Saralnama125 science jobs will be cut as US drugmaker Merck scraps its £1bn London research centre. The planned UK Discovery Centre at Belgrove House, set to open in two years, is now cancelled. Merck will also leave labs at the London Bioscience Innovation Centre and Francis Crick Institute. The company cites lack of UK investment in life sciences and undervaluation of medicines as reasons. This move is a setback for the UK's life science sector. A recent report shows the UK has fallen behind in pharma investment and research since 2018. R&D investment growth slowed to 1.9% annually from 2020, below the global average of 6.6%. The UK dropped from 2nd to 7th place globally in foreign life sciences investment between 2017 and 2023. (Updated 11 Sep 2025, 04:01 IST; source: link)
Key Points
- 125 science jobs will be cut as US drugmaker Merck scraps its £1bn London research centre
- The planned UK Discovery Centre at Belgrove House, set to open in two years, is now cancelled
- Merck will also leave labs at the London Bioscience Innovation Centre and Francis Crick Institute