Orion Corporation is establishing a new research and development centre in Cambridge, UK, during 2025 to accelerate its global growth strategy and the development of innovative medicines.
The new centre will focus on the development of new biological and large-molecule therapies, with biologics CMC capabilities and project leadership to support the Orion biologics research projects that are moving towards clinical phase.
"Cambridge is home to Europe’s largest biomedical research hub and establishing our own Biologics R&D Centre in the area gives us access to a pool of world-class scientific talent and opportunities for collaboration with high-profile universities."
"I am thrilled about this continued internationalisation of Orion’s R&D to build the best expertise for the future,” says Professor, MD, PhD, Outi Vaarala, Executive Vice President of Innovative Medicines and Research & Development at Orion.
Orion’s R&D organisation currently consists of approximately 400 employees, with major sites located in Espoo and Turku in Finland and smaller clinical development hubs in Nottingham, UK and New York City, USA.
To ensure an organisational design that optimally supports Orion’s biologics R&D in future, a statutory negotiation process will start in Finland, which will impact approximately 20 employees working in Orion’s Protein and Antibody Engineering and Characterisation teams in Turku.
Other employees working in Orion R&D are not impacted.
The company has on 7 March issued a negotiation proposal as laid down in the Finnish Act on Co-operation within Undertakings, on the reorganisation of operations and possible personnel reductions.
The operational changes and reorganisations are anticipated to result in changes to responsibilities, transfers to new roles, transfers to different locations, changes to the terms of employment, and possibly end of employment for some if no alternatives are found.
The estimated preliminary redundancy need is a maximum of 15 employees. Should redundancies occur, they would take place during 2025.