TORONTO/LONDON, Sept 15 - The Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan , one of
Canada s largest pension funds, told Reuters it plans to open an
office in London.
The move represents a show of confidence in Britain, which is rolling out a number of post-Brexit reforms to boost investment and regain ground lost to other financial centres
But the COVID-19 pandemic has fast-forwarded the script.
“Life sciences have never been more under the spotlight because of what we’ve all had to endure,” Peter Ferrari, chief executive of real estate investor AshbyCapital, told Reuters.
In January, together with Montrose Land, AshbyCapital bought an Edwardian building near the Crick bio-medical research center in the heart of the Knowledge Quarter life sciences hub.
The building, which should be fitted out for rental to life science tenants in 2024, was AshbyCapital’s first investment in the sector and Ferrari hopes it will be a starting point for taking on “one or two more” similar projects.
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LONDON (Reuters) - London’s Francis Crick Institute was already a magnet for investors in the capital’s so-called Knowledge Quarter, but the coronavirus pandemic has lifted interest in offices and laboratories dedicated to life sciences to a new level.
Computer-generated imagery of Oxford University s planned Life and Mind Building is seen in this undated handout photo. Courtesy Arqui9/ NBBJ/Handout via REUTERS
Investors have been drawn into European real estate dedicated to life sciences, which spans sectors such as biomedical devices and pharmaceuticals, by an ageing population and strong academic research in the region.
But the COVID-19 pandemic has fast-forwarded the script.