MilliporeSigma has announced its plan to construct a new major life science hub in Burlington, Massachusetts. The new facility will measure 280,000 square feet, with an extra 70,000 square foot space that can be used to expand in the future. The facility will cost around $115 million and should be complete by mid-2017.

Upon completion of the facility, all 85 Billerica-based employees of MilliporeSigma (the U.S. unit of MerckKGaA, Darmstadt, Germany) will relocate to the new bigger and more state-of-the-art facility. It will have an M-Lab Collaboration Center, a shared space for its engineers and scientist to work together with their life science customers. The company has pointed out that it will retain the remaining 250 Massachusetts employees at its current site in Denver and Bedford.

According to UditBatra, CEO of MilliporeSigma, the new and expansive campus gives them a unique, multiuse life science hub in the United States. It will provide their employees and customers with sustainable and collaborative working environment.

The Commonwealth is supporting Merck KGaA’s expansion within Massachusetts through its MassWork Infrastructure Program. Through this initiative, local municipalities and other eligible public entities can seek public infrastructure funding projects that are oriented to economic development and job creation.

Gov. Charlie Baker in the statement noted that for about a decade, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany had built a significant presence in Massachusetts, and the state government is pleased to support their expansion through the MassWork Infrastructure Program. “Building long-lasting public-private partnerships is vital to growing our economy and the MilliporeSigma campus represents significant investment and confidence in our shared future as global life science center.”

The new center will put MerckKGaA, Darmstadt, Germany about 5 miles closer to the activity in Kendall Square.