Innovation, Science Parks and BBSRC

15 June 2021 12.00 noon -13.15 pm

Innovation, Science Parks and BBSRC

BBSRC is working with partners and stakeholders across the UK to develop five national research and innovation campuses. Each of the campuses is centred on the critical mass of world-leading bioscience, and national capability of institutes that receive strategic funding from BBSRC.  The goal in developing these Campuses is to advance bioscience research, accelerate innovation, and enhance regional and national economic growth, and social prosperity. To develop Campuses which:

• Enable businesses, innovators and academic researchers to benefit from the co-location of research facilities and infrastructure to support innovation
• Support an enterprising, collaborative and connected community
• Provide a dynamic environment that brings together discovery research and business with shared interests
• Support a culture where companies can develop their science, and scale, alongside academic researchers delivering world leading science
• Help to create new knowledge, products, jobs and growth

The five campuses are each distinct and at a different stage of development. These differences reflect the research strengths, nature of the end user markets and regional context of each location. As part of the webinar, each of the five CEOs will reflect on their individual campus’ journey, framing their individual roles within the UK innovation system in the context of their long term ambitions.

The Aberystwyth Innovation and Enterprise Campus (AberInnovation) is a new 3,500m2 facility at the historic site of crop breeding at Aberystwyth University that has attracted investment of £43m to date. AberInnovation is a focal point for companies and Aberystwyth University to work together to develop new products and services. The facilities include a Future Food Centre, a Biorefining Centre and an Advanced Analysis Centre, and are designed as a ‘first of their kind’ capability for bringing biorefining and food development together in shared food grade environments. AberInnovation aims to play a key role in the business support landscape in Mid Wales and to act as a catalyst for scaling up regionally important technology based businesses to create high value jobs.

Babraham Research Campus’ vision is to be one of the best places in the world for discovery bioscience research and innovation; a leading sustainable ecosystem to start, nurture, scale and grow bioscience business. At the heart of our strategy is a commitment to ensure that the Campus builds on its research and entrepreneurial strengths, develops people and talent, and continues to grow and play an active role in the development of the Cambridge life science cluster and the broader UK life science ecosystem.

The Easter Bush Campus vision is to create a European centre of excellence in animal sciences and food security. The Easter Bush Campus already has the largest concentration of animal science related expertise anywhere in Europe. The Campus aims to provide a dynamic and vibrant working environment with world-class facilities equipped with the latest technologies. This allows us to continue to attract scientists, clinicians and entrepreneurs of the highest quality for our research and translation, in order to foster and enhance our collaborative research environment which sustains and expands our links with industry, including not least with our tenants based at the Roslin Innovation Centre which is the business gateway to the Easter Bush Campus and the location of choice in Scotland for companies undertaking strategic, commercial and collaborative research in the Animal and Veterinary Sciences; Agri Tech and One Health industries.

From the soil to our health; Norwich Research Park’s vision is to change lives and rethink society through pioneering research and innovation, reframing the future of research and delivering regional growth. We have an unbroken chain, each part aiding the progression of another, where our people are gaining new knowledge of soil, plants, therapeutics and diagnostics, food, nutrition, health and healthy ageing, all underpinned by world leading genomics. We have an inspirational place to work; where the world will look, not only for answers to global challenges, but also to learn from our success at creating a true research and innovation community, where organisations and people flourish and grow, in an environment that breeds and nurtures creativity and wellbeing.

Our mission is to establish the Rothamsted Campus as the world-leading centre for agritech research and innovation. The next decade will be pivotal if we are to help tackle the world’s problems and not exacerbate them. Key to agriculture having a positive global impact will be innovation – turning cutting edge scientific research into practical, workable solutions that feed billions of extra mouths from less land and smarter use of agrochemicals. The Campus is designed to facilitate and enable collaboration by creating opportunities for researchers, companies, entrepreneurs and investors to interact and develop their innovations.

Speakers:

Chair: Glenn Crocker, UKSPA Chairman

John Mackenzie, CEO, Roslin Innovation Centre

Rhian Hayward, CEO, Aberystwyth Innovation and Enterprise Campus

Derek Jones, CEO, Babraham Research Campus

David Parfrey, CEO, Norwich Research Park

Nicole Sadd, CEO, Rothamsted Enterprises

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