New laboratory building under construction at Medicon Village
Medicon Village is investing in a new building for laboratory activities, strengthening its role as the natural hub for research and entrepreneurship in life science in southern Sweden.
The lack of purpose-built facilities for research companies risks hindering growth in the life science sector in the Öresund region. Through this investment in 12,500 square meters spread across 4 floors, the conditions for continued expansion in the coming years are strengthened.
The building, expected to be completed in the second half of 2024, is the first laboratory building constructed at Medicon Village since AstraZeneca left Lund in 2012 and the largest investment in laboratory capacity in Skåne in many years. The new laboratory building is a significant contribution to positioning Skåne as one of Scandinavia's leading life science regions.
Three key reasons for Medicon Village deciding to construct a new laboratory building are to strengthen the infrastructure in southern Swedish life science, provide laboratory space for biotech companies with growing pains, and increase laboratory capacity for the research village's more than 2,800 employees in more than 180 companies and organizations, including SmiLe Incubator.
– We have been working on developing the project for laboratory facilities for a number of years, and the decision is a milestone for Medicon Village. The building will provide opportunities for existing companies to expand and also open up for new companies to establish themselves with us and grow. It feels very good that we can continue the investment and ensure that surplus from the property company goes to important research in the region, says Erik Jagesten, CEO of Medicon Village Fastighets AB.
– The new laboratory building strengthens the image of Lund as a research and university city and contributes to positioning Medicon Village as the natural hub for life science in southern Sweden. The investment is also significant from an Öresund perspective, as we see great potential in attracting more Danish companies to Skåne. A stronger research exchange across the strait is important for the region's competitiveness, says Petter Hartman, CEO of Medicon Village Innovation AB.
SARomics Biostructures AB is one of the research companies that have signed agreements for space in the new building. The company specializes in protein structure determination and rational drug development and has been located at Medicon Village since the research village was established in 2012.
– That we can obtain three times the space in the new building is a necessity for our company's survival and expansion in Lund. Additionally, being able to participate in the design of the spaces to fit our operations is an incredible benefit, says Björn Walse, CEO of SARomics Biostructures AB.
Medicon Village has high goals for climate responsibility and, in 2023, became the first research park in the Nordic region to be sustainability verified according to ISO 26000. Therefore, the new laboratory building will be environmentally certified and connected to the award-winning energy system Ectogrid, a system from E.ON where properties with different energy needs are connected to store energy and share surplus of both heat and cooling. Medicon Village was the first to install this energy solution, which recently won an award in the category of Energy Transition Changemakers at COP28 in Dubai.