Harwell Campus set to expand with new innovation centre

Main contractor Glencar has been appointed to build a new £150M Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre (MITC) at the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire.

The MITC development will encompass a research, development and manufacturing facility, providing the UK public with access to cutting-edge mRNA vaccines for a wide range of respiratory diseases, pending regulatory assessment and license.

Eddie McGillycuddy, Glencar CEO, said: “Life science and pharmaceutical projects are complex, controlled environments that require significant design and engineering ability to ensure they are delivered correctly. We have expanded our specialist team within this space to push forward and make these facilities a cornerstone of our continued growth in the coming years.”

Darius Hughes, UK General Manager at Moderna, said: “We are delighted to reach this important milestone with Harwell and our lab build partners, Merit and building contractors Glencar. We look forward to joining the Harwell Campus health tech cluster and contributing to the UK’s science and innovation community through investments in R&D.

When constructed, our facility at Harwell will harness mRNA science to develop and deliver tailored, innovative vaccines to the UK public that address particular threats from respiratory viruses facing our population.”