Convatec intends to invest more than $1 billion over the next decade to accelerate its research and development (R&D) ambitions worldwide.

As part of its overall strategy, the company will invest $600 million over the next 10 years in R&D in the United States, underlining the company’s long-term commitment to its most significant market globally. The plans include a significant expansion of its Boston-based R&D facilities by end of this year, increasing capacity by 50% and further enhancing lab, testing, and collaboration space.

In the United Kingdom, Convatec wants to invest £500 million (approximately $650 million), including a new state-of-the-art R&D hub in Manchester, set to open in 2027. The new facility will be one of the largest in Convatec’s global network of Technology & Innovation Centres, with the potential to provide common or shared R&D capabilities and competences across Convatec’s four categories: Advanced Wound Care, Ostomy Care, Continence Care, and Infusion Care. It will also house cutting-edge analytical R&D capabilities, regulatory functions, and digital health innovation.

“This announcement marks an exciting moment in Convatec’s commitment to pioneering medical solutions to improve the lives we touch,” Convatec Interim CEO Jonny Mason said. “Our plans to invest more than $1 billion—anchored by major expansion plans in both the United States and the United Kingdom—demonstrates our commitment to advancing healthcare innovation for people living with chronic conditions around the world.”

Convatec invests more than $100 million annually in R&D—approximately 5% of its revenue—which has delivered a strong pipeline of new products designed to address unmet needs in chronic care. In addition to the major U.S. and U.K. planned investments, Convatec will sustain investment in other key European locations, supporting its global network of Technology & Innovation Centres in Denmark and Slovakia and onsite R&D teams in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, as well as its global manufacturing network.

The plans to enhance Convatec’s U.S. and U.K. R&D footprint follows a comprehensive review of its global growth ambitions. Since 1996, Convatec’s Deeside site has served as a major center for R&D alongside its manufacturing operations. The company has now identified Manchester as the ideal location for its new, enlarged U.K. facility, given its vibrant life sciences ecosystem, which includes leading universities, hospitals, and research institutions. In the United States, the Boston site’s expansion will further strengthen Convatec’s innovation leadership and support the company’s largest market, according to company bigwigs.

The new Manchester R&D hub will employ about 200 highly skilled worker, largely transferring from Convatec’s existing Deeside R&D site, with plans for further growth in the years ahead. Convatec’s manufacturing site in Deeside, North Wales, will remain a cornerstone of its global operations and is unaffected by this change, with around 400 employees continuing to be based there after the move is completed in 2027.

“The significant expansion of our R&D capabilities in Boston and plans to establish a new flagship center in Manchester are investments in the talent, technology, and infrastructure needed to accelerate innovation in pioneering trusted chronic care solutions,” Convatec Chief Technology Officer/R&D Head Dr. Divakar Ramakrishnan stated. “They reinforce our belief in the strength of the U.S. and U.K. life sciences sectors and position Convatec at the forefront of medical technology innovation for years to come.”

The U.S. expansion is slated for completion by year’s end, and the new Manchester hub is expected to be operational by 2027, with a phased transition to ensure minimal disruption to ongoing projects and close collaboration with Convatec’s wider global network of Technology & Innovation Centres. Both sites will play crucial roles in Convatec’s R&D strategy along with other centers to drive innovation across Convatec’s business worldwide.

Convatec’s U.K. plans, subject to government support, reflect its confidence in the country’s future as a global hub and in the role the company can play in delivering solutions to customers.

Bruntwood SciTech—a joint venture between Bruntwood, Legal & General and Greater Manchester Pension Fund—is creating a network of city-wide innovation ecosystems; connecting U.K. cities, regions, and communities of like-minded businesses through extensive opportunities for collaboration and access to public, private, academic, and clinical partner network. Bruntwood SciTech provides direct connections to highly skilled talent, funding, universities, the NHS and mentorship. Citylabs 4.0 is Bruntwood SciTech’s new £42 million, 125,000-square-foot development of lab and office space. Located on the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, one of the U.K.’s largest NHS Trusts, the health innovation campus is home to a community of diagnostic, medtech, digital health, and genomics businesses.

Convatec is a global medical products and technologies company, focused on solutions for the management of chronic conditions, with solid positions in Advanced Wound Care, Ostomy Care, Continence Care, and Infusion Care. With more than 10,000 colleagues, the company provides products and services in around 90 countries. Its solutions provide numerous benefits, from infection prevention, treatment for hard to heal wounds, at-risk skin and ulcerated tissue to supporting debilitating conditions, improved patient outcomes, and reduced care costs. Convatec’s 2024 revenues exceeded $2 billion. The company is an FTSE 100 Index constituent.