The Northern Ireland-headquartered contract services firm announced the plan today, explaining it will shift protein production and process development operations from a rented site in Elvingston to a new purpose built lab.
A spokeswoman for the company told us: "The move to the new site provides us with much more capacity to grow our current business lines but also to introduce new lines of business" citing specialist reagents and conjugation technologies for antibody drug conjugates (ADC’s) as examples.
Almac will spend £3.5m ($5.1m) to set up a 7,000sqft laboratory and office space at the Edinburgh Technopole with Government investment group Scottish Enterprise stumping up an additional £450,000 to back the project.
The firm also cited its 2013 protein tech focused agreement with UK-based TTP Labtech as evidence of growing demand for such services.
The Almac spokeswoman told us "there are currently 15 staff at the Elvingston facility and they will all be transferring to the new site. The aim over the next three years is to more than double the staff employed."
Almac will join contract research services firms INC Research and Solid State Solutions, which already have operations at Edinburgh Technopole.
Chris Mitchell, Associate Director of BEST Network and LaSalle Investment Management which manage the business park, told us "collaboration between occupiers in BEST Network’s science and technology centres is strongly encouraged. We believe businesses operate most successfully when they are part of an inspiring and synergetic community."