week, which started on Monday November 18, visitors will learn more about how companies housed at MediCity will benefit from BioCity’s experience of successfully growing businesses in specialised incubator environments and Alliance Boots’, of which Boots UK is a member, expertise in the global healthcare sector, including access to innovation and product development knowledge, as well as supply chain expertise.
