The German-owned biotech firm Sartorius BIA Separations is planning to build a biotech campus at its headquarters in Ajdovščina in the southwest in what will be the first such facility in Slovenia.

The company presented the plans as it marked its 25th anniversary by inaugurating new business premises next to its present location in Ajdovščina on 12 October.

Purchasing the building from the previous owner, the company has invested €9 million in the renovation to expand its premises by 4,500 to 13,300 square metres.

They will move to the new building, connected with the present one by a corridor, early in 2024 in what will mark the start of the development of the future campus.

The Sartorius campus will be modelled on the parent company's in Germany and similar such facilities run by large tech companies. Sartorius took over BIA Separations in 2020.

The multi-purpose complex will include facilities for administrative, logistics, production and research work and training. Consisting of four buildings, it will span an estimated 30,000 square metres.

The construction is expected to begin by 2030, with Sartorius BIA Separations director Jana Krapež Trošt saying this would depend on operations.

By then the company is projected to surpass €100 million in annual revenue and create more than 200 new highly paid jobs.

Rene Faber, head of bioprocess solutions division and member of the executive board of Sartorius, addresses a ceremony in Ajdovščina marking 25th anniversary of Sartorius BIA Separations. Photo: Jure Makovec/STA

Rene Faber, head of bioprocess solutions division and member of the executive board of Sartorius, said they had positive experience of Slovenia, its business environment, the employees and results of the investment.

"We are satisfied with the expertise and way of thinking of the people here and the innovative solutions they offer on the market," he said on the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony.

Sartorius currently employs around 230 people in Ajdovščina. They develop and manufacture products for the purification and analysis of large biomolecules used in vaccines, cell, gene and other advanced therapies.

Ajdovščina is one of the fastest developing Slovenian municipalities. With a population of 20,000, it saw the creation of 500 new jobs last year.

With its business-friendly mindset and strategic location along a motorway, just about 20 kilometres' drive away from the Italian border, it is home to an increasing number of businesses, the best known of which is the ultralight aircraft manufacturer Pipistrel.