The new facility is set to reinforce Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading regional hub for life sciences.
Masdar City has unveiled Biosphere Labs, the GCC’s first commercially scaled shared laboratory facility, aimed at accelerating biotechnology innovation and supporting Abu Dhabi’s goal of becoming a global life sciences hub.
Developed in partnership with M42 and Attentive Science, the facility was launched at the BIO International Convention 2026 in San Diego, United States. It is designed to tackle a key challenge in the biotech sector by giving researchers and companies access to advanced lab infrastructure without requiring heavy upfront investment.
Biosphere Labs offers start-ups, researchers, and life sciences firms ready access to specialist laboratory space, scientific equipment, operational support, and industry networks. The initiative is expected to reduce the cost, time, and complexity involved in developing and scaling biotech ventures, further strengthening Abu Dhabi’s position in the global life sciences ecosystem.
The facility complements the emirate’s Health, Endurance, Longevity and Medicine (HELM) cluster, launched in 2025 and based in Masdar City, which aims to build an integrated ecosystem for medical research, pharmaceutical production, biotechnology development, and healthcare innovation.
Dr Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi said that Abu Dhabi has developed a collaborative ecosystem that unites healthcare, research, investment, and innovation.
She said that “Masdar City strengthens the ecosystem by providing researchers, start-ups, and biotechnology companies with the infrastructure needed to build, test, and scale new technologies within Abu Dhabi’s living lab for intelligent life sciences.”
She added that by lowering barriers to scientific research and innovation, facilities like Biosphere Labs help translate promising discoveries into practical solutions that can improve health outcomes locally and globally.
Ahmed Baghoum described the launch as a defining milestone in Masdar City’s life sciences journey, saying it demonstrates what becomes possible when foundations, partnerships, infrastructure, and policy are intentionally aligned.
He said that Masdar City was designed as a testbed where ideas are not only conceived but demonstrated in practice. Through the new facility, he added, the aim is to foster scientific innovation by removing barriers, attracting global expertise, and giving researchers and biotechnology companies the platform to develop, test, and scale breakthrough solutions.
On real-world impact, Dr Fahed Al Marzooqi said the facility will speed up the translation of scientific discoveries from laboratories into practical applications.
He added that by providing immediate access to world-class laboratory infrastructure and scientific capabilities, researchers and companies can move more quickly from discovery to real-world impact, noting that innovation thrives when expertise, technology, and infrastructure come together in one ecosystem.
For Attentive Science, which will operate the facility, the launch marks the culmination of more than two years of collaboration aimed at positioning Abu Dhabi as a globally recognised life sciences and biotechnology hub.
Tareq Abu-Nadi said the project highlights the strength of collaboration between government, academia, and industry.
He described Biosphere Labs as a platform that enables innovators to focus on scientific discovery from day one while contributing to the development of new technologies, therapies, and intellectual property with global impact.
The facility also joins a wider life sciences ecosystem already present in Masdar City, which includes organisations such as M42, the Abu Dhabi Biobank, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, and Insilico Medicine.
As the UAE increases its investment in biotechnology, precision medicine, and healthcare innovation, the launch of Biosphere Labs highlights Abu Dhabi’s ambition to establish itself as a leading regional and global hub for scientific research, advanced healthcare solutions, and life sciences entrepreneurship within Masdar City.
