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And now for the good news…
Let’s start the not-so-new year with some good news for a change.
Congratulations to the UK pharmaceuticals and biotechnology sector, which dominates the top 10 spinout companies of the last decade with a combined value of £3.14 billion.
The rankings, according to GovGrant’s University Spinouts Report 2021, highlight the immense role played by university tech and innovation in achieving this world-leading status.
When analysing the last 20 years, the sector accounts for half (£5.9 billion) of all capital raised by university spinouts in the UK (followed by computer hardware (9.6%) and healthcare devices and supplies (8.8%). Within pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, 76 (13%) drug discovery spinouts account for £2.6 billion of capital raised (39.6%) and 60 (10.3%) biotechnology spinouts for £1.2 billion (17.5%). According to the report, the most successful spinout company over the last decade is Exscientia, which is worth £785 million and was founded at the University of Dundee. Using proprietary AI technology to discover and design new drugs, the firm received a $4.2 million grant from the Gates Foundation earlier this year to develop new medicines for infectious diseases.
In this issue, we highlight yet more of the successes and challenges in the industry. While the sector continues to wrestle with the huge logistics of sustainable investment and shifting regulatory requirements, the EU has begun drafting new legislation for chemical recycling. Can a ‘one-size fits all’ approach work for waste management across Europe? ICIS editor Mark Victory investigates. We also feature positive breakthroughs in the development of environmentally friendly chemicals. For instance, researchers at Newcastle University aim to create a new generation of catalysts for the production of biorenewable chemicals… with promising results so far. Read more in this issue.
In a similar vein, Stephen Thomas, of the University of Edinburgh, was recently honoured in the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists UK for his research into the development of sustainable metal catalysts. We publish an overview of Stephen’s exploration into the use of such metals for large-scale agrichemical production. And last but by no means least, Daniel Brown, from James Robinson Specialty Ingredients, investigates how careful planning and adaptation is key to using natural chemicals in sustainable production. Please feel free to drop me a line with story ideas and contributions at
