Malta Enterprise and Malta Industrial Parks will be moving to the former Institute of Health Care within St Luke’s Hospital, Gwardamangia later this year to make way for the Life Sciences Park, an innovative project with an investment of over €20million.
This project will provide space for researchers and companies operating in all fields related to the biotechnology and medical sciences.
The immediate vicinity to the Mater Dei Hospital and the University of Malta was felt to be necessary for the success and viability of the project, as the Life Sciences Park will be seeking to develop close collaboration with the two entities and create a clustered environment, wherein there could also be sharing of facilities.
The state-of-the-art facilities at the Park will include labs, offices and conference facilities over an area of 10,000 square metres, while a further 3,500 square metres will be used for incubation facilities.
“With the construction of the Life Sciences Park, as well as that of other projects we are working on, we are seeking to provide the infrastructure that will enable the country to move towards a knowledge-based and higher value-added economy,” said Alan Camilleri, executive chairman of Malta Enterprise and Malta Industrial Parks.
The move of Malta Enterprise and Malta Industrial Parks under one roof will also facilitate a better synergy between the two organizations.
“We are currently merging the two organisations, and having them in the same building will not only improve their effectiveness, but it will also enable us to offer a better service to our clients. Moreover, the move to the new site will also coincide with the commencement of one-stop-shop services as has been announced in last year’s budget and which will keep widening the services already provided by Malta Enterprise and Malta Industrial Parks to micro-enterprises and SMEs,” Mr Camilleri added.
Similarly to their previous location in the midst of the San Gwann Industrial Estate, the new premises will also be in a central location and will be easily accessible for clients.
This move is part of a larger plan regarding the investment potential of the area vacated following the migration of the hospital to Mater Dei and the long term plans for Karin Grech and its migration thereof.
Malta Enterprise and Malta Industrial Parks will occupy the whole building of the Institute of Health Care, which is still in good structural state but which will have to undergo a refurbishment process to render it of the required level befitting the organizations’ line of business.
Moreover, a whole plan for the strategic development of the enclave previously captured by St. Luke’s Hospital will be articulated so as to maximise the investment possibilities of this asset.