Woodbourne Group Launches First Investment Zone Life Sciences Building Outside London
A new life sciences building will be built in the West Midlands Investment Zone, offering companies modern CL2 laboratories and tax incentives, placing Birmingham as a top-tier alternative to London.
Woodbourne launched the new Birmingham BioCity at MIPIM today. The 130,000 square foot building will contain laboratories, offices and collaboration space, and is the first UK Investment Zone life sciences building outside the capital.
The building will be part of the Birmingham Knowledge Quarter, a £4 billion innovation district with UK Investment Zone status, offering occupiers tax incentives, reduced business rates and government-level support. A planned canalside walking route will connect the site to HS2 Curzon Street station in around eight minutes, with Birmingham-to-London journey times of 42 minutes once services begin.
The launch of Birmingham BioCity is a major milestone in the development of Birmingham Knowledge Quarter, reinforcing the region’s rise as a diverse and dynamic life sciences investment hub beyond the UK’s Golden Triangle. With the growth plans of innovation-led businesses across the sector increasingly being hindered by a lack of cost-effective, high-spec lab space, the West Midlands offers a compelling solution, bolstered by its flagship Investment Zone. Life-changing science starts here.
— Neil Rami, Chief Executive, West Midlands Growth Company
This follows on from Woodbourne Group’s £400 million partnership with global real estate investor Hines to drive forward the Birmingham Knowledge Quarter, which was announced at the UK Government’s Regional Investment Summit in October 2025.
The launch comes as demand for Grade A lab space across the UK far outstrips supply. Prime lab rents in London and Cambridge now sit at £140 and £80 per square foot respectively. Analysis by Cushman & Wakefield confirms the undersupply is structural, not cyclical, and the pipeline of competing space that aligns with current market conditions in core locations remains thin.
Birmingham BioCity is the first phase of a new life sciences cluster within the £4 billion Birmingham Knowledge Quarter. Positioned next to the HS2 Innovation Line, it connects the development to the UK’s Golden Triangle talent and research pipeline while delivering institutional-grade laboratory infrastructure at a scale and cost those markets increasingly cannot match, uniquely strengthened by its full designation within the UK Government’s Investment Zone programme.
— Tani Dular, Chief Executive Officer, Woodbourne Group
The UK life sciences sector is worth an estimated £100 billion, and the UK Government’s’ Industrial Strategy and Life Sciences Sector Plan makes it clear that further growth must be driven by small, IP-rich firms. These spin-outs, start-ups and scaling companies are the key demographic BioCity is designed for, offering them a more affordable alternative to London and the south-east.
The building targets BREEAM Outstanding, WiredScore Platinum and an EPC ‘A’ rating, with a flexible 60/40 lab-to-office split.
And, it is only phase 1 of Woodbourne Group’s life science development pipeline in the area. The Birmingham Knowledge Quarter is already a powerhouse of academic-industry partnerships driving life sciences forward, with anchor institutes Aston University and Birmingham City University playing an active role.
Located just minutes from Curzon Street Station, Birmingham BioCity is yet another example of the innovation, investment and regeneration taking place in the city. Set to benefit from high-speed connectivity, access to world-leading universities and talent, it will play a vital role in the West Midlands’ Growth Plan, creating high-paid, high-skilled jobs for local people.
— Mark Wild, Chief Executive Officer, HS2 Ltd
Find out more about the Investment Zone and Birmingham Knowledge Quarter.