York gets green light for 'bioincubator'
Posted on 26 February 1998
A consortium centred on the University of York has been awarded 310,000 from the 'Biotechnology Mentoring and Incubator' Challenge scheme run by the Department of Trade and Industry. The funds will go towards a 'bioincubator' to provide a range of services to assist the development of biotechnology research into commercial products.
The York bioincubator is a collaboration between the emerging pharmaceutical company ML Laboratories PLC and a number of regional bodies, which include the University of York, the City of York Council, Business Link North Yorkshire and the North Yorkshire Training and Enterprise Council. ML Laboratories will provide funds to match the DTI award and the other organisations will provide services in kind, making the project worth a total of 900,000.
Business incubation is a relatively new concept in Britain. It is a process designed to provide individual researchers, small companies and nascent businesses with the facilities and mentoring to ensure growth and success.
The bioincubator will provide a mechanism for the identification, appraisal and selection of innovative biotechnology projects. Those which appear commercially viable will be helped through start-up procedures by the bioincubator through its provision of specialist services including project management, financial, patenting and legal advice. The bioincubator will be located at York Science Park, adjacent to the University of York's main campus.
York is fast developing an international reputation for its work in the life sciences. Organisations such as the University, Smith & Nephew, MAFF's Central Science Laboratory and Nestle have created a cluster of over 1,500 bioscientists in the region. Their fruitful partnership, realised in the Bioscience York collaboration, has helped to underpin the bioincubator bid.
"This award represents a coming of age for York's bioscience business," said Professor Tony Robards, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of York. "We now have a very powerful bioscience cluster which provides academic developments, jobs and wealth creation in the region."
Stuart Sim, Chief Executive of ML Laboratories commented: "It is crucial for a company such as ML Laboratories to access new product opportunities at the earliest possible stages of development. We are delighted to have formed a relationship with the University of York - one of the country's leading research universities with special strengths in the biological sciences. It is gratifying that this association has received such an emphatic endorsement from the DTI in this award."
"This is another benefit arising from the close collaboration of the City and the University," said Tony Bennett of the Economic Development Unit at the City of York Council. "We look forward to exploiting the considerable potential for job creation that the project holds."
Notes to editors:
The formal proposer of the bid for the bioincubator is York Science Park (Innovation Centre) Ltd, a company in which the University is the major shareholder.
The project received 20,000 from the DTI in February 1997 for a feasibility study.
Bioscience York is a private/public sector collaboration which represents over 1,500 life scientists in the York region. 'Bioscience' covers work in health care, food, water, agriculture, the environment and biotechnology.
ML Laboratories PLC, an emerging pharmaceutical company, is listed on the London Stock Exchange. It has achieved demonstrable success in product development for serious disease states, with regulatory approval for products to treat kidney disease and respiratory diseases. These are being marketed actively under licence by major pharmaceutical companies. Ongoing developments embrace products for prostate cancer, intra peritoneal chemotherapy, pain management, HIV prevention treatment, and respiratory drug delivery systems.