MoA Technology has moved to the Bellhouse Building, a prestigious new facility recently opened at The Oxford Science Park.
The first of more than 100 companies focused on cutting-edge technologies re-located to the Science Park in 2018. Now more than 3,500 people work there across areas including immunology, artificial intelligence and systems biology.
The Bellhouse Building is the most recently completed of three buildings that comprise the Magdalen Centre, one of the largest innovation centres in the UK. The facility provides laboratory and office space for small- to medium-sized businesses.
MoA Tech’s CEO, Dr Virginia Corless, said: “Re-locating to the Magdalen Centre puts MoA Tech at the heart of a vibrant community of innovation.”
Dr Shuji Hachisu, Chief Technology Officer, added: “Our new facilities give us the room we need to grow as our pipeline of new herbicide chemistry fills.”
The relocation follows the news in April that two new investors are to fund MoA Technology with a further £5 million extension to the company’s Series A funding round. Shanghai-based Bits x Bites and UK and Ireland based BGF have joined earlier investors, bringing the total funding raised to around £12 million.
MoA Technology was spun out from Oxford University’s Plant Sciences Department after ground-breaking research by co-founders Professor Liam Dolan and Dr Clément Champion. MoA Tech’s in vivo herbicide discovery platforms are based on cutting-edge science in genetics, trait analysis and data analytics.
Rory Maw, Bursar of Magdalen College & Interim MD of TOSP, said, ‘As our first plant sciences-based occupier, MoA Technology is a great addition to the innovation mix on the Park. We welcome it to the Bellhouse Building where it will be located alongside Enara Bio and Sitryx.’