| Babraham Research Campus Location Babraham Bioscience Technologies Limited, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT Contact Details Contact: Derek Jones Tel: 01223 496004 Fax: 01223 496020 Email: info@babraham.co.uk Website: www.babraham.com  IntroductionAcknowledged as one of the UK's leading enterprise hubs, home to both world-class academic research and commercial biomedical companies, the Babraham Research Campus plays a pivotal role in bioscience innovation in the region. A thriving cluster of around 30 early-stage life science companies has been established at Babraham, delivering new products and innovative solutions for healthcare challenges of the 21st century. To date, 69 companies have passed through Babraham's Bioincubator, and these companies have raised in total over £366m in equity finance. At the cornerstone of the campus is the internationally-regarded Babraham Institute, where research is generating new knowledge of biological mechanisms underpinning ageing, development and the maintenance of health. Supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the institute underpins government's national responsibilities for bioscience research and training, specifically health and pharmaceuticals. The Institute is the UK's premier institute focusing on epigenetics in regenerative medicine and a partner of the internationally-competitive Epigenome Network of Excellence funded by the EU. Ideally located at the heart of the Cambridge biomedical cluster, the campus is close to many world-leading academic research centres such as the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB), the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cancer Research UK and the University of Cambridge, which facilitates academic collaborations. With world-class facilities and a vibrant research community, the Babraham Research Campus continues to expand and has recently attracted some of the most exciting biologics and antibody companies in Europe. The opening of a fourth Bioincubator Building in 2010 underscores Babraham's continuing commitment to nurturing early-stage enterprises and supporting biomedical innovation in the UK. In March 2011, as further recognition of Babraham’s role supporting emerging SMEs, the Government has invested £44 million to support bioscience innovation at the campus. Babraham Bioscience Technologies Ltd  Babraham Bioscience Technologies (BBT) Ltd, the wholly-owned trading arm of the Babraham Institute, commercialises discoveries emanating from the Institute’s research, an example of its 'spin-out' activities being the creation of Crescendo Biologics Ltd. Initiating and facilitating partnerships to promote knowledge exchange and translate innovative science into viable ventures is central to BBT’s vision. BBT has also successfully developed the campus infrastructure over the last twelve years; Babraham's Bioincubator Buildings provide serviced facilities, on flexible terms, to support new bioventures and catalyse the commercial exploitation of biomedical research.Investing in Infrastructure for Bio-innovation – Babraham's Bioincubator The campus currently provides around 64,000 square feet of lettable laboratory and office space. The exceptional facilities and competitive terms have ensured that Babraham's Bioincubator has been continually in high demand since its inception in 2001. Even in the current economic climate, the campus is expanding; November 2010 saw the opening of the latest Bioincubator building, Maia, named after the Roman goddess of growth. Constructed with financial support from BBSRC, Maia provides seven early-stage biomedical companies with flexible laboratory and office space, cell culture and high-class level 2 containment facilities. The need for cost-effective, flexible short-term leases, however, remains important; from early May a further 3,000 square foot space will be therefore be available under terms specifically designed to support early-stage bioventures. Bioincubator tenants also benefit from access to the world-class research facilities, technical support services and skill bases at the Babraham Institute. BBT's Technology Development Lab (TDL) offers state-of-the-art R&D services as well as scientific assistance across many fields. Administrative, IT and corporate services are also available to tenants. The services are designed to help early-stage companies by providing a way to reduce cash-burn during their formative years and a supportive environment in which nascent scientific enterprises can flourish. For those establishing their first company, BBT has in-house business expertise and is linked to a wide network of business services providers in the Cambridge region so that it can offer guidance in the establishment of new ventures. Four biologics spin-out companies joined the campus during 2010: Kymab, a spin out from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Bicycle Therapeutics from the MRC-LMB, Recombinant Antibody Technologies and Crescendo Biologics, whose technology is derived from BBSRC-funded research. 