June 06, 2011, Invest Lithuania
In the integrated science, studies and business centre the Santara Valley, located in the capital of Lithuania, a new biotechnological and R&D center and the biopharmaceutical product development laboratory are arising.
The biopharmaceutical company Biotechpharma, developing the new centre in the Santara Valley, is expecting to complete the project in a year. Investments should reach EUR 16.2 million, and part of it – EUR 11 million will come from the EU Structural Funds.
The new Biotechpharma R&D center will be equipped with a modern biopharmaceutical product development laboratory and will supplement the company’s research division. The center will be able to do more outsourcing: to develop not only pharmaceutical production technologies, but also new experimental drugs suitable for clinical research.
According to Biotechpharma, the state-of-the-art infrastructure, complying with the highest international requirements, will create the best conditions for Lithuanian scientists to develop and improve their qualifications. Currently, the laboratory employs 14 scientists who specialize in the biopharmaceutical, biochemical, genetic engineering and other fields. It is expected to create about 30 more jobs.
Biotechpharma is the only outsourcing biopharmaceutical scientific research and experimental development supplier in Central and Eastern Europe. In this region individual biopharmaceutical R&D services are provided by small research consultancy firms and some institutes, but the closest R&D centers, where there is ability to develop complex production technologies, are only in Western Europe and the United States.
Biotechpharma is settling down in the Santara Valley and joining other biopharmaceutical companies such as UAB Sicor Biotech Ltd., Valentis, Moog Medical Devices etc.
According to experts, share of biotechnologies in the Lithuanian economy is very similar to that in Germany, Great Britain or France.
In addition to the Santara Valley, 4 other integrated science, studies and business valleys are under construction in Lithuania: the Sunrise Valley in Vilnius, the Santaka and Nemunas Valleys in Kaunas, and the Baltic (Maritime) Valley in Klaipeda.