Life sciences research centre to be set up in San Ġwann

A €20 million Life Sciences Centre is to start being developed later this year at San Ġwann industrial estate on the site currently occupied by Malta Enterprise.

The centre, which will cover approximately 13,500 square metres, that is, roughly the size of two football pitches, will form part of a larger proposed biotechnology park spanning over 30,000 square metres at the estate. The project, which will be mostly co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, is expected to be completed towards the end of 2012 or beginning of 2013.

Joseph Sammut, chief officer at Malta Enterprise and a council member of the Malta Council for Science and Technology, originally came up with the concept of the centre and is currently leading the project. He told The Sunday Times that the aim of locating it close to the hospital and university was to encourage experts in these institutions to spin-off research into commercial activities at the centre. MCST is the national advisory body to government on science and technology policy.

"It will create a focal point for a life sciences cluster, connecting University students, researchers, lecturers, hospital professional staff and industry to interact and establish new technology and research-based firms. The centre will provide fertile ground for companies to collaborate with universities and small- and medium-sized enterprises, significantly enhancing the chances of success of spin-outs and start-ups," he said.

"There would be a number of different tenants there operating as a cluster," Mr Sammut explained. The range of activities at the centre could include, for example, clinical trials, pharmaceutical process development, lab services, and activities related to bio-informatics, medical imaging and bio electronics and bio-sensors.

Eleven bids were received in response to a recent call for tenders related to the proposed centre, and the winning bid is expected to be announced this week by Finance Minister Tonio Fenech.

"The current tender is to appoint the project manager, architect, and more importantly, expertise in the operations of life sciences centres. It is expected that the latter expert will be foreign. Now that we have the expert group on board, we will be able to design and submit a full development application.

However, we have already carried out a master plan for the area and will be submitting an outline development application to Mepa in the coming days," Mr Sammut revealed.

The centre is expected to generate significant employment opportunities for scientists and lab technicians over a number of years. Mr Sammut predicted that jobs would "run into a couple of hundreds in the first few years but will eventually ramp up higher. This will possibly lead to further expansion of the centre to approach the size of a science park."

The availability of suitably qualified and skilled personnel are possibly the most important asset in setting up a life sciences cluster.

The supply of experts at doctoral and post-doctoral levels as well as lab technicians is one immediate benefit arising from research activities.

International statistics indicate that for each Ph.D job created, two to three other jobs were created elsewhere in the economy, Mr Sammut added.

Earlier this month Mr Sammut led a delegation of 11 academics and industrialists interested in establishing the life sciences cluster to visit the European Molecular Biology Laboratories (EMBL) in Heidelberg Germany. The visit, which was organised by the MCST in close collaboration with the University, was supported by Malta Enterprise.

Mr Sammut said during the visit the Maltese group discussed topics ranging from clinical and pre-clinical research to contract research opportunities in bio-imaging, bio-informatics, and bio-electronics, and opened up opportunities to participate in joint research.

"EMBL can also prove to be a useful ally in the education of scientists following their Ph.Ds as well as their post-doctoral training," Mr Sammut added. The laboratory runs its own Ph.D programme and provides outstanding graduate students and postdoctoral fellows access to world-class, interdisciplinary, international research.

It receives an annual subvention of over €150 million per year from 21 member countries and employs some 1,400 molecular biologists. The EMBL is headquartered in Heidelberg and also operates from sites in Hamburg, Germany, Hinxton, UK, Grenoble, France, and Moterotondo near Rome, in Italy.

Meanwhile, Malta Enterprise is organising a delegation to the Biomedica 2010 summit in Germany from March 17 to 18. This brokerage event offers opportunities for technology transfer and strategic alliances in biofunctional materials, engineering and devices as well as in the development of bio-pharaceuticals and nutraceuticals.

It is also an ideal venue to meet potential business partners in disease specific diagnostics, personalised medicine, and integrated care solutions and services among others.