The firm is aiming to ¡°consolidate¡± its R&D activities in three global centres by 2016. A new ?330 million facility, which will also serve as the firm¡¯s new corporate headquarters, will be built in Cambridge.

The firm¡¯s chief executive, Pascal Soriot, described the city as a ¡°world-renowned bioscience hotspot¡±, which also offered ¡°strong links with London-based research institutions¡±.

¡°In a world where partnerships and collaborations drive medical progress, becoming an integral part of the Cambridge ecosystem offers compelling advantages for AstraZeneca, giving us easier access to leading-edge academic and industry networks, scientific talent and valuable partnering opportunities,¡± he said.

Concerns have previously been expressed that too much of the UK¡¯s research activity is concentrated in the ¡°golden triangle¡± of London, Cambridge and Oxford, to the detriment of other regions.

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Mr Soriot described the investment in Cambridge as ¡°a clear signal of AstraZeneca¡¯s long-term commitment to the UK¡±.

¡°The Government¡¯s Life Sciences Strategy and the meaningful policies they have put in place in recent years to encourage investment help make Britain an attractive location for biopharmaceutical research and development,¡± he said.

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However, the restructuring will see the closure of the firm¡¯s existing R&D facility at Alderley Park in Cheshire, with the loss of 2,200 jobs - only around 1,600 of which will be relocated to Cambridge.

Mr Soriot said the firm¡¯s ¡°extensive and close scientific collaborations¡± with universities in the north-west of England, such as Manchester, would ¡°continue to play an important role in discovery work¡±.

David Willetts, minister for universities and science, pledged to work with AstraZeneca to ensure Alderley Park ¨C which is in chancellor George Osborne¡¯s constituency - had ¡°a prosperous future¡±. He described the company¡¯s investment in Cambridge as ¡°a real vote of confidence in the UK life sciences sector¡±.

However, John Hardy, professor of neuroscience at University College London described AstraZeneca¡¯s reduction of its UK headcount as ¡°a terrible blow to the UK pharmaceutical industry¡± born of the company¡¯s short-termism and ¡°a hostile regulatory climate towards animal - especially rodent ¨C work¡±.?

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The firm¡¯s move comes as the entire pharmaceutical industry struggles to maintain the pipeline of new drugs in the ¡°post-blockbuster¡± age. In 2011 Pfizer announced the closure of its research facility at Sandwich in Kent.

The other AstraZeneca R&D facilities will be located in the US and Sweden.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com