Bengaluru Lifesciences Research District to push investment, innovation in life sciences

Bengaluru Lifesciences Research (BLR) District, the upcoming, privately developed integrated life sciences cluster in Attibele, south Bengaluru, is expected to attract investment exceeding Rs 2,500 crore and create more than 15,000 skilled and semi-skilled jobs, Dr C N Ashwath Narayan, Minister for IT, BT and Skill Development, said.

BLR District is planned as a 52-acre campus with a total development of 2.5 million sq ft. The campus will be developed as a self-sustained cluster with state-of-the-art infrastructure for R&D and manufacturing and is expected to complement the growth in the existing hubs of Electronics City, Jigani and Bommasandra.

“This dedicated life sciences destination will be on par with international clusters and will strengthen the region’s position globally,” the minister was quoted as saying in an official statement.

The first phase of the cluster — spread over 2,00,000 sq ft — is ready for fit-outs offering multi-tenanted wet laboratories, incubation facilities and associated office spaces, the statement said.

The cluster, conceptualised by life sciences real estate company Rx Propellant and developed by Roach Lifescapes, is planned as a platform of collaboration among industry, academia and government to drive innovation in the life sciences sector. It will feature lab space modules and built-to-suit flexi factories catering to biopharma, medtech, agriscience, nutraceutical and allied sectors.

Space to scale up

Dr E V Ramana Reddy, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Electronics, IT, BT, Science and Technology, said the size and scale of the cluster would allow it to house companies at different stages in the innovation value chain, from concept to commercialisation.

BLR District will have well-defined spaces for start-ups and scale-ups, contract development and manufacturing hubs, Vishal Goel, MD, Rx Propellant, said.

“The idea is to enable organisations to grow synergistically with innovation-driven companies, service providers and lab equipment suppliers within the same premises,” he said.