ARC’s Oxfordshire science and tech campuses, leased over 230,000 sq. ft of laboratory and office space in 2023, accounting for over half of all market* take up across the county last year.

Together, ARC Oxford and Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, welcomed over 25 new members, to ARC’s thriving innovation network of over 300 leading science and innovation organisations and national research facilities.

The news follows statistics released by Bidwells that showed that the take-up of laboratory space proved resilient during 2023 and indeed matched long-term averages despite some wider macro-economic challenges. Whilst there was a fall in the number of requirements in certain size bands there was a continued growth and maturing of the Oxfordshire ecosystem and there remains a strong pipeline of spinouts coming from the University**.

Notable transactions at the campuses included, the 145,000 sq. ft pre let to Moderna, which will see the creation of their UK base, The Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre (MITC). Moderna will sit alongside 70 life sciences organisations at Harwell and their move has cemented the campus as a national health tech hub for the pioneering research and development of mRNA and nucleic acid therapeutics.

ARC Oxford also saw a number of cutting-edge science organisations relocating to the campus in 2023, including biotech spin-out MiroBio, (now part of global biopharmaceutical company Gilead), FluoRok which is revolutionising the way fluorochemicals are produced, and OMass, who moved into their flagship, purpose-built facility on the campus in April last year.

Stuart Grant, Chief Executive at ARC said: We’re delighted to welcome our new members to our Oxfordshire campuses. We recognise that by delivering flexible lab space, together with a curated best-in-class member programme, we can support Oxfordshire’s thriving innovation ecosystem, encourage collaboration, inspire breakthroughs and allow our members to focus on truly world-changing science.”

Rob Beatson from Bidwells added: “Oxford is a world leading centre of excellence for science and as the pace of medical innovation and drug discovery continues this will drive long-term demand for real estate. Oxford needs its scientific buildings to match its global ambitions and the next phase of development across ARC’s campuses will deliver this in a number of truly groundbreaking buildings.” 

ARC which is owned by Brookfield, has committed to investing over £1 billion in its campuses across Oxfordshire, which will see the current 514,000 sq. ft Oxford City space double in size with new laboratories, cleanrooms, offices and cutting-edge R&D facilities. The investment is already attracting additional science and tech organisations, with both OrganOx and Elsevier relocating to the ARC Oxford campus in January this year.

Craig Marshall, CEO of OrganOx, said: “The move to ARC Oxford represents a major growth milestone for OrganOx as our team expands to fulfil our mission of saving lives by making every donated organ count. The new premises provides significantly improved facilities for the dedicated Oxford based members of the OrganOx team whilst for the first time enabling us to offer a state-of-the-art customer training centre where we will showcase our game changing solutions already used to support more than 3,000 transplants worldwide.”

And in June last year, Harwell, secured an additional £300m of financing to help it expand and build out new laboratory, advanced manufacturing, and office space, part of the wider masterplan which will see over three million sq. ft of development potential planned at the 700-acre site.