Specialty chemicals manufacturer, Croda, has opened a new global centre for biotechnology research at Sci-Tech Daresbury, positioning the UK as a key hub for the company’s future growth.
The new laboratories, officially opened on 17 September, will bring together expertise in biotechnology, biocatalysis and synthetic biology, with the aim of accelerating the development and commercialisation of next-generation ingredients for consumer and life sciences markets.
Located within the Sci-Tech Daresbury innovation campus in the Liverpool City Region, the centre will form part of Croda’s global R&D network and is intended to strengthen collaboration between industry, academia and government.
For Croda, the decision to establish the global biotechnology hub in the UK reflects what Chief Executive Steve Foots described as the country’s “strength of its science base, talent and innovation ecosystem”.
He added: “At a time when much of the discussion around the European chemicals sector focuses on industrial challenges, Croda’s investment highlights the continued opportunities for innovative companies to compete globally through intellectual property, advanced science and R&D-led growth.”
Minister for Reindustrialisation, Blair McDougall MP, who opened the facility said: “Croda’s expansion here in Daresbury is a perfect example of what our Modern Industrial Strategy is designed to support: a global centre of biotech excellence, backing skilled local jobs and keeping Britain at the cutting edge of innovation.
“This new facility will help turn world-class British science into exports for global markets, helping attract investment and create high-value jobs across the North West while strengthening the UK’s position as a global leader in biotechnology.”
The move comes as the European chemicals industry continues to contend with cost pressures, industrial contraction and questions over global competitiveness. Croda is instead looking to differentiate through intellectual property, advanced science and the development of high-value speciality ingredients.
One example is KeraBio™ K31, a biotechnology-derived keratin ingredient developed by Croda scientists at Daresbury and now being commercialised with customers globally. The product demonstrates the company’s ambition to take biotechnology beyond laboratory research and into commercially viable products.
The new centre is also expected to support future job creation both at Sci-Tech Daresbury and across Croda’s other UK locations, while strengthening links with academic and industry partners.
The company’s UK footprint already includes its global headquarters at Cowick Hall in East Yorkshire, manufacturing and innovation operations at Rawcliffe Bridge, and manufacturing sites at Ditton and Leek. Daresbury adds a dedicated biotechnology R&D capability to that network.
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