Everything begins and ends with health
What would you ask for if you could have just one wish? For many people, the answer might simply be ‘good health’ or something that removes the threat of serious illness such as ‘find a cure for cancer’. Thanks to advances in modern medicine, we are living longer than ever before, but we are also more demanding of our healthcare providers and have a greater understanding of the medical conditions that can determine our quality of life.
It follows that life science is truly an industry that affects us all. It did not require a global pandemic to illustrate the importance of drug discovery and diagnostics, any more than we needed Covid to underline the valuable role the NHS and healthcare providers in other countries have in protecting all that we hold dear.
Yet we are emerging from a health crisis that has pushed biosecurity up the agenda, made pandemic preparedness a priority and driven massive interest in biotech.
The UK has long been blessed with a powerful base of science and research in life sciences.
Keeping the sector growing in a global economy where innovation and knowledge crosses borders easily, and where competition for investment and talent will always be intense, is the subject of this Morgan Sindall Construction Intelligent Solutions paper – the first of a series focused on the sector.
We are exploring life science from the perspective of the built environment. In this first instance, we brought together a group of industry professionals in Cambridge to discuss ‘space’ and ‘place’.
What is the contribution real estate and construction is making to ensure great science continues to flourish?
How can placemaking help foster an environment where translating research into drug discovery and development has the best chance of producing better patient outcomes?
When will we reach a tipping where the parallel demand for decarbonising how we live and work makes a real impact in life science?
This intellectual powerhouse is not without challenges, especially in respect of the dearth of lab space, transport connectivity and the affordability of housing, along with the ever-present challenge of driving towards Net Zero.
But we started our debate by focusing on what space Cambridge needs now. Click on the digital document below to read the full insight, including seven key takeaways from the event...
Round table images
