ROBERTSON Construction Tayside has completed the build of the University of Dundee’s Life Sciences Innovation Hub.
The new-build 5,000m2 (54,000ft2 ) facility is designed to play a significant role in supporting the Scottish Government’s life sciences strategy, which launched recently at the site, aiming to grow the sector into a £25 billion industry by 2035.
The hub is supported by a £20.2 million Scottish Government investment through the Tay Cities Region Deal as well as by Scottish Enterprise, the Wolfson Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, UK Government, and the University of Dundee.
Spanning three storeys across two wings, the facility has been purpose-built to foster high-growth biotechnology and pharmaceutical research. Effectus Research, Phaser Biomedical, and recently announced Chemveda Life Sciences are among its new client companies.
Robertson led the design and build of the facility, delivering a flexible, modular workspace that allows companies to increase space within the building as they grow. The hub offers a mix of high-spec laboratories and modern office accommodation, alongside shared networking spaces, meeting rooms, kitchen facilities, showers, and cycle storage.
Turnkey chemistry labs have been created to support biopharma companies, while a central atrium aims to provide a vibrant communal space to encourage collaboration between entrepreneurs, researchers and students.
Aligning with the university’s commitment to achieving net zero by 2045, the building follows a fabric-first approach. This is supported by a smart building management system and deep bore ground source heat pump technology.
Morag Martin, innovation cluster manager at the University of Dundee, said, “The new Life Sciences Innovation Hub in Dundee marks a major step forward for Scotland’s life sciences research and innovation ecosystem. We’re grateful to Robertson Construction for their excellent work in bringing this world-class facility to life — a building that will anchor and support high growth life sciences companies and enable the translation of cutting-edge research and innovation into new therapeutics and technologies, delivering both future health benefit and economic impact for our region.”
Elliot Robertson, CEO at Robertson Group, added, “The University of Dundee has a world-class reputation in life sciences research, and this new Innovation Hub provides the kind of high-quality environment needed to turn that strength into commercial growth. By creating flexible, future-ready space for companies at different stages of development, the facility will help accelerate collaboration between academia and industry while supporting Scotland’s ambition to grow the life sciences sector to £25 billion.
“This project reflects our experience in delivering complex, specialist buildings for the life sciences sector and our strong relationship with the University of Dundee. Working closely with partners, the focus has been on delivering a facility that supports innovation, creates skilled jobs and contributes to long-term economic growth for the city and the wider region.”
