This acquisition and subsequent development future-proofs the University, and will drive economic growth and attract inward investment to the local area.
Queen Mary's mission is to open the doors of opportunity by addressing inequalities, transforming lives and making new discoveries. This additional land, co-located with much of the University's existing life sciences research and wider facilities, and its long-term partner Barts Health NHS Trust, will enable the University to consolidate its presence in Whitechapel, as one of its nine locations in London, significantly increasing its research and education power. In addition, the acquisition will enable the University to attract investment from like-minded partners and curate a multi-disciplinary, multi-sector life sciences campus, which will address health inequalities for local communities and across the globe.
Professor Colin Bailey CBE, President and Principal of Queen Mary University of London, said:
"Queen Mary is unparalleled among research-intensive universities in combining world-leading research and education, with a profound commitment to the local communities we serve, and to social mobility and justice. In a world still facing intractable inequalities in health and access to education, universities like Queen Mary are needed more than ever. The step we have taken today future-proofs the long-term future of our University and our mission.
"This major investment in Whitechapel gives us the opportunity, working with partners, to drive economic growth and healthcare benefits in an increasingly hyper-connected area of London within which we have deep historic roots, stretching back to 1785 and beyond, and long-standing and productive partnerships.
"The campus we develop here will enable us to create an environment that integrates the talents of our researchers, scientists, teachers and clinicians across all our disciplines and allows them to work directly alongside other national and international partners, businesses and entrepreneurs, generating the healthcare and wellbeing solutions, and required vital broader skillsets, of tomorrow."
In November 2021, Queen Mary announced the acquisition of one part of the site, which Professor Bailey declared at the time to be "one of the largest research investments in Queen Mary's history, [reinforcing] our continued commitment to the health, wellbeing and economic success of the east London community and to the advancement of world-leading research and education."
The agreement signed today significantly builds on that commitment, representing a landmark moment in the University's history.
