Campus Solna is an important part of the emerging Hagastaden – the inner city district where Stockholm and Solna meet, and which is being developed with housing, retail, the metro, culture and park areas. Here, society, universities and the business community have also joined forces with the goal of creating one of the world's strongest life science clusters.
Akademiska Hus has invested SEK 275 million in the renovation of the approximately 24,000 m2 Inventum Laboratory, formerly known as the Retzius Laboratory, which has been carried out in two stages with the aim of upgrading the building's technical functions and creating new modern office and lab environments on a 13,000 m2 leasable area. As part of Akademiska Hus' sustainability work, many of the existing materials have been utilised during the construction process and reused in the new premises.
"It feels fantastic that the Inventum Laboratory is ready for inauguration after three years of rebuilding. Here we can welcome new players to the area who can take part in the central meeting places that are being developed on Campus Solna where students, researchers, visitors, entrepreneurs and start-up companies can come together for knowledge exchange and innovation in life science. says Anna Alsborger, Property Director at Akademiska Hus.
Strategic location attracts
There is great interest in moving into the Inventum Laboratory. Many are attracted by the strategic location directly adjacent to Karolinska Institutet and with proximity to a number of other government agencies, companies and organisations – all with a connection to education and research in medicine and health. On the opening day, there are nine companies operating in the building, including Pelago Bioscience and Xbrane Biopharma, and a tenth company is in the pipeline in the autumn. Only 2,700 m2 remains vacant.
"The proximity to world-leading research and the area's clear life science profile mean that Campus Solna is just right for us and the biotechnology activities that we conduct. In state-of-the-art premises, we can take advantage of all the innovative power and expertise that exists in the field," says Martin Åmark, CEO of Xbrane Biopharma.
Unique vacancy
It was in connection with Karolinska Institutet moving parts of its operations to the experimental research laboratory Biomedicum that a unique vacancy arose that provides the opportunity for new companies to establish themselves on Campus Solna. In addition to the Inventum Laboratory, Akademiska Hus has since invested approximately half a billion SEK in a number of other renovations on Campus Solna, including the Physiologist and the Scheele Laboratory. All of them with a focus on offering life science businesses the opportunity to rent everything from a single office chair and lab bench to premises with space for larger lab environments and entire head offices.
