CSL inaugurates new US$150m R&D facility in Germany

GERMANY -ASX-listed CSL, a leading global biotechnology company, has inaugurated its new €150 million (US$150M) Research and Development (R&D) site after three years of construction.

CSL Behring has made a name for itself manufacturing biologics and plasma, but its unveiling of a new R&D site, slated to be the company’s largest is evidence of expanded development efforts.

The facility, built on the grounds of the research campus in Marburg’s Görzhausen Industrial Park, represents CSL’s largest R&D site under one roof, with more than 500 team members working in a state-of-the-art facility offering access to promising scientific partners and talent.

The new R&D building also offers space for collaboration partners from all over the world. R&D centers like M600, strategically located near universities, institutes, and biomedical centers, have the advantage of providing efficient access to external talent.

“The science and innovation taking place in Marburg and across the region will help us to shape CSL’s future in a sustainable way, and we hope that it will drive further development of the region into a globally recognized innovation center,” said Dr. Bill Mezzanotte, Head of R&D and Chief Medical Officer for CSL.

“The new R&D hub will continue to play a critical role in the global R&D investment strategy for CSL.”

M600 is equipped with advanced laboratories and state-of-the-art technical resources and combines various forms of working areas for active work under one roof.

In addition, the building also houses laboratory space for external collaborators, contributing to a thriving R&D ecosystem and promoting innovation at the Marburg site.

The new site’s 7,000 square meters of lab space will have ample room for scientists to explore these additional development avenues.

All told, the facility is 40,000 square meters, including 7,000 square meters of lab space, 7,000 square meters of workspace and 800 square meters of space for startups to lease out.

The company did not circle an exact date for the facility’s official launch, saying only that it will open later this year.

CSL Behring is the global biotherapeutics business of Australia-based CSL. In recent years, the company has fleshed out a distinct pipeline of its own, included a prominent footprint in hemophilia B.

The company’s hemophilia B gene therapy nabbed FDA priority review earlier this summer.

The mother company, CSL Limited, recently unveiled new branding for its four units to unite them under the same umbrella: CSL Behring for biotherapies and rare diseases; CSL Plasma for plasma donation; CSL Seqirus for vaccines; and CSL Vifor for the newly-acquired specialty nephrology business.

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