UCB Sticks With Georgia, Placing $2 Billion Bet on State’s Life Sciences Ecosystem 

Belgian biopharmaceutical developer UCB, a more than three-decade Georgia investor, is doubling down on the state with a $2 billion commitment to domestic manufacturing in Gwinnett County. 

The company said last June that it would soon build a U.S. biologics factory with a $5 billion long-term impact, but company leaders were coy at the time about where that would be placed and when. 

To help seal the deal, Gov. Brian Kemp in January traveled to meet with UCB officials on a mission aimed at thanking an array of Belgian firms for their long-term investments in the state.

“When we met with UCB leadership earlier this year in Belgium, we discussed how the Peach State would be the right partner for their visionary plans in the U.S. that will benefit both patients and hardworking Georgians,” Mr. Kemp said in a statement acknowledging the project as one of the top investments in the state’s history and a shot in the arm for its life sciences sector. 

In its communications, UCB pointed out that it knows Georgia well. The company has a large headquarters and research hub employing 400 in Cobb County. Belgian Princess Astrid visited the facility during a massive trade mission from the country in 2023.

The new facility, set to span 460,000 square feet, will be located on 79 acres at Rowen, making UCB the “anchor tenant” of 2,000-acre park boosters call a “knowledge community” set along Highway 316 between Atlanta and Athens and taking inspiration from North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park. Announced in 2020, Rowen’s first set of roads and utilities were installed last year.

A UCB spokesperson confirmed that the new facility, which will bring 1,000 construction jobs and 330 permanent positions, would augment rather than replace the Belgian firm’s Cobb operations.

In its own news release, Rowen noted that the construction will take six to seven years to complete; the park also pointed out that with UCB as a pioneer, 1,900 acres remain available to claim.

“This decision reflects our confidence in UCB’s long-term growth and our deep-rooted commitment to the United States,” said Jean-Christophe Tellier, CEO of UCB, in a news release pointing out specifically that Rowen sits bteween Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia.

Economic development leaders have long envisioned an “innovation crescent” running from Atlanta to Athens, with some pitching a “brain train” linking the two knowledge hubs by rail.

“By investing in Georgia, where our U.S. headquarters have been based for more than three decades, we are strengthening our biologics manufacturing capabilities, supporting our innovation pipeline, and creating high-quality jobs in a state that offers outstanding talent, a strong manufacturing tradition, and an ecosystem designed for sustainable, long-term success,” Mr. Tellier said.

UCB pointed out that expanding in Georgia ticks many boxes in its strategy to boost resilience over the next decade: Rowen offered “a scalable site within a master planned innovation district,” efficient permitting and solid infrastructure access, not to mention access to a growing life sciences ecosystem. 

Rowen Foundation CEO Mason Ailstock said that for Rowen, the project “marks the shift from preparation to execution.” 

It also immediately catapults Belgium to the top of Gwinnett County’s foreign investor list, by cumulative capital if not by projects, according to Partnership Gwinnett.

 “This long-term investment reflects the collective vision we set in motion to establish Rowen, supported by the stability of our local government and our consistent approach to economic development. Gwinnett County offers a highly skilled workforce, world-class infrastructure and a quality of life that supports long-term success,” Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson said in a release.

More than 60 Belgian firms have found a home in Georgia, but nothing on this scale has yet been seen in the state. The amalgam of Belgian investment, carried out over a half-century, translates to about 5,000 current jobs. Gwinnett offered $174 million in incentives to win the project, including property tax abatements, fee waivers and utility improvements, according to Rowen. 

UCB is set to bring in artificial intelligence, advanced robotics and automation at the site. Biologics are therapies made from living organisms, promising cutting-edge research and manufacturing.

Maria Thacker Goethe, president and CEO of Georgia Life Sciences, said the move gives state leaders even more impetus to work collaboratively to build Georgia’s talent pipeline “across every stage — from high school exposure and technical credentials to community college, university, and incumbent-worker upskilling.”

“UCB’s decision underscores the strength of Georgia’s talent base, manufacturing capacity, and collaborative business climate, and it reflects the kind of long-term investment that helps build a more resilient U.S. biomanufacturing footprint,” Ms. Goethe told Global Atlanta in an email.

Nine of the 16 FDA approvals for UCB drugs and therapies have come within the last three years, showing its prioritization of the U.S. market, where headcount has grown 73 percent since 2017 to 2,000 people.

UCB’s products treat severe neurological and immunological conditions like epilepsy, lupus, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and many more.

The projects to be made initially in Georgia are BIMZELX –which treats moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and active ankylosing spondylitis, among other ailments — and RYSTIGGO, used in adults with generalized myasthenia gravis.