COVID-19 testing facility opens at Porton Down
A new world-class research facility dedicated to the development and testing of new COVID-19 vaccines has opened at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Porton Down site, in Salisbury.
In response to the global Covid-19 pandemic situation the government commissioned the immediate construction of this bio-secure testing facility to fast-track COVID-19 variant vaccines.
The T-SQUARED team of design, construction and validation experts delivered the containment level 2 and 3 laboratories in record time using pre-fabricated, off site techniques, delivering the project ahead of programme.
This cutting-edge research facility will be a global leader in testing against future variants of COVID-19.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “This state-of-the-art facility is one of two that together make up a new £65 million Vaccine Evaluation Centre that will be critical in bolstering the UK’s future pandemic response, helping to keep us safe for years to come.
“It’s thanks to the research carried out at Porton Down and other vital sites across the UK that tens of millions of British people are protected from the virus as we learn to live with COVID-19.”
Professor Dame Jenny Harries, the CEO of the UK Health Security Agency, said: “These new world-class facilities will help further establish the UKHSA and its Porton Down site as a global leader of vaccine testing and variant research in the fight against COVID-19.”
