On Tuesday 1st September, we held a hugely successful virtual Bidders Day event as we stepped up the pace to identify a private sector partner to join in creating Edinburgh’s £1 billion Health Innovation District.

Hosted by Real Asset Media, over 150 companies signed up from around the world including Asia, Europe and the USA, hearing from a panel of representatives from Edinburgh BioQuarter’s partners’ from the City of Edinburgh Council, NHS Lothian, Scottish Enterprise and the University of Edinburgh, as well as commercial advisers, Cushman & Wakefield.

Presentations outlined the vision for one of the biggest mixed-use development opportunities in Europe – the 61-acres of developable land at BioQuarter based just three miles from Edinburgh city centre – with Prof Kev Dhaliwal and Prof Nick Mills highlighting the opportunities in world-leading health and social care data and translational medicine within the City region.

Prof Dhaliwal said: “The greatest strength of the BioQuarter will be the young people that will be there. The innovation ecosystem will be born out of human capital mixing on the site; everything coming together creates a unique appetite for the innovation ecosystem. Anyone can be an innovator at BioQuarter.”

Prof Mills said: “We are looking to provide support for any organisation or partner within the city region that wants to do something that will help us to improve health and social care – whether they are an existing GP practice, private care provider or even voluntary sector that works with people with specific needs. We will support them to bring investment to their programme, provide knowledge and ultimately set up a pipeline for generating new businesses.”

The search is on to procure a joint venture partner who can support the vision for a £1billion GDV mixed-use development; a place where people want to be which is centred around a health innovation ecosystem built on talented people, top companies and world-leading scientific research. The intended OJEU procurement will officially launch in Q1 2021.

If you have an interest in shaping Edinburgh’s Health Innovation District, our Prior Information Notice is available to view via the Public Contracts Scotland website. On the PCS website you can also find out more about the opportunity available by completing our procurement questionnaire.

Not able to attend the Bidder’s Day? Watch it here >

Future Development