Edinburgh BioQuarter has released the first images of the £750 million planned transformation it says which will create a new mixed-use community of more than 20,000 people near the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
With ambitions to accelerate the development of BioQuarter and create Edinburgh’s “Health Innovation District”, the long-term vision for the site now includes plans for residential housing.
“There will be more space for research and healthcare innovation, commercial use, hotel, gym, retail and leisure,” said Edinburgh BioQuarter.
“The expansion will support an estimated 9,000 new jobs, plus additional construction jobs and to grow the pipeline of successful companies.
“Over the last two decades, BioQuarter has played a pivotal role in cultivating world-leading medical research and life sciences innovation that is improving people’s lives around the world.”
The 160-acre site, three miles South of Edinburgh City Centre, is currently home to 8,000 people who work and study within its boundary and includes 13 life sciences businesses based at BioQuarter’s Innovation Centre, the Edinburgh Medical School, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and one of Europe’s largest clusters of stem cell research at the Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine.
BioQuarter’s partners – City of Edinburgh Council, NHS Lothian, Scottish Enterprise and the University of Edinburgh – have already invested over £500 million in the existing site, with a further £300 million investment planned in the next five years through pipeline projects, including the new £68 million University of Edinburgh Usher Institute.
Hugh Edmiston, chair of Edinburgh BioQuarter Strategy Board, said: “This is the start of an exciting journey in the next chapter of Edinburgh BioQuarter’s development.
“As we move ahead, we want to ensure that we involve our staff, students and the local communities in this long-term vision.
“The opportunities here are vast and, once realised, can deliver significant and long lasting economic and social benefits for Edinburgh, Scotland and beyond.”
