MSD launches UK hub as government announces industrial strategy

MSD, known as Merck and Co in the US and Canada, announced plans to launch a life sciences discovery research facility just hours ahead of the UK government’s release of its industrial strategy.

The facility, focussed on early bioscience discovery and entrepreneurial innovation, is expected to create 150 new research roles. It was announced today, November 27.

According to MSD, the UK Discovery Centre will accommodate approximately 800 additional staff for the UK domestic market and other European clinical functions currently based in MSD’s UK headquarters.

The facility is intended to become the new location for MSD’s UK headquarters.

Louise Houson, managing director of MSD in the UK and Ireland, said: “We believe London to be a unique bioscience centre of excellence and a key component of the established golden triangle for academic science of London-Oxford-Cambridge.”

Houson added that the investment presents a major opportunity for MSD to work in collaboration with the UK government to build on the “forward-thinking and ambitious” industrial strategy white paper.

According to the UK government, the deal with MSD is one of four new agreements, with the others covering construction, artificial intelligence and automotive.

The UK government also revealed its industrial strategy today, outlining a long-term plan to boost the economy.

The Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) will invest £725 million in new programmes to “respond to some of the greatest global challenges and the opportunities faced by the UK”.

This will include up to £210 million to improve the early diagnosis of illnesses and to develop precision medicine for patients across the UK.

The government previously committed £1 billion to the first wave of ISCF projects, including investing £246 million in next generation battery technology and £86 million in robotics hubs across the UK.

Last week, sister site World IP Review reported that the UK government will make an extra investment of £2.3 billion in research and development (R&D) in 2021/22, increasing total public investment in R&D to £12.5 billion that year.

The government will work with industry to boost spending on R&D to 2.4% of gross domestic product by 2027, which could increase public and private R&D investment by as much as £80 billion over the next ten years.

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