'Much of the pioneering work on monoclonal antibodies was carried out at the Institute and in the Cambridge area, so it is particularly thrilling to see so much commercial expertise gravitating to Babraham,' explained Babraham Institute Director Professor Michael Wakelam. Mark Doran, Director of Process Development and Manufacturing at Alpha Biologics, which has recently moved into Maia, said: 'There's a real hub of monoclonal antibody expertise that's coming together here. More and more companies have come on site over the past few years because Babraham is getting recognised as the place to be. There's a real sense of community here – and the practical and technical support is exceptional.' Accelerating Innovation in the TDL  A unique offering for companies at the Babraham Research Campus is access to scientific facilities, bench space and capital equipment through the Technology Development Lab (TDL). Established to support innovation in biotechnology and biomedical fields, the TDL is a fully-equipped biology and chemistry laboratory, providing services and expertise across many scientific fields including molecular biology, protein biochemistry, cell biology, medicinal and synthetic chemistry. This pioneering concept was designed to accelerate the translation of early-stage concepts and technologies into viable commercial propositions. It does so by providing access either to equipment, facilities or procurement of TDL research staff to undertake scientific research. Other services drawing upon the facilities of the Babraham Institute, such as custom monoclonal antibody production, can also be provided. The services offered by the TDL are particularly helpful for cash-limited start-ups, helping to reduce expenditure during the early stages of the technology development curve.A suite of equipment for biopharmaceutical development, supported by approximately £620k funding from the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), includes a medium-scale cell culture and fluorescence-based assay platform, together with state-of-the-art protein purification and analysis systems. The EEDA funding also supported the purchase of a Biacore T100. All the campus companies, Institute scientists and external biomedical companies can use the TDL. It's not just Babraham-based companies that are taking advantage of the TDL. Cellexus Ltd, based at the Hinchingbrooke Business Park developing bioreactor systems, recently used the TDL facility to run evaluation experiments. Clive Mason, Technical Manager, explained: 'The access to short-term rented lab space within the TDL at Babraham has been of real benefit to Cellexus Ltd. The speed with which the contract was set up, the flexible approach and the competitive pricing all made for a smooth process. Additionally the TDL staff was readily available for advice and access to the on-site stores facility was another key benefit. The flexible provision of such short-term space is not, to my knowledge, available elsewhere in the Cambridge area.' Knowledge Exchange The Babraham Institute is committed to knowledge exchange (KEC) and facilitating academic-commercial links to drive innovation and wealth creation. This is supported by BBT and includes the development of collaborations with industry, sharing know-how and filing and licensing intellectual property rights, ultimately with the aim of generating financial returns to support research at the Babraham Institute and to deliver economic impact. Managing the Institute's Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio, which encompasses novel technologies for human healthcare and biotechnology applications, BBT actively promotes KEC through licensing deals, collaborative development programmes and the creation of spin-out companies. The translation of the Institute's epigenetics research has resulted in several patent applications; commercialisation has been achieved through licensing to companies, including an ongoing relationship with CellCentric Ltd. Catalysing Academic-Commercial Collaboration  A clear draw of the campus is the opportunity for companies to interact and collaborate with Institute scientists, where BBSRC-funded research is directed towards understanding the basic bioscience underpinning the determinants and the maintenance of lifelong health and wellbeing. Babraham research has given insight into conditions such as hypertension, heart failure, autoimmunity, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases (for example Alzheimer's Disease). Current research focuses on signalling and genome regulation, particularly the interplay between the two, and how epigenetic signals can influence important physiological adaptations during the lifespan of an organism. By determining how the body reacts to dietary and environmental stimuli and manages microbial and viral interactions, it aim to improve wellbeing and healthier ageing.The combination of internationally-leading life science research, entrepreneurial know-how and state-of-the-art facilities has created a environment at the campus that enables academic and commercial collaborations to develop. Several events are organised throughout the year to bring together institute