Steffen Ludwig
Clemens Hoch, Minister for Science and Health of Rhineland-Palatinate; Tom Hudson, MD, Senior Vice President, Global Research, Chief Scientific Officer, AbbVie; Azita Saleki-Gerhardt, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Chief Operations Officer, AbbVie and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of AbbVie Germany; Martin Gastens, Ph.D., Vice President Biologics Drug Product Development & Managing Director Research and Development at AbbVie Germany; Malu Dreyer, Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate; Mario Brandenburg, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research; Petra Dick-Walther, State Secretary for Economic Affairs in Rhineland-Palatinate and Jutta Steinruck, Mayor of the City of Ludwigshafen.
AbbVie breaks ground on a new central research building, “LUnA” (LUdwighafens neue Arbeitswelt) and is investing approximately €150 million in its second largest R&D location worldwide. A state-of-the-art research and laboratory building is being built on the main campus and will be home to more than 300 researchers and scientists. The facility will be built with modern and sustainable infrastructure features, creating flexible working conditions that enable greater scientific exchange between different areas of research and implement automation and digital research capabilities.
With this investment, AbbVie reinforces that the Rhineland-Palatinate site, with its more than 2,000 employees, will continue to be a critical component of AbbVie’s global network.
“For AbbVie Germany, the new construction of our 'LUnA' research building is much more than a €150 million investment in cutting-edge infrastructure. It is a promise for the future of AbbVie science and innovation. We are creating attractive working conditions for our top scientists and attracting new talent so that we can conduct cutting-edge research at our site in the long term,” explains Martin Gastens, vice president, biologics drug product development and managing director R&D, AbbVie Germany.
"The German state of Rhineland-Palatinate is on track to become one of the leading hubs for biotechnology and life sciences. We support research, promote its translation, and continue expanding the footprint. As the Government of the Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate, we are proud of this additional investment made by AbbVie, and the trust which yet another large pharmaceutical company has placed in our state. We are working tirelessly on creating the best possible framework conditions for business and research and are collaborating closely in a network with all those involved through the biotechnology advisory board and the biotechnology academy. We are actively encouraging companies to put down roots and to invest in our Federal State, and once again I'd like to express my heartfelt thanks to AbbVie for the excellent collaboration, the sharing of experiences and the great investment," said Rhineland Palatinate’s Minister President Malu Dreyer.
Gastens adds, “We are very pleased that the Federal Government has taken action with the pharmaceutical strategy and has begun to make Germany a pharmaceutical location fit for the future. After all, the political framework is critical for future investment decisions.”
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by distinguished guests including Rhineland Palatinate Minister President Malu Dreyer; Mario Brandenburg, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Education and Research in Germany; Jutta Steinruck, Lord Mayor of the City of Ludwigshafen, as well as global AbbVie representatives. The research building is expected to be completed in 2027.