Across the globe, organizations operating in the life sciences and public health sector have faced a new sense of urgency to manage and report on data with speed and accuracy. Significant investments are being made in data initiatives and AI & machine learning solutions across the sector and reliance on these technologies continues to grow. Accelerated by the demands of Covid-19, how will this embrace of data and automation reshape the future of the industry?

Cross-disciplinary collaboration, along with providing start-ups and intermediate-sized companies with appropriate space and access to investment and business development opportunities are key components to driving scientific advancements. How can business leaders and developers adopt a holistic approach, addressing the needs of the industry through the lens of people, place and technology?

Unlike traditional real estate areas such as retail and offices, the buoyant life science sector is uniquely positioned to withstand the economic ravages of the pandemic. With much of the work conducted by life sciences companies, pharmaceutical, biotech, and other medical research fields requiring physical workspace, we examine latest trends and implications for the corporate real estate sector.

Where large pharmaceutical companies once relied on an established reputation to attract talent, they are now forced to re-evaluate their workplace offering – in competition with tech companies and prominent players in other industries. How can leaders in the industry attract and retain the future innovators and highly skilled talent that scientific progress depends on?

Laboratories are complex workspaces with unique requirements. Addressing the growing space demands of the industry while adapting to the global shift towards agile, hybrid work models poses notable challenges for business leaders in the sector. As we look to the post-COVID future, architects and designers have a crucial role to play in the changing parameters of the corporate life science workplace.