Some 35,000 sq ft of laboratory and office space is to be constructed at Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus in Cheshire.

Building work on Vanguard House is due to commence in September and the building is due for occupation around 12 months later.

The move is part of a £25 million deal between the science campus, developer St Modwen and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus is a joint venture involving the universities of Liverpool, Manchester and Lancaster, and the NWDA.

It attracts hi-tech and scientific companies that operate in the pharmaceutical, electronics, digital and advanced engineering sectors.

According to the government, the campus should be at the vanguard of major research projects in the UK and has pledged to invest a portion of the national science budget on it.

The decision to build Vanguard House was announced three months ago by the science and innovation minister Ian Pearson.