BioCity Nottingham stamped its authority as the UK's fastest growing bioscience incubator when the new Laurus Building was officially opened by the Deputy Chairman of East Midlands Development Agency (emda), the Vice-Chancellors of Nottingham Trent University and the University of Nottingham and the Minister for the East Midlands.

An award-winning addition to the iconic bioscience campus, Laurus provides 48,000 sq ft grow-on office and laboratory facilities for companies seeking to expand and take advantage of Nottingham's pre-eminent status as a Science City.

Demand for accommodation in the five-storey state-of-the-art building on Nottingham's Pennyfoot Street is strong. Early tenants include Sygnature Chemical Services Limited and patent attorney Adamson Jones. Launched just three years ago, Sygnature Chemicals has grown from three to 26 employees and now requires 10, 500 sq ft of space. They attribute their success to the environment of BioCity. Adamson Jones is also expanding to handle the increasing demand for IP, patent and legal advice from the City’s bioscience and healthcare sectors.

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"The companies at BioCity are thriving and growing fast," said BioCity Chief Executive Dr Glenn Crocker who has overseen the rapid development of the site since its launch in 2002. "To keep pace with demand we are opening the Laurus Building ahead of schedule and will need to develop further on open land around the campus in the coming years."

The new facility, designed by Nottingham architects Maber Associates, is a collaborative venture between the two Universities, the East Midlands Development Agency, BioCity Nottingham and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The Laurus Building's official opening took place on 1st October following BioCity's Annual Lecture. This year’s lecture, '30 years of IVF - the medical and scientific challenges at the edge of ethical and moral dilemmas', was delivered by Professor Harry Moore and Dr Simon Fishel PhD.

(JM)