Sector News
The Oxford Trust Secures New Building for its Oxford Centre for Innovation to Continue Supporting Science and Tech Start-Ups
The Oxford Trust, an independent charitable trust established by the late Sir Martin and Lady Audrey Wood co-founders of Oxford Instruments, has agreed a 10-year lease for Blue Boar Court in Oxford’s city centre to house its Oxford Centre for Innovation to support the...
Forthcoming UKSPA Regional Meetings Announced
The next series of regional meetings for UKSPA Full and Associate Members, and key stakeholders have been announced. UKSPA regional member meetings provide a great opportunity to knowledge share, network with peers and shape the direction of UKSPA’S regional agenda....
Royal Commission Boosts UK Research & Development With Fellowships Linking Academia And Industry
Our Industrial Fellowships provide funding toward fees and salary for an individual to study for a PhD while working, linking cutting edge academic research with industrial scale to create new products and services. They offer everything that a conventional PhD does,...
Government Launches New Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF)
Last week (30th October) the Chancellor announced the opening of a new Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF) which will provide up to £520 million in capital grants to help UK’s medicines manufacturers grow and innovate. It builds on the success of...
Life Sciences: Translating, Scaling and Manufacturing
Andy Williams, chair of the Oxford-Cambridge Supercluster Board, led a discussion on translating, scaling and manufacturing in the life sciences sector as part of UKSPA’s 40th anniversary conference at Warwick University. He said: “We do have great science and we're...
Venture Capital – Public Markets
Improving access to public market funding for life science companies UKSPA’s conference at Warwick University saw a discussion chaired by association board member Prashant Shah, CEO of the O2h Group, on funding the UK’s life sciences sector from public markets. It...
The Policy Backdrop to Life Sciences – Building Finance, Skills and the Regulatory Framework
The policy backdrop to providing support – in particular finance – for the life sciences sector was the topic of debate for a high-powered plenary session at the UKSPA 40th anniversary conference at Warwick University. The first speaker was Irene Graham, Founder and...
UKSPA 40th Anniversary Conference – Good Science Isn’t Enough to Secure Funding
Being good at science isn’t enough to start and grow a business, or to attract venture capital. That was the stark message from a panel of experts at the UKSPA 40th anniversary conference at Warwick University. While venture capital can bridge the gap to take a...
UKSPA 40th Anniversary Conference – The UK’s Scientific Edge
Caution from UK investors is sending many life science start-ups to the USA in search of finance. But the country retains its edge in developing innovative technology. A discussion session at the UK Science Park Association’s three-day 40th anniversary conference, at...
UKSPA 40th Anniversary Conference: Science Parks – Looking to the Future
Pictured L-R, UKSPA Chair John Leake; Ebba Lund, CEO of IASP; Richard O’Boyle, CEO of Pioneer Group; Dean Cook, Director for Place and Levelling Up at Innovative UK. The rise of innovation districts and the opportunity for a major funding injection from the UK’s...
UKSPA 40th Anniversary Conference: Lively and Informative Debate on Innovation Clusters and Hotspots
Pictured L-R, discussion chair John Leake, Business Growth Director, Sci-Tech Daresbury and UKSPA Chair; Andrew Carter, CEO of Centre of Cities; Christine Doel, SQW; Professor Tim Vorley, Oxford Brookes Business School. What is an innovation cluster? It became clear...
UKSPA 40th Anniversary Conference: Big Pharma Looking for Big Returns from Obesity and Alzheimer’s Treatments
Pictured: Adrian Toutoungi (left), Partner at Taylor Wessing; and Professor Sir Mark Caulfield, Vice Principal Health at Queen Mary’s Faculty of Medicine. Discussions on the state of the UK’s life sciences market proved a major draw at the UKSPA’s 40th anniversary...
George Freeman MP – Science Parks Play a Vital Role in the UK’s Innovation Future
Science parks are on the front line of efforts to unlock a new era of growth, prosperity and productivity for the UK, delegates at the UKSPA anniversary conference in Warwick were told. The message was delivered by MP George Freeman. With a strong biomed business...
Professor Paul Monks, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department of Energy Security and Net Zero – Science Parks a Cauldron of Innovation in Drive Towards Net Zero
Science parks play a critical role in achieving net zero emissions, serving as hubs for research and development of renewable energy technologies. That was the conclusion of Professor Paul Monks, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Energy Security and Net...
British Business Bank Backing University Spin-Outs and UK Innovation
The support of the British Business Bank is vital for many of the start-up and growing businesses across the UK’s science park estate. Set up by the government 10 years-ago to provide access to financial support for smaller businesses, the British Business Bank has...