UCB plans to build $2B biologics manufacturing facility in Georgia

Belgium-headquartered biopharma company UCB is expanding its footprint in the United States with plans to build a $2 billion biologics manufacturing facility in Gwinnett County, Georgia, near UCB’s U.S. headquarters. 

The 460,000-square-foot campus on 79 acres in the Atlanta metropolitan area is intended to serve as a hub for the company’s U.S. manufacturing operations and “produce complex biologics 24/7” primarily for the domestic market. The new biologics manufacturing facility will implement a “digital-first approach” leveraging advanced manufacturing technologies such as artificial intelligence, automation, and robotics, UCB said.

The campus is meant to strengthen UCB’s global biologics manufacturing network and enhance supply chain resilience, while supporting demand for its biologics portfolio and future pipeline. UCB has secured 16 FDA approvals or indication expansions, nine of which were in the past three years, according to the company.

UCB said the capital expenditure project is expected to generate approximately $5 billion in total economic impact, while creating more than 1,000 construction jobs and approximately 330 permanent highly skilled jobs. Located between Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia, the site for the new facility will have access to a strong talent pool in science, engineering, and advanced manufacturing, the company said.

“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,” UCB CEO Jean-Christophe Tellier said in a statement.

Since 2017, UCB’s workforce in the U.S. has increased by 73% — including a 121% increase in research and development (R&D) roles — according to the announcement. Currently, UCB has 2,000 employees in the U.S.

In June 2025, UCB announced that it would make a major U.S. investment to expand its biologics manufacturing capacity and was conducting a feasibility study to identify the ideal location, focusing on areas with strong talent and innovation ecosystems.

At the time, the company said as part of the expansion it would scale up its partnerships with U.S.-based contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) to “ensure the support for the production of its growth drivers and future pipeline.” However, in Tuesday’s announcement about the selection of the Georgia site for its new facility, UCB made no mention of partnering with CMOs. 

Design and construction of the Georgia campus is expected to take six to seven years, according to Rowen, a planned 2,000-acre community 35 miles from Atlanta which was launched in 2020 by Gwinnett County — with support from regional and state partners — and is the site for building UCB’s new facility.

Rowen in a separate announcement said UCB is the first tenant and “validates Rowen’s innovation community model” signaling the “start of a new life sciences hub in Gwinnett County.” More than 1,900 acres remain available for development to support other companies as a “destination” for advanced R&D and “clean” manufacturing, according to the press release.