Eli Lilly Expands Biotech Incubator Network with New San Diego Site

Eli Lilly and Company has officially opened its latest Gateway Labs incubator site in San Diego, marking a significant expansion of the pharmaceutical giant's commitment to fostering innovation in the biotech sector. The new facility, which opened on September 26, 2025, is set to become a hub for collaboration between early-stage biotechs and Lilly's established research infrastructure.

San Diego Gateway Labs: A New Frontier for Biotech Innovation

The San Diego Gateway Labs, located at the One Alexandria Square Megacampus in Torrey Pines, boasts an impressive 82,514 square feet of laboratory and office space. Designed to accommodate up to 15 life sciences companies and over 250 employees, the site represents Lilly's strategic investment in the thriving San Diego biotech ecosystem.

Daniel Skovronsky, M.D., Ph.D., Lilly's Chief Scientific Officer, emphasized the company's dedication to supporting the biotech community at every stage of development. "The future of medicine depends on combining the strengths of academia, biotech and large pharma to solve some of the most difficult diseases facing patients," Skovronsky stated, highlighting the potential for groundbreaking collaborations.

Gateway Labs: A Proven Model for Success

The Gateway Labs concept has already demonstrated its value in accelerating biotech innovation. Lilly reports that companies based at existing Gateway Labs sites have collectively raised over $2 billion in capital, supporting the development of more than 50 therapeutics and platforms. This track record underscores the potential impact of the new San Diego location on the local and global biotech landscape.

With the addition of the San Diego site, Lilly now operates Gateway Labs in multiple strategic locations, including two in South San Francisco, one in Boston, and an international outpost in Beijing established in 2024. The company's global head of Gateway Labs, Julie Gilmore, Ph.D., had previously expressed enthusiasm for expanding the model, a vision now realized with the San Diego launch.

Challenges and Future Prospects

While Lilly continues to expand its incubator network in the United States, plans for a European Gateway Labs site in the UK are currently under review. The company is reassessing this expansion in light of ongoing drug price negotiations with the UK government, illustrating the complex interplay between innovation initiatives and regulatory environments in the pharmaceutical industry.

As several early-stage biotechs have already signed up for the San Diego site, the industry eagerly anticipates the potential breakthroughs and collaborations that may emerge from this latest addition to Lilly's incubator network. The Gateway Labs program continues to evolve as a critical component of Lilly's strategy to engage with and support the global biotech ecosystem.