GE Healthcare Life Sciences, will open a technology and training laboratory in Istanbul next year to support Turkey's expanding biopharmaceutical and biotechnology industry.

The facility, complementing GE's global network of customer training and technology facilities in the US, UK, China, India and Sweden, will be part of the company's Turkey Innovation Center. It will offer advanced technical training and technology evaluation to the local biopharmaceutical sector, as well as being open to universities as a location for elements of biotechnology degree courses.

Academics, pharmaceutical and biotechnology researchers as well as GE customers from the Middle East and Russia will also have access to the laboratory for small scale research studies.

Turkey plans to expedite the transformation of its healthcare sector through domestic manufacturing of both devices and pharmaceuticals. The country's goal is for local manufacturing to represent 60% of its pharmaceuticals consumption.