BioNTech revealed that its subsidiary, BioNTech UK, has secured a grant agreement with the UK government to enhance research and development (R&D) of innovative medicines in the UK.
Under the agreement, BioNTech will allocate up to £1bn over the next decade. The UK government will support these efforts with a grant of up to £129m over the same period, marking one of the largest grants awarded to a pharmaceutical company in the UK.
This initiative aligns with the UK government’s strategy to bolster its life sciences sector and foster innovation in medical science.
The grant builds on a collaboration with the UK government announced in January 2023. It focuses on three key areas: accelerating clinical trials for BioNTech’s oncology pipeline, expanding BioNTech’s R&D presence in the UK, and advancing research in structural biology, regenerative medicine, and infectious disease vaccines.
As part of the plan, BioNTech will establish two new R&D centres, with the first located in Cambridge. This centre will concentrate on genomics, oncology, structural biology, and regenerative medicine, employing over 90 scientists.
BioNTech will also set up its UK headquarters in London, consolidating its London-based teams and creating new roles in global and regional support functions over the next ten years.
The London office will house BioNTech’s AI hub, led by InstaDeep, a subsidiary specialising in AI and machine learning. The hub is integral to BioNTech’s research capabilities, advancing AI-driven medical research.
The initiatives form part of BioNTech’s global strategy to develop innovative cancer immunotherapies, with the aim of bringing multiple treatments to market by 2030.
Currently, several hundred patients in the UK have accessed investigational mRNA-based cancer immunotherapies through BioNTech’s global clinical trial programmes.
In February this year, BioNTech completed its acquisition of Biotheus, a clinical-stage biotechnology firm focused on developing novel antibodies for treating oncological and inflammatory diseases. The acquisition, initially announced in November 2024, enhances the existing collaboration between the two companies.
