New life sciences hub Geneo to link companies with talent, foster collaboration

On the sixth floor of a new building at Science Park Drive, scientists are meticulously handling brown compounds and analysing data on monitor screens. Behind them, machines are churning more liquids in various shades of brown.

Pictures of cacao fruit and displays of chocolate products reassure visitors that nothing in this pristine laboratory is hazardous, perhaps only to those with a sweet tooth.

This is the global innovation centre of leading chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut, where the latest in cacao coatings and fillings are born. It is one of many companies that have set up their offices in Geneo, a new life sciences and research hub that aims to be a vibrant ecosystem for firms and startups in the sector.

Officially launched by CapitaLand on 22 May, Geneo comprises three properties that were progressively opened from 2019. The latest building, 1 Science Park Drive, received its temporary occupation permit in March 2025.

Companies can tap the new hub for access to not just cutting-edge facilities but also talent and collaboration opportunities, benefiting from the proximity to the National University of Singapore (NUS) and National University Hospital (NUH) just across the road.

Innovation companies in Singapore Science Park include Dyson, Merck, and Johnson & Johnson, while Singapore startup hub LaunchPad and upcoming artificial intelligence hub Kampong AI are nearby, at one-north.

Costing S$1.4 billion, Geneo is part of a long-term redevelopment project by CapitaLand to transform Science Park from a traditional business park into a work-live-play innovation hub.

Besides offices and research labs, the hub also houses food and beverage outlets and shops, as well as a 250-unit serviced apartment, with a condominium currently being built nearby.

Of Geneo’s 180,600 sq m gross floor area, about 80,000 sq m is purpose-built for biomedical research and development, flexible labs, and innovation-ready Grade A business park spaces.

So far, more than 80 per cent of the hub is already occupied, said CapitaLand Development’s chief executive, Mr Jonathan Yap.

Some of these include multinational companies (MNCs) like Barry Callebaut and German advanced materials manufacturer Henkel, which moved its global supply chain hub and labs from separate offices in Singapore to its new 2,000 sq m location staffed by 160 employees in January.

Mr Liu Yeting, Barry Callebaut’s vice-president of research and development in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Africa, said Singapore has grown in importance in the company’s business strategies.

With both its regional headquarters and global innovation centre now located in Singapore and serving Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, the company also aims to expand its research team at Geneo.

Mr Yap said that while there is healthy interest from companies wanting to set up their offices at Geneo, the real estate developer is mindful of ensuring the right mix of tenants.

He said he hopes Geneo will go beyond simply having a cluster of MNCs to becoming an ecosystem where both large firms and small startups can work together, within and outside of the hub.

“We see our role as a community facilitator. We study the profile of each prospective customer... so that we can curate a community that will interact with one another.”

He envisions the ecosystem to foster more ideas and greater knowledge transfer that could lead to the birth of new companies.

Speaking at Geneo’s opening on 22 May, Minister for Manpower and Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science & Technology Tan See Leng announced that A*STAR will set up biomedical research facilities at Geneo.

It will build on its strong foundation in Biopolis while continuing to be situated close to key partners in the greater one-north area, he said.

“Such proximity brings the research, medical, and business communities together, accelerating interdisciplinary collaboration and the translation of research into real-world solutions.”  

Another company that has already expanded beyond its premises in Biopolis is NSG Bio, which offers emerging life sciences companies access to wet-lab and office co-working spaces at a lower cost.

Chief operating officer Hasyim Sim said the company could build more private workrooms in its new premises, in addition to its open-bench lab spaces, to cater to the growing needs of its customers, who can easily commute to NUS or NUH to embark on clinical trials and studies.

Geneo’s convenient location opens the door to potential initiatives like mentorship programmes with the larger pharmaceutical companies, he added.

Geneo aligns with Singapore’s initiative to build sector-focused hubs, following the Government’s announcement of Kampong AI during Budget 2026, as well as JTC’s refreshed masterplan to rejuvenate LaunchPad.

Mr Thomas Holenia, president of Henkel Singapore, said Singapore’s small geographical size, with startups and headquarters of various MNCs, offers a strong, unique selling proposition as a destination for ecosystems to thrive.

“It’s easier to collaborate in Singapore as everything is consolidated in a small space, which makes it easy to get together and interact with one another.”

This is vastly different from other regions such as Europe, where companies would have to frequently fly and commute for hours.

“Simply from a set-up perspective, Singapore’s advantage is it offers a faster, simpler, and more agile approach.”
 

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.