Novozymes has signed a deal with Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality to acquire a 140,000 square meter site in Lyngby. The site is located 13 kilometers north of Copenhagen, close to the highway to Elsinore and seven kilometers from its headquarters in Bagsværd.
Novozymes’ goal is to build a new campus dedicated to research and business development.
“This is an investment in the future, where the new innovation campus will be a cornerstone for our global research. Novozymes is driven by innovation and this center will help strengthen our growth through developing ground-breaking biotechnology,” says Per Falholt, Executive Vice President for R&D at Novozymes.
New campus to be a hub for biotechnology
Approximately 14% of Novozymes’ revenue is reinvested into research annually, leading to the development of over 100 new products since the company went public 15 years ago. These products are used globally and enable energy-efficient production, replacement of fossil fuels, more sustainable food production and other benefits.
“With the location in Lyngby, in close proximity to Denmark’s Technical University our ambition is to create a global hub for biotech research. Our new campus will be important in creating the ultimate conditions for product development while simultaneously offering our employees a great workplace,” says Per Falholt. “We are delighted that the Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality is interested in this project.”
As part of the campus construction, Novozymes will also establish a learning center where students and visitors alike are invited to discover and learn about the magic of nature and biology. The learning center will include teaching laboratories, a small cinema and a cafe, and will function as a link to the research environment in Lyngby.
Growth in Novozymes’ research
More than 20% of Novozymes’ 6,500 employees work within research and development. In Denmark, Novozymes employs 2,700 people – a number that has grown by approximately 600 since 2005. This growth contributed to the decision to develop the new innovation campus.
“Novozymes’ project is ambitious and fits perfectly into our goal of developing as a knowledge and university city,” said Sofia Osmani, Mayor of Lyngby-Taarbæk. “The new innovation campus will strengthen education, research and business in the municipality. And Novozymes also shares our ambition to maintain and develop the area as a green recreational oasis.”
The inauguration of the new innovation campus is expected to take place in 2018 upon the approval of the district plan.
Financial impact
Novozymes’ investment in the new innovation campus is included in the company’s previously announced long-term CAPEX guidance. CAPEX are expected at around 8 percent of turnover on average in the period up to and including 2020. Since 2013, Novozymes’ CAPEX have been lower than this, partly because of postponed investments in research facilities that are now being realized in Lyngby. With the new campus, Novozymes will have room for the expected growth in the number of employees in Denmark until after 2020, and units from Bagsværd will move to the new site in Lyngby once it is established. In accordance with the 2015 financial outlook, Novozymes still expects net investments of around DKK 1 billion in 2015.
Facts:
The site is 140,000 square meters. The first building phase consists of a 30,000 square meter construction, with room for 800 employees in research and development and other business areas. This first phase is expected to meet Novozymes’ space needs until the year 2023.
Later expansion is possible, to room a total of 2,000 -2,500 employees.
The low rise buildings will be designed to complement the location. The project preserves local forest, and will establish a park and nature trail which, like the entire area around the new innovation campus, will be open to the public.
Novozymes will run the learning center which will be open for pupils, students and other visitors to learn about biology and nature. The center will be built in conjunction with the campus and in harmony with the surrounding nature.
Source: Novozymes
