The first of three buildings for GSK's 1,000-scientist centre on Cambridge Biomedical Campus is finished. GSK leaves its Stevenage R&D site by 2029.
The first building of GSK’s new research centre in Cambridge is finished. Prologis, the developer, said on 9 September that it has completed 2000 Discovery Drive on Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
The building has 112,000 sq ft of laboratory and office space over six floors. It is the first of three linked buildings that will make up GSK’s 300,000 sq ft centre, home to more than 1,000 of its scientists.
What GSK is bringing to Cambridge
GSK announced the move on 28 July. Its own release says:
- the Cambridge site will be home to GSK’s research and development operations in the UK
- more than 1,000 GSK scientists will work there
- the research will focus on oncology, respiratory disease, hepatology, vaccines and HIV
- the move is part of a £400 million investment over three years
- GSK will leave its research site at Stevenage, with staff moving in phases by 2029
- its laboratories at Ware, in Hertfordshire, will be upgraded and some staff moved there
GSK has not given a date for moving into Cambridge.
Three buildings, one finished
Prologis is building the centre across three connected blocks on Discovery Drive. Their status, from the developer’s July release and its September completion notice:
| Building | Size | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 Discovery Drive | 112,000 sq ft, six floors | Completed, announced 9 September 2026 |
| 3000 Discovery Drive | Not published | Full planning permission |
| 4000 Discovery Drive | 112,604 sq ft, six storeys | Planning committee approval, subject to formal permission |
Prologis says the building is complete. The Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Paul Bristow, quoted in the same release, describes it as “nearly completed”.
The GSK blocks are the second phase of Prologis’s work at the campus. The first building of that phase, 1000 Discovery Drive, is already fully occupied by Cambridge University Hospitals and a European biotech company. Prologis puts the whole phase at £500 million.
There is more to come. In February the county council agreed a partnership with Prologis for the campus’s third and fourth phases, according to the developer’s 22 July release. Those phases would add another 2.4 million sq ft of research space. Prologis calls it an investment ambition of £3 billion over the next two decades.
What it means for you
- Jobs. More than 1,000 GSK scientists will be based in the city. Many will be moving with the company from Stevenage, and GSK has not said how many new jobs the centre will create.
- Cycling. Phase 2 includes a semi-sunken cycle park with secure space for 450 bicycles, under a landscaped courtyard.
- Traffic. The M11 southbound is shut overnight between junction 11, the Trumpington and Addenbrooke’s junction, and junction 10 from 14 to 16 September. The detail is on our Cambridge roadworks page.
- Planning. 4000 Discovery Drive still needs its formal permission. We follow the big decisions on Cambridge planning news.
The campus is already home to the Medical Research Council’s new organoid hub, which we reported on in August: the MRC’s £20m Cambridge organoid hub.
Sources
- Prologis, “Prologis completes major life sciences development at Cambridge Biomedical Campus”, 9 September 2026 for the completion, the floor area, the cycle park and the Mayor’s quote.
- GSK, “GSK to establish new flagship R&D centre on Cambridge Biomedical Campus, UK”, 28 July 2026 for the 300,000 sq ft centre, the 1,000 scientists, the £400 million, the research areas and the Stevenage and Ware changes.
- Prologis, “Prologis to develop GSK’s new global R&D centre at Cambridge Biomedical Campus”, 28 July 2026 for the three buildings, their planning status and the £500 million second phase.
- Prologis, “Prologis progresses with final Phase 2 building at Cambridge Biomedical Campus”, 22 July 2026 for 4000 Discovery Drive, 1000 Discovery Drive’s occupiers and the county council partnership.
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