• Home
• /
• Local business

DuBiotech issues 40 new commercial licences in ’12

Dubai Biotechnology and Research Park (DuBiotech), a member of Tecom Investments, has continued to strengthen its position as the Middle East’s premiere free zone business park dedicated to the development of the life sciences industry.

In 2012, DuBiotech delivered exceptional growth, as 40 commercial licences were issued compared to 21 in 2011, a year-on-year increase of 50 per cent, taking the total number of companies based in the free zone to 126. The business centre in the lab building is also now 100 per cent occupied with a mix of both multinational and small and medium sized firms.

The year began with a 20 per cent occupancy rate for warehouses, however, over the course of 2012 that increased to 75 per cent — with the space being utilised by a combination of pharmaceutical, food, environmental and medical equipment companies such as, Bayer Middle East, Lupin Middle East, Life Technologies, Sobi Middle East and Wockhardt.

Marwan Abdulaziz, Executive Director of DuBiotech and Tecom’s Sciences Cluster, said: “2012 was an exceptional year of growth for DuBiotech. We have made significant progress in all areas of the business and the numbers speak for themselves. However, it was also undoubtedly a year of major collaboration, through the signing of MOUs with key industry partners and conferences organised with our peers in the sector, as well as our close relationship with new business partners to help them get established in the UAE.”

Two new projects in 2012 saw DuBiotech move into the provision of manufacturing and education facilities. The first manufacturing facility to launch at DuBiotech was Pharmax Pharmaceuticals, which established a Dh40 million custom-built factory that spreads over an area of 90,000 sq feet.

In addition, Foremarke Hall, the prep school for the popular British private school Repton, signed a development agreement with DuBiotech, which will cover 25,978 square metres and will enable the school to cater for 1,280 children when fully operational. Foremarke Hall will be the first educational facility in DuBiotech, built by international construction firm Brookfield Multiplex and is due to open in September 2013.

Sobi Biopharmaceuticals, a leading integrated biopharmaceutical company also established operations in DuBiotech in 2012. Their launch coincided with a major conference on ‘Rare Diseases and Genetics in the Middle East’, part of the Life Sciences Foresight Series, which explored ways of improving diagnosis, research and treatment of rare diseases.

business@khaleejtimes.com