Amgen holds virtual groundbreaking for planned $600M science center
Hard hats on, shovels in hand, Amgen executives and elected officials held an Oct. 30 virtual groundbreaking for a planned $600 million science and innovation center on the biotech giant’s sprawling Thousand Oaks campus.
Announced in September, the proposed structure hasn’t yet been green-lighted by the city. It has just started to make its way through the approval process.
The ceremonial groundbreaking was a virtual one held inside a tent on Amgen’s campus, which has been the global biotech company’s headquarters since its 1980 founding.
“Today’s groundbreaking is a marker of what comes next in our mission to serve patients,” Amgen Chair and CEO Robert Bradway said at the event.
“Inside this new facility, scientists and manufacturing teams supported by all the other functions of Amgen will work side by side helping to accelerate the journey from idea to impact,” he said.
Another speaker, Thousand Oaks Mayor David Newman, said the virtual groundbreaking was a historic day for the city.
“Forty-five years ago, Amgen was founded here,” he said.
“Today we break ground for a $600 million center for science and innovation that represents one of the most significant investments in Ventura County history,” Newman said.
The planned center will feature advanced automation and digital capabilities, empowering scientists with the tools and environment needed to drive scientific excellence and advancements in biotechnology, according to Amgen.
The life science powerhouse anchors a growing biotech hub in the Conejo Valley which includes about 20 other life science companies, primarily in Thousand Oaks.
Among them are Atara Biotherapeutics, Capsida Biotherapeutics, Latigo Biotherapeutics and Tokyo-based Takeda Pharmaceuticals.
Amgen’s planned center will further solidify the Conejo Valley as a major life sciences hub both state-wide and nationally, observers say.
