Getting into biobusiness Faye Jones

Finding help and GENERAL BUSINESS RESOURCES England technology and expertise through the formation of FUNDING spin-out companies, licensing, consultancy, training, design advice to transform UK Government Offices in the English regions www.government-offices.gov.uk/GO/default.asp and development projects, contract research, testing and Research Councils a great concept evaluation, and problem solving. Department for Trade and Industry – DTI for Business Research Councils UK support the further development Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) into money-making www.dti.gov.uk/for_business.html of research ideas and technology transfer. Many have www.rdauk.org/rdauk Office of Science and Technology (OST) reality can be The DTI is involved in many initiatives to encourage successful www.ost.gov.uk/enterprise/knowledge/ dedicated sections on their websites containing valuable daunting. Yet there start-ups and the DTI for Business website is the best initial port RDAs aim to promote economic development and index.htm information on knowledge/technology transfer, intellectual of call for finding out about setting up a new enterprise. It also regeneration in the regions. They operate as non- property and funding schemes. are many websites Includes information about knowledge/technology transfer provides links to numerous other relevant websites. departmental public bodies. They provide funding towards and other resources regional regeneration activities in conjunction with other and how the Government supports it. Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Other useful DTI-linked sites: with information and regional partners. Each RDA has its own website which can OST Science Enterprise Challenge www.ktponline.org.uk guidance for aspiring Business Link be reached through the main RDA website (address above). www.ost.gov.uk/enterprise/knowledge/ These are supported by the Research Councils. www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/home The nine RDAs are One NorthEast, Advantage West Midlands, sec.htm entrepreneurs. South East England Development Agency, North West LINK scheme Through this site, the DTI provides useful information and The Challenge forms part of the Government’s strategy to Government-run Development Agency, South West of England RDA, Yorkshire www.ost.gov.uk/link/info.html practical help for small and new businesses, including how introduce a ‘third mission’ for higher education, alongside Forward, East Midlands Development Agency, East of England information services investment and skills can benefit businesses; improving teaching and research, to encourage transfer of science and BBSRC and NERC also support this Government scheme. Development Agency and London Development Agency. . cover everything business performance; expanding a business; making technology innovation to the business sector. £28 9 million Medical Research Council from protecting technology work; and help with regulations, environmental has been allocated to a challenge competition, leading to www.mrctechnology.org intellectual property and European matters. BIOTECHNOLOGY the establishment of 12 Science Enterprise Centres in universities around the UK.OST University Challenge The MRC has its own dedicated technology transfer unit, and financing the Small Business Service i-bio UK Medical Research Council Technology (MRCT). MRCT files www.ost.gov.uk/enterprise/knowledge/ venture to new and www.sbs.gov.uk www.i-bio.co.uk patents and negotiates licensing arrangements on behalf of unichal.htm MRC, as well as assisting in starting up new companies. The Small Business Service is one of the key driving The website gives easy access to a wealth of information updated guidelines University Challenge enables universities to establish forces taking forward the Government Action Plan for Small about UK biotechnology. It provides links to DTI programmes and laws. Faye Jones seed funds, which will assist the successful transformation Wellcome Trust Business published in January 2004. The plan is structured such as BIO-WISE; grants for research and development; of good research into business. This early funding is the www.wellcome.ac.uk/en/1/biottd.html gives a brief overview around seven strategic themes. an overview of relevant activities in industry, academia and riskiest stage of the venture process. Seed funding helps The Wellcome Trust provides translation funding and of just some of the medicine; information about regulatory issues; and a the commercialization process in a number of ways: technology transfer. The service superseded Catalyst resources that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland summary of the latest biotech-related news. financing access to managerial skills by securing or BioMedica Ltd in March 2003, which had supported early Information includes establishing industry partnerships support innovation The administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland enhancing intellectual property stage projects with potential healthcare applications. work with DTI to support firms in their respective countries. and navigating the complex regulatory system, current and promote by supporting additional R&D NESTA They also operate individual initiatives to help businesses. investment opportunities, the latest technical developments enterprise in the UK. and initiatives from across the research community, support construction of a prototype www.nesta.org.uk/insidenesta/hwf_invent_ Scotland inno.html available from UK Government and the Research Councils. preparation of a business plan Scottish Executive NESTA’s Invention and Innovation programme aims to The Biotechnology Regulatory Atlas is a rapid retrieval covering legal costs, etc. www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/?pageID=120 system providing a guide to the regulatory architecture of turn ground-breaking ideas into innovative products, services Faraday Partnerships or techniques with commercial or social potential. NESTA is Scottish Enterprise biotechnology, which signposts laws, offers official guidance and provides details of how to comply with UK regulations, www.faradaypartnerships.org.uk/index.html the UK’s biggest single source of early-stage seed funding, www.scottish-enterprise.com/sig-biotechnology enabling the development of projects that might otherwise as well as an overview of the EU and US frameworks. Faraday Partnerships are dedicated to improving the not get off the ground. They also prepare promising projects Business Gateway competitiveness of UK industry through more effective www.bgateway.com BioIndustry Association for further investment elsewhere. www.bioindustry.org interaction between the science and technology base and Intermediary Technology Institutes Scotland industry. Each Faraday Partnership employs a number of Prince’s Trust and Livewire The trade association for innovative enterprises in the technology translators – people with broad experience of www.princes-trust.org.uk www.itiscotland.com UK’s bioscience sector exists to encourage and promote a knowledge transfer – who can facilitate projects between www.shell-livewire.org Wales thriving, financially sound sector of the UK economy, built Partnership members. upon developments across the biosciences. Young people wanting to set up a business can find advice Welsh Development Agency Faraday Partnerships aim to: and sometimes finance from these bodies. www.wda.co.uk/index.cfm/wda_home/index/en2 be widely recognized for their technical expertise and be TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER UK industry’s first choice for help with new product and Business Eye INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY www.businesseye.org.uk University Units process development provide better ways of exploiting R&D to create new Wales for Innovation (technology brokerage service to UK Universities have support networks to help academic UK Intellectual Property products and processes support the transfer of new technologies) researchers through the commercialization process. Many www.intellectual-property.gov.uk have dedicated technology transfer offices, where academics provide more effective and coherent uptake of the various www.wales4innovation.com/default.asp A government-backed site dealing with all aspects of can find out about and get help with intellectual property support mechanisms available, e.g. LINK, CASE awards, intellectual property including copyright, designs, patents Northern Ireland rights, sourcing funding and starting a spin-out company, etc. SMART, European Union Framework Programmes. and trademarks. Invest Northern Ireland (formerly Local Economic Information is available on individual university websites. There are 24 Faraday Partnerships, some of which have Further reading Development Unit for Northern Ireland) interests linked to microbiology. IP2IPO Group Plc www.investni.com Unico www.ip2ipo.com/introduction/introduction_ George, A. (2003). How to www.unico.org.uk/members.htm Technology Transfer and Innovation Limited a.htm spin gold. New Scientist 180, IRTU - Industrial Research and Technology Unit Unico represents the technology exploitation companies www.tti-ltd.com Forms partnerships with universities to invest in their 52–53. www.nics.gov.uk/irtu of UK Universities. It provides a forum for exchange and intellectual property. development of best practice. Member companies transfer

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