MilliporeSigma picks UK to continue biosafety spree

MilliporeSigma will invest €35 million ($37 million) in biosafety testing at its Stirling and Glasgow sites in Scotland.

MilliporeSigma – the life sciences division of Germany’s Merck KGaA – will invest the funds into a 1,200 square meter facility in Glasgow. The life sciences firm said the plant will have molecular biology and sequencing services, as well as increasing the testing capacity its current space with biosafety testing, viral clearance suites, and analytical development.

Biosafety testing ensures that drugs are safe, efficacious, and meet regulatory requirements. Therefore, it is a vital step in the drug development and production process.

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“The expansion is required to accommodate the continuously growing demand for our services.  We have experienced continuous double-digit growth and expect this growth rate to continue. We serve an ever-growing client base and timely delivery of results are critical to assuring robust supply of safe medicines,” said Dirk Lange, head of Life Science Services, MilliporeSigma told us.

The firm said the expansion will create 500 new jobs in the area, which will bring the firm’s headcount to more than 1,200 employees across both sites.

“We have a history of growth in the country, and we know retaining talent is the basis to fast growth. We will remain employee-centric through development opportunities, prioritization of employee wellbeing and engagement, DE&I, and our high-impact culture,” Lange said.

“Among other creative methods to recruit for these future open positions, we will expand our partnerships with local universities to focus on graduate hiring with the intention to develop these employees, and we will offer competitive packages to join an attractive company environment where over 80% of our UK employees say they are proud to work. We will focus on the candidate experience with our recruiting efforts to ensure we hire the right people to help us drive impact and improve the lives of people all around the world.”

This latest expansion follows MilliporeSigma’s $300 million investment in November 2022 to increase biosafety testing capacity at its Rockville, Maryland facility. Additionally, the company completed the first construction phase of its China Biologics Testing Center, opening a viral clearance (VC) laboratory in Shanghai in September 2022.

“We expect to be operational within the new building in Q1 2025,” said Lange.