PEOPLE in the UK will be better protected from future pandemics and biosecurity threats thanks to government investment into a new, world-leading biosecurity centre in Harlow. 

The National Biosecurity Centre (NBC) will increase the speed and scale of research into dangerous pathogens and life-saving vaccines, boosting healthcare and economic growth, and protecting UK national security.

The government is investing billions of pounds in the project, including £250m over this Parliament, for vital research and testing that is currently split across UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) sites in Porton Down and Colindale under one roof.

Once complete, the NBC will be the largest in Europe, creating around 1,600 new jobs to support construction of the site and enabling the development of new treatments and vaccines that could save countless lives.

The NBC will create an 1,600 extra jobs to support construction of the site and enabling closer collaboration between leading scientists and the life sciences sector.

The investment is part of a series of ways in which this government is making the UK a life sciences powerhouse to improve access to life-changing and innovative treatments for patients, as set out in the 10 Year Health Plan. This follows the launch of a new digital hub for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in Leeds to ensure that life-saving healthcare innovations reach patients faster.

We’re taking the lessons from COVID-19, boosting our world-leading vaccine manufacturing and research capabilities, and separately to Harlow, taking part in a national exercise later this year to make sure our preparations are watertight. Through the Pandemic Agreement, we’re also improving the world’s collective ability to prevent, prepare for, detect and respond to global disease threats and £108 billion in life sciences sector also protects us against future pandemics, as well as creating jobs and driving economic growth.

Dyfed Alsop, interim UKHSA chief executive, said:

“This is fantastic news for the UK and will mean that we can continue to offer the best possible protection for people’s health for generations to come.

“A brand-new facility at Harlow will bring together our world leading public health science and emergency response capabilities, putting us in a stronger position to protect the public and keep people safe.

“This marks a significant investment in our future, ensuring that the UK remains a world leader in health security and that we are better prepared against a growing range of health threats.”

The NBC will create exciting new partnerships between UKHSA scientists and industry – paving the way for potential research breakthroughs, including in the realm of infectious diseases, environmental health, and behavioural sciences. Harlow will deliver state of the art highly secure laboratories that will be used to research the most dangerous and new diseases.

Being physically closer to industry partners in the Oxford-Cambridge corridor will furthermore strengthen collaborations.

The new facility will form part of a new network of National Biosecurity Centres recently announced under the 2025 National Security Strategy. This network will strengthen and formalise existing collaborations between UKHSA, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) to bolster the UK’s resilience to deliberate, accidental or naturally occurring biological incidents. It follows the announcement last month of investment of more than £1 billion in a new campus in Weybridge to research and respond to animal and zoonotic diseases.

Work to prepare NBC for operation will begin as soon as possible, with the first facilities due to open by the mid-2030s and the whole site scheduled to be in operation by 2038.

By enhancing the UK’s resilience against biological threats, the opening of NBC will strengthen our national security – one of the essential foundations underpinning our Plan for Change.