Construction of the Technology Development Centre Gains Momentum at VCIIP

Construction of the Technology Development Centre has officially begun at the Vilnius City Innovation Industrial Park (VCIIP), marked by a symbolic time capsule burial on April 9. The new centre will be tailored for scientific research and applied innovation, housing laboratories as well as public and administrative spaces.

“The idea for this Technology Development Centre has been in development for nearly four years, with the goal of accelerating the growth of the life sciences industry and ensuring that the potential accumulated in Lithuania is not wasted,” said Dr. Gediminas Pauliukevičius, CEO of VCIIP operator Northtown Vilnius.

According to him, the Technology Development Centre is a critical component of the VCIIP ecosystem. It will enable the park to attract sustainable companies working in the life sciences sector and provide the physical infrastructure needed for faster development of their innovations and technologies. “There is a clear shortage of spaces specifically adapted for life sciences companies, despite strong and consistent demand from both Lithuanian and international investors. This centre is a cornerstone of our strategy to strengthen the life sciences ecosystem and achieve the ambitious growth projected in the national vision,” Pauliukevičius added.

Lithuania’s Minister of Economy and Innovation Aušrinė Armonaitė highlighted that the country’s life sciences sector is a strategic pillar of the national economy, currently contributing around 2.6% to GDP. “Around two-thirds of the companies operate in biotechnology, which is the fastest-growing segment of Lithuania’s life sciences sector. With an 87% growth rate, it far exceeds the European average. This proves that we are steadily progressing toward our goal of becoming a global leader in life sciences and biotechnology,” said Armonaitė.

By 2030, the goal is for the life sciences industry to generate 5% of Lithuania’s GDP, placing the country among the world’s top leaders in the field.

The Technology Development Centre will be the first building of its kind and scale in Vilnius in over a decade, dedicated entirely to the life sciences industry. Designed as a modern, sustainable, and environmentally friendly research and high-tech hub, the facility will cover over 4,000 square meters. A significant portion of this area will be dedicated to specialised laboratories for life sciences, with office spaces occupying the rest. The centre will host life sciences companies and an open-access bioinformatics centre, whose infrastructure and services will be available not only to tenants of the Technology Development Centre but also to companies and partners of the Life Sciences Digital Innovation Hub cluster.

During the launch event, a letter to future generations was buried alongside the time capsule, expressing the ambition to build and strengthen Lithuania’s innovation capacity, ensure the conditions for rapid growth of the life sciences industry in the capital, and nurture talent and emerging startups in this field.

“Vilnius has always welcomed creative communities and rapid innovation. Today, we reaffirmed that commitment by announcing the construction of the Technology Development Centre,” said Adomas Bužinskas, Director of the Vilnius City Municipality Administration. According to him, this step marks a new phase in improving the life sciences ecosystem and boosting the capital’s competitiveness on the global stage.

“Investments in purpose-built industrial facilities that allow companies to establish operations quickly reduce time to market and provide flexible conditions for business growth. The Technology Development Centre will offer the modern infrastructure needed for businesses in the biotechnology sector to establish and expand their operations,” said Giedrė Gečiauskienė, Board Member and Head of Client and Financing Solutions at the national development institution INVEGA.

The total investment in the building project will exceed €16 million, of which €9.5 million is financed through an INVEGA loan. Construction is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2025.

“We take pride in the unique role that the Vilnius City Innovation Industrial Park plays in the capital. We are confident that the biotech and life sciences companies already based here – and those to be based in the new Technology Development Centre – will form a solid foundation for Lithuania’s leadership in the life sciences field for decades to come,” said Northtown Vilnius Director Gediminas Pauliukevičius. He is convinced that in the near future, the centre will become one of the region’s most important hubs for globally competitive life sciences innovations, as well as a place where meaningful scientific experiences and challenges are shared.

To date, 20 companies have either established themselves or begun operations at the Vilnius City Innovation Industrial Park, working across all smart specialisation fields. Life sciences have received particular attention in the development of the park, with the strongest clustering and strategic focus in this area. VCIIP currently hosts six clusters, four of which are focused on life sciences. Ten life sciences companies have already established themselves at the park: JSC Biotecha, JSC Bioprocess Solutions, JSC CMB Medicina, JSC Domus Naturae, JSC Experimentica, JSC Gensinta, JSC Imunodiagnostika, JSC Stem Cell Research Centre, JSC Pentasweet, and JSC Sanobiotec. Since 2023, the park has also been home to the international British School of Vilnius. As of early 2024, total investments in the development of VCIIP have exceeded €74 million.