A new world-leading biosecurity centre in Harlow, Essex will protect the UK from emerging public health threats and boost economic growth. The national biosecurity centre (NBC) will increase the speed and scale of research into dangerous pathogens and life-saving vaccines, boosting healthcare and economic growth, and protecting UK national security.
The government is investing billions of pounds in the project, including £250 million over this Parliament, for vital research and testing that is currently split across UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) sites in Porton Down and Colindale under one roof.
Once complete, the NBC will be the largest in Europe, creating around 1,600 new jobs to support construction of the site and enabling the development of new treatments and vaccines that could save countless lives.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: "This transformational investment in the UK’s national biosecurity will better protect the British public from future health emergencies, boost the life sciences sector and create new jobs.
"COVID-19 taught us how crucial it is to be able to respond quickly to new emerging threats, and the new NBC will allow us to do exactly that - ensuring Britain remains a world leader in pandemic preparedness. Harlow will become a scientific hub, with the NBC exploring new ways to treat illnesses, improve people’s health and save more lives.
"By backing innovation, research and life sciences, we will make our NHS fit for the future, and cement the UK as a life sciences superpower as part of our Plan for Change."
The NBC will create 1,600 extra jobs to support construction of the site and enable closer collaboration between leading scientists and the life sciences sector.
The investment is part of a series of ways in which this government is making the UK a life sciences powerhouse to improve access to life-changing and innovative treatments for patients, as set out in the 10 Year Health Plan. This follows the launch of a new digital hub for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in Leeds to ensure that life-saving healthcare innovations reach patients faster.
Dyfed Alsop, interim UKHSA chief executive, said: "This is fantastic news for the UK and will mean that we can continue to offer the best possible protection for people’s health for generations to come. A brand-new facility at Harlow will bring together our world-leading public health science and emergency response capabilities, putting us in a stronger position to protect the public and keep people safe. This marks a significant investment in our future, ensuring that the UK remains a world leader in health security and that we are better prepared against a growing range of health threats."
The NBC will create exciting new partnerships between UKHSA scientists and industry - paving the way for potential research breakthroughs, including in the realm of infectious diseases, environmental health and behavioural sciences. Harlow will deliver state-of-the-art highly secure laboratories that will be used to research the most dangerous and new diseases.
Being physically closer to industry partners in the Oxford-Cambridge corridor will furthermore strengthen collaborations.
Science Minister Lord Vallance said: "The NBC will help to strengthen the UK life sciences sector for decades to come, by backing our world-renowned researchers with highly advanced facilities to develop life-saving treatments in the face of new health threats. By enabling further collaboration between researchers at the cutting-edge and industry, the new hub can help drive the economic growth that benefits us all, building on the highly skilled new jobs already being delivered, and supporting our Plan for Change."
The new facility will form part of a new network of NBCs recently announced under the 2025 National Security Strategy. This network will strengthen and formalise existing collaborations between UKHSA, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) to bolster the UK’s resilience to deliberate, accidental or naturally occurring biological incidents. It follows the announcement last month of investment of more than £1 billion in a new campus in Weybridge to research and respond to animal and zoonotic diseases.
Work to prepare the NBC for operation will begin as soon as possible, with the first facilities due to open by the mid 2030s and the whole site scheduled to be in operation by 2038.
