FDAnews
www.fdanews.com/articles/73912-singapore-biotech-park-enters-new-expansion

SINGAPORE BIOTECH PARK ENTERS NEW EXPANSION

July 1, 2005

Singaporean biotech R&D park Biopolis is to commence Phase II of its development plan. The site, expected to be key to the city-state's ambitions for the sector, is to accommodate more companies and a further 2,000 research staff. Phase I, which comprises some 2mn square feet, is almost entirely occupied, with demand still rising. Phase II will initially add two new buildings and over 400,000 square feet of new space.

Companies are eager to take advantage of the shared facilities at Biopolis where researchers can access ultramodern infrastructure and specialised services, from DNA sequencing to nuclear magnetic resonance. Unsurprisingly, Biopolis also carries cost advantages, especially for firms already making use of Singapore as a leading Asian manufacturing hub.

Biopolis was launched in 2003 at a cost of US$287mn, with the aim of attracting investment from the world's largest pharmaceutical and biotech firms. Drug majors GSK and Novartis both have units at Biopolis, along with 15 other leading firms.