3M Drug Delivery Systems (DDS) U.K. organization is bringing its teams under one roof, with 120 research and development employees moving to the DDS R&D Inhalation Centre of Excellence, in Loughborough. The new building will officially open in April.
 
The new R&D site covers more than 1,300 square meters of specifically-configured laboratory space for the development of inhalation therapies to treat diseases like asthma and COPD. The relocation was a two-year process that involved the complete overhaul and modernization of a long-dormant property.
 
Charnwood Campus is the first and only officially designated Life Sciences Opportunity Zone (LSOZ) in the UK. The purpose of the LSOZ designation is to bring together science and technology-based organizations to build a community of like-minded expertise and knowledge sharing.
 
“I’m delighted that 3M’s Drug Delivery Systems Division has moved its research and development lab to Charnwood Campus. 3M’s work in the field of life sciences, producing pharmaceuticals and cutting-edge med tech, makes it one of the most innovative enterprises in Leicester and Leicestershire,” said Kevin Harris, Chair, Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership. “I’m particularly pleased that 3M is able to take advantage of Charnwood Campus’ dual designation as both an Enterprise Zone and the UK’s first Life Sciences Opportunity Zone. LSOZ status means greater collaboration between academia and industry, to drive forward the life-saving discoveries of tomorrow.”