AN INNOVATIVE York company is expanding in a move which will create new jobs in the region.

Abingdon Health, which develops and manufactures rapid diagnostic tests, saw its revenue increase by 90 per cent in 2019. This was due to several new contract wins and the development of its AppDx software, which was the catalyst for its expansion.

The company's products are used in a range of industries, from infectious disease testing in GP clinics, to testing animal health on farms.

The expansion will see the company grow its footprint by 42 per cent at the York-based National Agri-Food Innovation Campus (NAFIC).

This includes a new quality-control laboratory, to be used for testing products ahead of their release, an additional research and development laboratory and assembly room along with space for meeting rooms and hosting clients.

From its location at the specialist science campus, Abingdon Health will also be able to accommodate the increasing demand for customer on-site visits and expand the volume of product batches which can be manufactured at one time.

The company now has plans to continue to grow its York-based team in 2020.

Abingdon Health’s expansion was further aided by an £1.5m investment from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund in January 2019.

Michael Hunter, operations director, said: “We are very excited about the next phase of our business growth and this expansion will give us the ability to invest in our York-based team and continue to meet the increasing demand for our services.

“As a company at the forefront of rapid diagnostic innovation, Yorkshire provides access to some of the brightest minds and great collaboration opportunities with universities and organisations on our doorstep. Also, York is a fantastic place to live, offering a good quality of life for our employees.

“NAFIC has been a great base for us for the past 10 years as we’ve benefitted from its vital services including building management and security, in addition to specialist science facilities such as water filtration and lab support. We’ve also made full use of amenities such as an on-site gym, restaurant and conference spaces within the Lakeside Conference Centre. The campus team have always been flexible, especially when it comes to our continued requests for more space, with this our third expansion on the site.”

Liz Cashon, innovation campus manager at NAFIC, said: “Abingdon Health has embarked on an impressive journey since it came to the campus 10 years ago and the success it has seen in the last year is reflected in the booming bioscience sector in Yorkshire.Facilities are the foundation which innovation is built upon and we understand that these SMEs need flexibility and access to outstanding resources on site in order to continue their growth and Abingdon Health is the perfect example of this.”