- With the investment EUR 111 million, Novartis will build the largest technical development center for modern innovative biotechnology in Slovenia and one of the largest in the region. The new BioCampus is planned to create an estimated 100 new jobs in the next few years.
- The BioCampus in Mengeš will enable increased speed and flexibility in early development of innovative biotherapeutics.
- With the new investment Novartis will strengthen its position in Slovenia as the first fully fledged innovative medicines company in the history of Slovenian pharmaceutical industry.
Mengeš, July 5, 2023 – Today, Novartis in Slovenia announced the start of construction of the BioCampus – Center for Biologics Technical Development in Mengeš. The event was attended by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, dr. Robert Golob, who was also the keynote speaker, and Tanja Fajon, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs. The BioCampus will bring clinical manufacturing capabilities (non cGMP and cGMP) and technical development capabilities in proximity of development operations enabling increased speed and flexibility in early development. The EUR 111 million investment strengthens Novartis position in Slovenia as the first pharmaceutical company to both develop and manufacture innovative medicines in country. The Mengeš site, housing both technical development and production, will become the largest industrial hub for modern innovative biotherapeutics in Slovenia.
The new BioCampus is expected to be operational in 2026 and will create an estimated 100 new jobs for scientists and technicians. It will support Novartis increasingly sophisticated biotherapeutic portfolio with the most advanced technical infrastructure and highest level of capabilities.
The Mengeš site has a long tradition in the technical development of biologics, dating back to the 1980s. Today, Mengeš is the largest center for modern innovative biotherapeutics in Slovenia, with around 800 employees working in the technical development and production of biologics. Together with the chemical production of active pharmaceutical ingredients, Novartis employs more than 1,200 people at the Mengeš site and also closely collaborates with academic and research institutions in Slovenia. "With a renewed strategy focused on innovative medicines, we are even more determined to drive innovation, which is the basis for future growth in a changing global environment. Novartis in Slovenia is one of Novartis key sites for the development and production of innovative medicines. The BioCampus investment provides us with a unique opportunity to further build on and expand our expertise, develop our know-how and attract new talent to the development and production of innovative biologics in Slovenia. We are looking forward to a new chapter in the story we have been writing in Mengeš for decades and which will further strengthen the role of our location in the development of breakthrough biologics," said Jana Petek, CEO of Novartis d.o.o.
Novartis experts in Slovenia are an important part of Novartis development network, implementing a number of technically advanced and innovative approaches in the technical development of biologics for the treatment of patients around the world. "In the pharmaceutical industry, biologics account for almost half of all recently approved medicines and have enormous potential to address unmet healthcare needs in a range of therapeutic areas. That is why at Novartis we are strengthening our capabilities for early-stage technical development of biologics, which also includes this new investment in Mengeš. The expertise and achievements of our associates in Slovenia have been recognized and valued by Novartis from the very beginning. I am delighted that with the new BioCampus we will be able to drive further the scientific innovation and bring the complex biologic compounds from the bench through development in an integrated, seamless, and rapid fashion," said Jonathan Novak, Global Head for Biologics, Technical Research & Development, GDD at Novartis.
Novartis is committed to environmental sustainability. There are multiple measures in the proposed design of the new BioCampus to limit environmental impact and increase energy efficiency including solar roof panels to generate green electricity, energy efficient equipment and waste heat recovery applications to reduce steam consumption. The Mengeš site is already part of a Novartis pilot project to achieve carbon neutrality and has set a target to become carbon neutral by 2025. The innovative sustainable practices implemented in Mengeš like the production of electricity, steam and industrial gas production with emission-free turbines are paving the way for other Novartis sites around the world.
Novartis continues to invest in Slovenian sites for technical development and production of innovative medicines. The total amount of Novartis investments in Slovenia from the time of entering the market in 2002 to the end of last year amounts to EUR 3.4 billion. The majority of investments have been dedicated to technical development and production facilities along with investments into advanced environmental technologies. Currently, investments totaling around EUR 400 million are underway in all key development and production units, strengthening Novartis growth in Slovenia.
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About Novartis
Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people’s lives. We deliver high-value medicines that alleviate society’s greatest disease burdens through technology leadership in R&D and novel access approaches. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world’s top companies investing in research and development. About 103,000 people of more than 140 nationalities work together to bring Novartis products to nearly 800 million people around the world. Find out more at
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This press release contains statements and forecasts of future business operations. The forecasts include estimates based on all the information currently available to us. Should these forecasts prove unreliable, the actual results of business operations could be different from those expected.
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Mateja Breznik
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