Above: BIC panel discussion: Accelerating Translation in the UK

Now in its 17th year, the annual conference is cemented in the investor calendar as a must-attend event, celebrating the success of scientific discovery taking place at the world-leading research Campus and within the wider life science ecosystem.  

This year, for the first time, the event showcased start-up companies from Alderley Park in Cheshire to enhance the links between investors, founders, and campus communities in the two counties.

Andy Roberts, Innovation Manager, Alderley Park, joined a lively panel discussion chaired by Dr Kathryn Chapman, Director of Science and Entrepreneurship on how the UK can accelerate translational research.

He was joined by Start Codon’s Dr Jason Mellad, Eastern AHSN’s Dr Louise Jopling, and Francis Crick Institute Entrepreneur-in-residence Barbara Domayne-Hayman as they discussed how to ensure the best ideas from scientific and academic research are transformed into new interventions that reach patients faster, and improve the return on investment.

Quality accelerators, attracting talent, and earlier interactions with investors were some of the critical aspects for commercial research to be accelerated according to the panel.

Expertly moderated by Campus CEO, Derek Jones, the event also welcomed Dr Dan Mahony, Life Science Investment Envoy and Chair of the UK Bioindustry Association, for a fireside chat hosted by Dr Andy Richards, which led to an informative conversation on The Mansion House Compact and whether pension fund money is really going to boost scale-up capital for the sector.

The rest of the conference provided an early preview of the work of this year’s line-up of Accelerate@Babraham start-ups and companies from Alderley Park as well as career and company journey presentations from Jane Osbourn, Chief Scientific Officer at Alchemab and Sir Steve Jackson, Chief Research Officer at Insmed Innovation UK, who shared their key learnings to date as well as their hopes and expectations for the future.

Dr Kathryn Chapman, Director Science & Entrepreneurship at Babraham Research Campus brought the event to an exciting close by launching LiveLabs - a new opportunity for early-stage life science companies to access fully serviced and equipped labs via short-term, flexible membership options.

Ideal for those needing hot-benching space for a few key experiments, or allocated bench space to accommodate growing teams of up to eight people, investors were encouraged to consider LiveLabs as a route to bench for their portfolio companies and an ideal entry point for new ventures to experience and become emersed in the supportive and well-connected Babraham Research Campus ecosystem.

If investors would like an introduction to any of the companies featured at BIC 2023 or to find out more about LiveLabs, please email Kathryn here.