Medical diagnostics supplier Randox has announced plans to develop a £161 million R&D and manufacturing facility in the United Kingdom. Located at the former British army base at Massereene, in Antrim town, Northern Ireland, Randox Science Park will become the company’s primary manufacturing site and is expected to generate 540 jobs over the next 4 years.
Currently headquartered in Crumlin, Northern Ireland, Randox produces more than 2,000 products at manufacturing facilities in Manchester, UK; the Republic of Ireland; India; and the United States. Production for many of the company’s diagnostics tests, quality control sera, analyzers, and BioChip array products will be relocated to the new park following a £29 million capital investment to redevelop the facility. The location will also serve as a site for the development of new products addressing cancer, stroke, heart disease, and neurodegenerative disorders.
The new site will also include a transformative healthcare center for the Randox Health division, providing public access to Randox tests. Patients will be able to schedule private general practitioner appointments and sessions at specialty clinics run by some of the UK’s chief medical consultants.
Alastair Hamilton, Chief Executive, Invest Northern Ireland; Martin McGuinness MLA, Deputy First Minister; Peter FitzGerald, PhD, Managing Director of Randox; Arlene Foster, Enterprise Minister; Right Honorable Peter D. Robinson MLA, First Minister.
At the January 14 launch event, Randox Managing Director Peter Fitzgerald, PhD, CBE, said, “The creation of Randox Science Park is fundamental to Randox meeting the health challenges facing populations across the world. We are an innovation-led company, focusing more than 30 years of skills and experience on delivering accurate, rapid, and quality diagnostics across a range of clinical disciplines; from stroke and heart disease, to cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, respiratory infections, and so on. We must continue innovating, through our people, through our knowledge, and through our technology. Randox Science Park gives us the platform we need to do this.”
Guests at the event included Northern Ireland’s first minister, Peter Robinson; deputy first minister, Martin McGuinness; and enterprise minister, Arlene Foster.
Each of the 540 new jobs is expected to earn an average salary of £30k per year, contributing £16.2 million to the UK economy. Randox said it is already engaging with universities across the UK to recruit high-level students.
For more information, visit Randox Laboratories.
