Biotech Giant Roche To Triple Investment Footprint on Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus

F. Hoffmann-La Roche, one of the world’s largest biotechnology companies, announced last week that it would more than triple its footprint in Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus in Allston from 30,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet.

Roche committed to a 30,000 square foot lease in the ERC last March, looking to build out its innovation centre focused on cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism research and development through their subsidiary Genentech.

Under the original lease, Roche was expected to employ nearly 500 people. Roche did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the expected number of jobs for the larger development.

Roche’s research and development space will be a part of One Milestone, a 100-acre biotechnology and life science district on the ERC. Breakthrough Properties, a joint venture between developer Tishman Speyer and biotechnology investment firm Bellco Capital, has been constructing One Milestone since 2023. Parts of the Roche space will open starting in mid-2026.

Tishman Speyer CEO Rob Speyer wrote in a Thursday press release that the expansion of Roche’s footprint “reflects our shared belief in the ERC’s potential to advance science and discovery in Boston.”

The labs at One Milestone are part of a larger, multi-purpose development, which includes the luxury Atlas Hotel, 40,000 square feet of retail space, and the David Rubenstein Treehouse, which will serve as a conference center for Harvard University.

Proximity to Harvard was an alluring factor for the developers, who wrote that the development’s location would allow them to “be a leading destination to pursue academic partnerships and collaborations” in the press release.

Breakthrough Properties CEO Dan Belldegrun said in the press release that “the mission of One Milestone is to deliver a world-leading environment for innovators and a destination for dynamic partnerships between academia and industry.”

“The forthcoming Innovation Center is an ideal anchor for One Milestone and a powerful representation of that very mission,” Belldegrun added.

A spokesperson for Harvard did not respond to a request for comment on the development.

The announcement comes after several other businesses on the ERC have announced openings planned in the coming months.

The Ama restaurant at the Atlas Hotel — the first restaurant to open on the ERC — is set to open Wednesday. The hotel itself is currently accepting reservations, and is expected to open later this month. The 246-room hotel also includes more than 2,000 square feet of meeting and event space, as well as a Harvard COOP book and apparel store.

Roche’s property will sit across from the Atlas Hotel and the residential units also constructed on the ERC.

—Staff writer Thamini Vijeyasingam can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @vijeyasingam.

—Staff writer Kevin Zhong can be reached at [email protected].