Vaccine maker's £1bn UK investment to create ‘hundreds of high-skilled jobs'
Biopharmaceutical company BioNTech has announced funding of up to £1 billion into the UK over the next 10 years.
The planned investment would be one of the biggest in the history of UK life sciences, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said.
As part of plans to increase its UK presence, the vaccine maker will create two new research and development hubs – one in Cambridge, and an AI hub at its planned UK headquarters in London.
The centres could create more than 400 new jobs over the next 10 years including researchers in clinical and scientific drug development.
As part of the agreement, the Government will contribute up to £129 million over the same period.
German-based BioNTech developed mRNA vaccines and cancer immunotherapies, notably used to tackle Covid-19.
Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said the investment would boost the economy.
'This investment will propel the growth-driving life sciences sector to new heights, delivering cutting-edge facilities, building careers in the future-facing jobs we want our children to have, and ultimately unlocking progress in medical science that could save lives,' he said.
'This is a clear indication of how we will deliver the Government's Plan for Change: working together with the best and brightest businesses and innovators to unlock their potential, and then reap the benefits for the economy, health and more that their drive and genius can deliver.'
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: 'This is another testament to confidence in Britain being one of the world's top investment destinations and a global hub for life sciences.
'It will create hundreds of high-skilled, well-paid jobs, as we deliver on our promise to put more money in working people's pockets through our Plan for Change.'
The CEO and co-founder of BioNTech, Ugur Şahin, said the agreement 'marks the next chapter of our successful strategic partnership with the UK Government'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
North Wales Chronicle
21 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Madeleine McCann: Latest search sees teams drain well and clear dense vegetation
German investigators along with Portuguese police officers and firefighters are working in a little-developed area of countryside a few miles from Praia da Luz where Madeleine was last seen in 2007. Then aged three, she vanished while on holiday with her family in the Algarve resort after her parents went out to dinner and left her sleeping in a room with her toddler twin siblings. Journalists were being kept a distance away from the search sites on Tuesday and a no-fly zone was imposed that stopped the used of drones, although some activity could be seen as teams used strimmers, pick-axes, shovels and chainsaws to clear the undergrowth and debris surrounding an abandoned building. Personnel wore safety gear such as gloves and hard hats as they worked in the dense vegetation, and firefighters and police were seen using a yellow hose to drain a well. Around a dozen officers focused on one abandoned building where digging was taking place, while another member of the search team cleared large rocks. The Sun reported that investigators are also planning to use radar equipment that can scan beneath the ground. TV footage showed two Portuguese police officers guarding the end to a narrow lane that leads through an area of fields and scrubland with a few houses and a vineyard. It has been variously reported that investigators will look where trenches were dug near the resort at the time of Madeleine's disappearance, at wells, ruins and water tanks, and that there are plans to examine 21 pieces of land. The search is being carried out at the request of the German federal police as they look for evidence that could implicate prime suspect Christian Brueckner, who is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005. He is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought. Ulrich Oppold, a journalist from German broadcaster RTL, visited Brueckner in prison in Germany, who said if he gets out of jail the thing he is most looking forward to is a steak with a beer. Brueckner refused to answer any questions relating to Madeleine after discussions with his lawyers. He told the journalist that if he does get out of jail he will have to lie low as he is so well known. Brueckner described himself as 'bekannt wie ein bunter Hund' – which literally translated is 'as well-known as a colourful dog'. In October last year, Brueckner was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. Around 30 German police officers, including forensic experts, are expected to take part in the search along with Portuguese officers, with the activity due to last until Friday. The Metropolitan Police said it is aware of the operation but that British officers will not be present. German investigators and Portuguese officers last carried out searches in the country in 2023 near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz. Brueckner, who spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017, had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir. It was previously searched in 2008, when Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia paid for specialist divers to search it after he claimed to have been tipped off by criminal contacts that Madeleine's body was there. British police were later given permission to examine scrubland near where she vanished in 2014. Last month, Madeleine's family, who are from Rothley in Leicestershire, marked the 18th anniversary of her disappearance, describing her as 'beautiful and unique' before her 22nd birthday, and expressing their determination to keep searching. A statement from her parents Kate and Gerry McCann and the family said: 'The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to 'leave no stone unturned' is unwavering. We will do our utmost to achieve this.' In April, ministers approved more than £100,000 in additional funding for Scotland Yard detectives investigating Madeleine's disappearance.
