Northumberland construction company Merit has sealed one of its biggest ever contracts after being enlisted to build part of a new £150m facility for Covid jab manufacturer Moderna.
Following a string of significant healthcare projects around the UK, Cramlington-based Merit is set to build one of the two buildings that will make up the new Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre (MITC) at Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire, after the US business confirmed plans moves into the UK.
The project leaders say the project will create hundreds of jobs, through its construction and operation. The MITC will include a clinical biomarker laboratory that will be constructed by offsite construction and engineering specialist Merit - and the firm's innovative process means it will be operational in just two years' time. The Drug Substance and Manufacturing facility will be fitted out by Birmingham based engineering firm IPS.
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It comes after the Government signed a deal with the business to produce a UK-made supply of Covid-19 jabs for the next 10 years, as well as vaccines developed for other respiratory diseases, such as flu and respiratory syncytial virus. The deal marks a significant win for construction innovator Merit, which has seen contract wins increase – especially within healthcare sector – on the back of its innovative construction technique which sees it pre-assemble up to 95% of buildings at it factory, before shipping it and installing it its final destination.
The process means it can deliver projects more faster, more efficiently and more sustainably than traditional methods. The firm is also expanding its factory at Admiral Business Park, increasing its height so it can even show clients their buildings before they are installed. Construction will begin in 2023 and the manufacturing facility is expected to become operational in 2025, subject to local planning and other necessary approvals.
Tony Wells, CEO of Merit, said: “Our pioneering offsite construction methods are ideal for Moderna’s state-of-the-art medical research, and we have been collaborating over the past six months to develop an innovative, product-based solution that suits their specific requirements. We are looking forward to delivering the project at speed, leveraging the efficiencies and improved productivity we can achieve with our approach.”
Mark Miller, project director at IPS, said: “We are extremely proud to continue as a trusted partner to Moderna, providing pharmaceutical engineering services for the new mRNA Drug Substance manufacturing facility. It is a privilege to be associated with such an impactful project and we look forward to collaborating within a highly motivated team to ensure a successful outcome.”
Darius Hughes, UK general manager at Moderna, said: “We are delighted to reach this important milestone – we look forward to joining the Harwell Campus health tech cluster and contributing to the UK’s science and innovation community through investments in R&D. When constructed, our facility at Harwell will harness mRNA science that aims to develop and deliver innovative vaccines to the UK public that address emerging threats from respiratory viruses facing our population.”
Stuart Grant, chief executive of Harwell Campus, added: “mRNA technology has the capability to transform how we treat a variety of diseases and enhance UK resilience against future pandemics. I’m delighted that Moderna has chosen the campus as its home to grow its globally important life sciences research and development and manufacturing capabilities, a move which will boost UK innovation, and investment in this breakthrough technology.”
Most recent accounts for Merit covering the year ended June 2022 showed revenues climbed 44% to £60.2m, while Ebitda rose by 374% to £4.57m following a number of major project wins and completions, including the first phase of the UK’s first CAR T-cell and gene therapy manufacturing facility in Stevenage for Autolus Theraputics, and a manufacturing facility for CPI in Darlington.
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