The EpiCentre in Haverhill will soon become a focal point for different reasons – as it supports the rollout of the NHS vaccination programme. The EpiCentre offers innovation and lab space to start-up and scale-up businesses. It is located in the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock’s constituency, in West Suffolk and will be the location for several months of vaccinations from next week.
The EpiCentre not only meets the stringent -80C storage facilities required by the vaccine manufacturers, it has large meeting rooms that have been converted into temporary booths and has ample parking.
The Innovation Centre, which opened in November 2020, is attracting organisations that otherwise struggle to get lab space, such as a company that is developing technology that kills viruses and bacteria in seconds, that can be used on any substrate and lasts the lifetime of the product.
Kelly Boosey, centre manager at The EpiCentre, comments: “National roll out of the vaccination will require as much support as possible. As a new Innovation Centre we will do everything we can to support the NHS to roll out the vaccination programme to the local community. The Science and Technology element of our facility means we want to be at forefront of supporting the effort to get this virus under control. The programme will continue into Spring 2021.”
The new facility in the East of England is part of Oxford Innovation’s group of 26 centres around the UK, that support companies looking for growth through innovation.
