By Chris Slater,Holly Williams Pa Business Editor
Copyright manchestereveningnews
A huge global medical firm has announced plans for a new ‘flagship’ hub in Manchester. Convatec, which specialises in medical products and technologies, have announced plans to invest a billion dollars into worldwide research and development (R+D), including around £500 million in the UK. This will see the opening of the new ‘state-of-the-art’ facility in Manchester in 2027, they have announced. It will be located at Citylabs 4.0 the £42m, 125,000 sq ft Bruntwood SciTech facility on Hathersage Road facing the Manchester Royal Infirmary, St Mary’s and Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital site in south Manchester. Never miss a story with the MEN’s daily Catch Up newsletter – get it in your inbox by signing up here Convatec says their centre will become one of the largest facilities in their worldwide network. It will be the location for vital research in four of their main fields; advanced wound Care, ostomy care, continence care, and infusion care and will place them firm ‘at the forefront of medical technology development’, they said. Their current R+D had produced a ‘pipeline of new products’ and helped them address ‘unmet needs in chronic care’ they added. Approximately 200 staff would be employed at the new site, most of whom will transfer from the firm’s existing R&D site in Deeside, North Wales. The company mentioned there were ‘plans for further growth in the years ahead’, with the site being around 50% larger than the current facility and having capacity for up to 250 employees. No redundancies are planned as a consequence of the relocation, with the company set to maintain some R&D operations in Deeside to support manufacturing activities. Convatec stated that the Deeside R&D site had ‘served as a major centre for R&D’ since opening in 1996, but that Manchester was now viewed as the ‘ideal location’ for the expanded facility, ‘given its vibrant life sciences ecosystem, which includes leading universities, hospitals, and research institutions.’ The group confirmed its manufacturing operation in Deeside would remain a ‘cornerstone of its global operations’ and is unaffected by the changes, with around 400 workers continuing to be employed at the site following the opening of the new R&D centre. Convatec, which has more than 10,000 staff globally, confirmed the relocation to Manchester would be implemented gradually to reduce any upheaval. Convatec also operates an R&D facility in Milton Park, Oxfordshire, which will remain operational alongside the Manchester location. They also revealed their broader group plans included investing around 600 million US dollars (£445 million) in America over the next 10 years and expansion of its R&D site in Boston by the end of this year. Jonny Mason, Interim Chief Executive Officer at Convatec, said: “Today’s announcement marks an exciting moment in Convatec’s commitment to pioneering trusted medical solutions to improve the lives we touch. Our plans to invest more than $1 billion – anchored by major expansion plans in both the United States and the United Kingdom – demonstrates our unwavering commitment to advancing healthcare innovation for people living with chronic conditions around the world.” Dr. Divakar Ramakrishnan, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Research & Development at Convatec, said: “The significant expansion of our R&D capabilities in Boston and plans to establish a new flagship centre in Manchester are investments in the talent, technology, and infrastructure needed to accelerate innovation in pioneering trusted chronic care solutions. “They reinforce our belief in the strength of the US and UK life sciences sectors and position Convatec at the forefront of medical technology innovation for years to come.” The news comes as a positive development for Britain’s life sciences sector, amidst a shift to the US to counterbalance US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs. Pharmaceutical giant GSK recently disclosed plans to invest nearly £22 billion into US R&D and manufacturing over the next five years. US-based pharmaceutical company Merck also announced that its UK operation would abandon plans for a £1 billion site in London’s Kings Cross, which was due to open in 2027. Shortly after, AstraZeneca declared it had put on hold plans to invest £200 million at a Cambridge research site. Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: “This landmark investment is proof of how, when the UK and US work closely together to unlock the latest medical breakthroughs, both our countries stand to benefit hugely. “This is a deal that will create jobs, unlock growth, and improve life for patients from Manchester to Massachusetts – and comes hot on the heels of billions of pounds worth of investments into the UK from top US firms in life sciences and beyond.”