scientists with companies on site, for example CEOs' Breakfasts and Knowledge Exchange Open Days. A significant number of the companies on site are closely integrated with the Institute, working with scientists or using campus services and facilities, such as the Technology Development Lab. Dr Mark Treherne, CEO of Senexis explains: 'Babraham is an exciting place to work and is based within a vibrant academic community both in the immediate environment of the Research Campus and across the wider regional network of scientists. The critical benefit that this brings to our regional biocluster is a ready pool of motivated scientists with the right practical skills to compete with businesses internationally. As Senexis, we moved to Babraham in 2004 and have benefited enormously from working with both academic and industrial scientists across the Research Campus and beyond.' Access to Babraham's World-Class Scientific Facilities Companies located in Babraham's Bioincubator also have access to the Institute's world-class science facilities. The campus is part of the East of England Genetic Research Hub and has established a Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Facility, following a major investment of £1.65m from BBSRC and the MRC in 2009. This Facility will enable researchers to more rapidly and cheaply mine the genome for insights into how and why we get diseases, how environmental factors can modify the genome and potentially unlock the processes governing healthier ageing. Other recent BBSRC investments include a £1.5m Mass Spectrometry suite, £23m world-class rodent animal facilities, in addition to bioinformatics, FACS analysis, imaging, gene targeting, monoclonal antibody production and proteomics. A unique service offered at Babraham, and which was developed on site, is the analysis of lipids such as phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate species by mass spectroscopy. It is the unique combination of facilities, scientific expertise, opportunities for collaborative working and excellent location that continues to attract new companies to the Babraham campus. Andrew Sandham, Chairman and CEO of Kymab, said: 'We evaluated many locations in the Cambridge area to found our business. We chose the Babraham Research Campus because of the high quality of research laboratories, its proximity to academic centres of excellence and its flexibility in providing the capacity and services we will need as we expand our R&D operations.' Derek Jones, Chief Executive of BBT, said: 'The creation of a supportive, entrepreneurial environment promoting bioscience innovation is one of our key objectives as we continue to develop the Babraham Research Campus. I am delighted at the progress we have made and the opportunity that the new building presents to support bioscience innovation and wealth creation for the UK.' Campus Community Situated on an attractive 450-acre parkland estate, the campus blends modern laboratory facilities with historic buildings in a spacious, beautifully landscaped setting. The campus offers its tenants excellent amenities: fully-equipped meeting rooms and conferencing facilities with teleconferencing capabilities, bar and refectory, a sports and social club, gym and tennis court. Babraham's Nursery, located in a quiet corner of the campus surrounded by fields, offers a safe, attractive and stimulating environment for the formative pre-school years. It has received excellent Ofsted reports, has places for 60 children (6 weeks to pre-school) and also offers a holiday play scheme for children up to the age of 14. Babraham Hall has undergone considerable restoration to many of its meeting rooms and external facades and improvements have been made within the parkland to recreate the nineteenth-century setting. The planted areas around the campus buildings have been expanded to create pleasant outdoor working spaces, which are enjoyed by the academic and commercial communities alike. The Babraham Institute has implemented a 10-year biodiversity management plan, to improve wildlife habitats and introduce more environmentally conscious land management schemes. More sustainable and renewable sources of energy are also being introduced to reduce the environmental footprint. Companies Currently on the Babraham Research Campus | |
| Aitua Ltd Alpha Biologics Ltd Antitope Ltd BiCycle Therapeutics Ltd BioNodus Ltd Cambridge Protein Arrays Ltd Convergence Pharmaceuticals Crescendo Biologics Ltd Discerna Ltd Eagle Genomics Ltd Hycagen Ltd Immunobiology Ltd Innova Biosciences Ltd | Kymab Ltd Phico Therapeutics Ltd Population Genetics Technologies Ltd Proximagen Ltd Rapid Biosensor Systems Ltd Recombinant Antibody Technology Ltd Senexis Ltd Stem Cell Sciences plc Synome Ltd Total Scientific Ltd Twist Dx Ltd UroSens Ltd |
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View detailsConference Facilities
Babraham Research Campus
The Babraham Institute has a number of conference, seminar and meeting facilities, seating between 10 and 200 people, and available for use by like-science organisations.
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