Pioneer Group has secured planning permission for 72,800 square feet of high-quality purpose-built lab space at the company's BioCity Glasgow campus, marking the company's continued expansion in Scotland.

The development is planned to be delivered in two phases: phase one will include a three-storey building that comprises 33,300 square feet of lab space, while phase two will include a two-storey building that will provide 39,500 square feet of much-needed facilities. As a result, Pioneer Group's footprint in Scotland would grow to over 308,000 square feet.

The planned development will cater to all market segments - from start-ups to blue-chip companies - by incorporating flexible layouts and fully fitted Grade A space. Tenants will also be plugged into an innovation ecosystem that benefits from the triple helix of academia, government, and investors.

BioCity Glasgow – a scheme that is on track to be a globally competitive site for research and innovation - is located between Glasgow and Edinburgh on the M8 and is easily accessible by train – meaning tenants gain better access to top-tier talent. The development is already a well-established 22-acre life sciences campus that comprises 108,000 square feet of lab and office space across eight buildings. Based within North Lanarkshire Council, the site has a strong tradition of providing incubation support and is home to companies like BioAscent, Sampled, Devro and Invzius.


A recent report from Pioneer Group and JLL revealed that Scottish life science start-ups raised a record £253 million over the last five years. Amphista Therapeutics, a tenant at BioCity Glasgow and a leader in next-generation targeted protein degradation approaches, closed a £45 million Series B financing round in 2021.

Despite this, the growth of Scotland's world-leading life sciences sector is being held back by a lack of lab development, with start-ups and scale-ups often being locked out of the market. In response, Pioneer Group is looking to deliver over 200,000 square feet of purpose-built space in Scotland over the next two years.

John Mackenzie, Director (Scotland) at Pioneer Group, said: "Providing suitable accommodation for scale-ups is crucial. Modern biotech and techbio companies have high standards for lab space and amenity, and crucially they demand proximity to life science cluster locations to support hiring the best and brightest talent. Our two new buildings' currently planned two phases, will be plugged into an already pioneering innovation ecosystem within BioCity Glasgow.

"We are delighted that Pioneer Group are investing in Scotland and continuing to expand our footprint across the country to retain, as well as attract, start-up companies and talent."