Biotech giant CSL will move its headquarters to a purpose-built facility in Melbourne’s Parkville biomedical hub.
The company will occupy a 16-storey tower at the top of Elizabeth street, with nine floors to be devoted to laboratories and clinical facilities.
The laboratories will be enclosed in floor-to-ceiling glass and circumnavigated by a continuous corridor to allow for safe and transparent viewing of biotech production activities from a range of precinct visitors.
It aims to foster collaborations between academic biomedical research and industry, creating a link to help develop new medicines for unmet medical needs.
It will accommodate more than 800 CSL employees, including commercial operations, research and product development teams, and support services.
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CSL CEO and Managing Director, Paul Perreault, said Melbourne’s reputation as a world class centre of biomedical research excellence is well established.
“CSL’s collaborations within the precinct span more than a hundred years,” Perreault said.
“We have opportunities all around the world and R&D in several countries, but we believe the density and quality of medical research activity in Parkville has enormous future potential.
“As we continue to strengthen our long-term collaborations with strategic partners, we intend to grow these networks by further embedding key elements of our Australian operations into the nucleus of Melbourne’s medical research district.”
The headquarters are due to open in 2024, with hundreds of jobs expected to be created during construction.
Victorian Priority Precincts Minister, Gavin Jennings, said the announcement strengthens Melbourne’s global reputation as Australia’s premier location for biomedical discovers, commercial opportunities and innovation that saves lives.
“This move secures CSL’s global headquarters for Melbourne into the foreseeable future and positions Australia’s own global biomedical leader with some of the world’s finest research and discovery talent.”