Reuters
24 minutes ago
- Reuters
Senegal aims to raise tax collection to cut reliance on external funding
DAKAR, June 3 (Reuters) - Senegal plans to boost tax compliance to increase revenue and reduce reliance on financing from external sources like the International Monetary Fund, its Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has said. The West African nation is engaging with the IMF to craft a resolution following a case of misreporting of debt and deficit levels, which led to the suspension of its $1.8 billion financing programme with the Fund. "Good tax reform... can help us withstand the 250 billion CFA francs ($437.64 million) that the IMF gives us every year," Sonko was quoted as telling Senegalese nationals living in Guinea by Le Soleil newspaper on Tuesday. Sonko's office did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Senegal has not received any disbursements from the IMF for a year, the paper quoted the prime minister as saying. "Senegal is still standing... a country does not develop by being held by the hand, but by building on its own strengths, its own resources, and its own budgetary discipline," he said. The government will make all Senegalese pay their fair share of taxes, the paper reported the prime minister as saying, to avoid raising taxes. The revelations of Senegal's understated debt have pummelled its assets. Senegal's dollar bonds have made losses of 7.3% for investors this year so far, according to a JPMorgan bond index, compared with the average gains of 3% for its Africa peers in the same time. The losses are also double the second worst performing African sovereign, Angola, whose bonds have handed investors losses of 1.5% since the start of this year. Senegal has resorted to increased debt issuance at the regional debt market, including a 405 billion CFA francs ($708.97 million) bond issued in April, attracting criticism from the opposition, which is demanding more debt transparency from the government. ($1 = 571.2500 CFA francs)
Belfast Telegraph
28 minutes ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Former NI detective who played lead role in Madeleine McCann case says search teams ‘only need one piece of evidence'
A former Northern Ireland detective who played a central role in the initial investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has said the latest searches underway in Portugal may be a "desperate last throw of the dice". Child protection expert Jim Gamble has warned the clock is ticking for German prosecutors still looking for clues 18 years after the three-year-old vanished from the Praia da Luz resort in the Algarve. However, the Bangor man – and former chief executive of Child Exploitation & Online Protection Command – expressed hope that investigators know exactly what they are looking for. "The principle is.... we're 18 years wiser," he told Sky News, while listing a catalogue of failures in the initial police response. "I've said many, many times the crime scene was bungled, and so there was no control. "And so that chaos at the beginning, that came at a cost to the investigation." However, he also conceded that investigators may be making a 'desperate last throw of the dice'. On Tuesday, search teams drained a well and cleared areas of dense vegetation near abandoned buildings – including a farmhouse where prime suspect Christian Brueckner lived at the time when he worked as a handyman – in Atalaia. The operation is being carried out at the request of the German federal police as they look for evidence that could implicate the man currently in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz back in 2005 – he is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought. A no-fly zone has been imposed at the search site to stop the use of drones, but teams wearing safety gear could be seen using strimmers, pick-axes, shovels and chainsaws to clear undergrowth surrounding the area of interest – Firefighters and police were seen using a yellow hose to drain a well. It's understood investigators plan to use radar equipment that can scan beneath the ground and plan to explore an area where trenches were dug at the time of Madeleine's disappearance – the area includes wells, ruins and water tanks with 21 pieces of land of particular interest. Efforts are not just focused on human remains, but objects such as toys that may have DNA on it. Mr Gamble said police only need "one piece of forensic evidence" to link a suspect to the crime. "And that's why they're pushing," he added. "But based on the intelligence and the information they have, I hope... they know what they're looking for." The Metropolitan Police said it is aware of the operation as it confirmed British officers will not be present. A journalist from German broadcaster RTL, Ulrich Oppold, visited Brueckner in prison where the inmate expressed excitement about eating steak and drinking a beer upon his release. He refused to answer any questions relating to Madeleine following discussions with his lawyers, but did acknowledge he will have to lie low as he described himself as 'bekannt wie ein bunter Hund' which literally translated is 'as well-known as a colourful dog'. Last October, Brueckner was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. The latest search effort comes a month after Madeleine's family, who are from Rothley in Leicestershire, marked the 18th anniversary of her disappearance by remembering the 'beautiful and unique' child before her 22nd birthday. News Catch Up - Tuesday 3 June They also reiterated their determination to keep looking for the missing person. In a statement issued on behalf of the family, including devastated parents Kate and Gerry, they said: 'The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to 'leave no stone unturned' is unwavering. "We will do our utmost to achieve this.'
