Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst to welcome Cambridge University researchers
21 June 2012
Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst is an independent facility that was formed as a joint venture between UK Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the Wellcome Trust, the East of England Development Agency, and the Technology Strategy Board. The site opened for business in February 2012, and this is the first academic tenant to join the community.
Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, which focuses on early-stage drug discovery and development, provides a unique and collaborative environment for companies large and small. With proximity to GSK, tenants benefit from access to the expertise, networks and scientific facilities traditionally associated with multinational pharmaceutical companies.
It is hoped that the new agreement with the University of Cambridge will serve as a catalyst for similar relationships with other leading universities and strengthen links to the Cambridge biocluster.
Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, said: "This is a highly innovative way to develop publicly funded scientific research to create new medicines to treat disease, bringing together partners with shared goals and capitalising on what each does best. Cambridge is constantly searching for new and more effective ways to get its research out into the world where it can make a difference, working with our many partners, including companies such as GSK."
Dr Allan Baxter, Chairman of Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, said: "We are delighted that Cambridge University will base this exciting new initiative at Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst. It is the first step in realising the vision of our stakeholders to create a dynamic environment which accelerates the translation of new ideas into valuable medicines and medical technologies, and we will continue to bring in other academic, pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners."
Image: The Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst facility. Credit: Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst.
