Waters Corporation And BioCity To Establish An Open Access Analytical Laboratory In The Biohub At Alderley Park, UK

Laboratory will allow Waters a unique opportunity to further collaborate with scientists, while providing access to critical scientific infrastructure

MILFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) and BioCity, the UK's largest bioscience incubator company, announced an agreement to launch an open access analytical laboratory. Located in the BioHub at Alderley Park, the laboratory will offer Waters’ state-of-the-art liquid chromatography (LC), mass spectrometry (MS) and informatics technologies, along with a suite of analytical platforms to scientists working in the pharmaceutical and life science industries.

“It is great to be working with such a forward-thinking partner as Waters Corporation, who fully embrace our approach and are helping us to augment further still the array of resources available at Alderley Park.”

“Engaging with scientists in the BioHub at Alderley Park provides a unique opportunity to work and partner with customers, given the geographic proximity of Waters’ Wilmslow location. We expect that this close relationship will also give us deeper insight into customer needs and challenges,” said Richard Ladd, Senior Director, Pharmaceutical Business, Waters Division. “The diversity and strength of science which is being done at Alderley Park matches well with Waters’ strategy of purposeful innovation, and our strong emphasis on health and life sciences.”

The laboratory will be resourced with many of Waters’ latest technology offerings, including ACQUITY^® QDa^® ACQUITY H-Class™, ACQUITY UPC^2®and ACQUITY PDA Detector™, along with the expertise required to leverage the power of these instrumentation platforms. The laboratory will also include a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) system provided by Manchester Science Partnerships, the owners of Alderley Park.

“This is great news for the businesses based at BioHub. It adds to BioCity's formula of providing emerging growing companies with access to the tools, technology and knowledge they need to succeed - be it people, property or technology,” said Glenn Crocker, CEO, BioCity Group. “It is great to be working with such a forward-thinking partner as Waters Corporation, who fully embrace our approach and are helping us to augment further still the array of resources available at Alderley Park."

Scheduled to open in early 2016, the Waters/BioCity laboratory will add to Alderley Park’s rich scientific heritage and complement its cutting edge research facilities.

About Waters Corporation (www.waters.com)

Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT) develops and manufactures advanced analytical and material science technologies for laboratory dependent organizations. For more than 50 years, the company has pioneered a connected portfolio of separations science, laboratory information management, mass spectrometry and thermal analysis systems.

About BioCity / BioHub at Alderley Park

Operated by the specialist life science incubation company BioCity, BioHub, based at Alderley Park (Cheshire) is a collaborative R&D centre which enables new and growing bioscience businesses to not only benefit from BioCity's specialist incubation support services (including shared services, training, business support and access to investment) but also Alderley Park’s high-specification research facilities.

The incubator has grown rapidly since launching in 2013, 10 years after BioCity itself was opened (2003) as one of the first Bioscience incubators in Europe. Now supporting over 150 companies, the BioCity team run a series of Innovation Engine Bootcamps, which has already lead to the creation of over 30 new companies (physical and virtual). To support these new companies, BioCity has formed a mentor network of 80 thought leaders, successful entrepreneurs, VCs and Business Experts.

Nine years after BioCity launched, the group created BioCity Scotland near Glasgow (2012) and MediCity (2013) on the Alliance Boots Enterprise Zone in Nottingham.

Over 200 plus companies started life in a BioCity business incubator and have raised over £50m of seed capital. The success of this growth formula is shown in a 91% survival rate of BioCity-based companies over 13 years. This has helped make any BioCity location an international hub for entrepreneurial activity in the life sciences.

http://www.biohubatalderley.co.uk/

Alderley Park/Manchester Science Partnerships

Alderley Park, part of Manchester Science Partnerships holds an international reputation for biotech and life science innovation in the UK. Set in 400 acres of beautiful Cheshire parkland, Alderley Park is home to over 100,000 sq m of premier scientific laboratory space, 100,000 sq ft award-winning Parklands office space, a 300,000 sq ft new re-development offering office, lab or manufacturing space, sports and leisure facilities, restaurant, cafes and international conference centre - A total place for living, working and recreation.

Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) is a community of scientists, innovators, investors and entrepreneurs, catalyzing the growth of innovative science and technology businesses. MSP provides the right environments and connections for new ideas to flourish and concepts to become a commercial reality. As the UK’s largest science park operator with five sites across the North West, MSP supports the growth of companies across the life sciences, ICT, industrial technology, advanced engineering and digital creative sectors, accommodating everything from single desk start-ups to European HQs.

www.mspl.co.uk