BioNTech, a Germany-based next-generation immunotherapies company, has expanded its research and development operations in the UK.
The move follows the signing of a grant agreement between its subsidiary, BioNTech UK, and the UK Government, marking a major milestone in the country’s efforts to bolster its life sciences sector.
Under the terms of the agreement, BioNTech has committed to investing up to £1 billion over the next decade to advance the development of innovative medicines within the UK.
This commitment is bolstered by a UK Government grant of up to £129 million over the same period, one of the largest grants of its kind awarded to a pharmaceutical company in the country’s history, according to BioNTech.
The move follows the signing of a grant agreement between its subsidiary, BioNTech UK, and the UK Government
The new agreement builds upon a multi-year strategic collaboration announced in January 2023 and is anchored around three core pillars:
- Accelerating clinical trials for oncology product candidates within BioNTech’s pipeline.
- Expanding the company’s R&D footprint in the UK, positioning the country as a key hub in its global network.
- Advancing research in areas such as structural biology, regenerative medicine, and infectious disease vaccines.
As part of this initiative, BioNTech plans to establish two new R&D centres in the UK.
The first, based in Cambridge, will concentrate on genomics, oncology, structural biology, and regenerative medicine, and will house over 90 highly skilled scientists, including members of the company’s existing UK research team.
A second centre is currently in the planning stages.
As part of this initiative, BioNTech plans to establish two new R&D centres in the UK
Complementing this investment in research infrastructure, BioNTech will also establish its UK headquarters in London.
This new office will consolidate the company’s London-based operations and create new roles in both global and regional support functions over the next 10 years.
Additionally, the London site will host BioNTech’s AI Hub, led by its wholly owned subsidiary InstaDeep, a leading specialist in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
The AI Hub plays a pivotal role in BioNTech’s R&D activities, supporting AI-powered medical research initiatives.
These developments form part of BioNTech’s global strategy to accelerate the discovery and delivery of pioneering cancer immunotherapies, with the ambition to bring multiple treatments to market by 2030, subject to regulatory approval.
Through its UK collaboration, several hundred patients have already accessed investigational mRNA-based cancer immunotherapies via clinical trials, underlining the tangible impact of this partnership on patient care.