00:00A familiar sight in 2020, when the world faced a global pandemic, you'll recognise Pfizer
00:06as one of the companies who produced a vaccine given to the nation. And Sandwich is a part
00:11of that story, with a centre of pharmaceutical research and development since almost 70 years
00:16ago and a hub for the production of the vaccine. But today at Discovery Park, the opening of
00:22Isinchem, they have acquired some facility formerly used by Pfizer. It hopes to be a
00:27part of more scientific breakthroughs.
00:29We've got 1.3 million square feet of office, laboratory and manufacturing spaces on site.
00:37And some of our buildings have recently become available. And we were approached by Isinchem
00:42about opportunities to collaborate together. So over the last few months, we worked on
00:47various different technical challenges and plans. And we've been able to find the right
00:53space for Isinchem, both in terms of research and development labs, but also in terms of
00:58pilot development. So that's where you take your molecules that you develop within your
01:04laboratory space and you scale them up. And Isinchem are taking those facilities and will
01:09be able to manufacture drugs for the UK, for the European markets.
01:14This investment will be Isinchem's first manufacturing facility in Europe. But what does this mean
01:20for Kent?
01:21It helps secure the future of Discovery Park, which is a major centre of innovation and
01:27investment, particularly here in East Kent, but in fact, as a relevance to Kent and indeed
01:33the country, because it really is a major centre of activity, particularly in life sciences.
01:39And we've seen it develop in a big way over the last 10 years. What we now see is that
01:45there is, as I say, a major commitment to it by Isinchem. And we believe that that's
01:51part of what we hope will be a very strong and bright future for Discovery Park.
01:57And this investment here in Sandwich will be creating around 100 jobs, which they are
02:01expected to employ by the end of 2024, including many individuals who were previously employed
02:07by Pfizer. With their new facility in Kent, they hope to bring new jobs and protect scientific
02:12talent. Daisy Page for KMTV.
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