Minister launches key phase of bioincubator development
15 July 2011
The milestone takes the £38 million project into its final phase of building in advance of the park's opening, expected in early 2012.
Martino Picardo, CEO of the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, said of the event: "The Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst team is delighted that the Minister is joining us to celebrate the progress of this key multi-stakeholder investment in UK life sciences.
"In its role as an Open Innovation incubator, SBC will facilitate the development of a range of companies, from virtual and start-up firms to more established ones, thereby helping to rejuvenate the UK life sciences sector.
"As we move towards our opening next year, we are therefore actively engaging with potential tenants, academia, charities and funding bodies such as venture capital organisations."
Once completed, Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst will be the UK's first open innovation bioscience campus, pioneering a unique culture to drive early-stage drug discovery and development. It is backed by £38m of funding from its founding partners: GlaxoSmithKline; the Wellcome Trust; the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills; the Technology Strategy Board; and the East of England Development Agency.
Buildings in phase 1 of the development consist of an incubator, an accelerator and a hub, covering 60 000 sq ft of laboratory, office and networking space. The independent facility, located on the GlaxoSmithKline Stevenage site, is expected to house a range of companies, from virtual and start-up firms to those that are more established.
At the ceremony, Dr Ted Bianco, Director of Technology Transfer at the Wellcome Trust, expressed his enthusiasm for the project: "We believe that the lifeblood of innovations in healthcare is the convergence of original scientific discovery, clinical awareness and solution-oriented thinking. Creating an environment where this is fostered in a collegiate manner will be the key to the park's success."
Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts, said: "The SBC will provide start-ups with vital access to expert knowledge and research, strong links with leading pharmaceutical companies and high quality facilities. This will help them develop cutting edge medical advances. This important milestone is another step towards sustainable growth with businesses coming together to share ideas with world leaders. Working together at all stages will encourage new products and quicker development."
Dr Patrick Vallance, Senior Vice President and head of medicines discovery and development at GSK, added: "Within 21 months, Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst has gone from an idea to a complete exterior providing the outline of this new world-leading hub for early-stage biotechnology companies. As we move into the next development phase of Stevenage Catalyst, GSK looks forward to inputting into the growth of scientific innovation that will arise from this more open model of collaboration."
Image: The SBC topping out ceremony. Credit: Tom Whipps.
