What is the vision for designing a Biomedical Research hub that will shape drug discovery for decades to come?
First, we need to acknowledge the incredible pace of technological and scientific innovation. Over the past few decades, biomedical research has seen transformative disruptions across the entire R&D process from bench to bedside.
Our number one priority is to build a research facility that is flexible, so it can support drug discovery and innovation well into the future. It’s early days yet, but we want to design it in a way that makes it possible for our teams to stay at the leading edge of scientific and technological breakthroughs. Practically, this means we make sure that lab space is modular, and that we create adjacencies between teams with process dependencies and shared technology platforms.
Our number one priority is to build a research facility that is flexible, so it can support drug discovery and innovation well into the future.
Second, drug discovery is the ultimate team sport, so we must create an environment that supports people working together on experiments in the lab and facilitates the continued exchange of ideas and collaboration outside the lab. Whether it’s today or twenty years from now, labs and offices need to offer more than just benches, desks, and screens. Our facility needs to provide state-of-the-art collaborative space and IT infrastructure to support real-time ideation, planning, and execution against a constantly and rapidly evolving scientific landscape.
Finally, we’re paying close attention to the impact of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. Automation and AI will continue to transform the way we work in the drug discovery space in ways that can be difficult to anticipate. But there is a very strong commitment from Novartis to ensure we’re staying at the leading edge of technology, a mindset that absolutely needs to be captured in the design of our research sites.
Encompassing over 450,000 sq ft of new laboratory and office space, the new Biomedical Research hub in San Diego will offer advanced scientific infrastructure, drug discovery capabilities, and amenities that will accelerate Novartis scientists’ ability to bring forward next-generation medicines. Rendering: Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.