Contact us
p01 the quarterly newsletter from Edinburgh BioQuarter W: www.edinburghbioquarter.com
Issue 01
Winter 2011
We’re pleased to lead off our commercialisation work with these two promising start-ups
Welcome to our first quarterly newsletter. I’ve now been at BioQuarter for eight months and I think we’ve hit a few early targets. In the articles on this page you’ll find out more about the new biotechnology companies we’re launching this month, the innovation competition we launched three weeks ago and progress on our new bio-incubator building, which will be ready for occupancy in mid-2011.
New Head of Business Development at BioQuarter
We also welcome Dr Diane Harbison as our new Head of Business Development from Pfizer this month, and we’re pleased to announce the launch of a revamped BioQuarter website. For more detail on any of the articles in this update, just click on the weblink at the end of each article.
LOOKING AHEAD i2eye Diagnostics will offer a brand new visual field analyser for patients previously impossible to test
First spin-out companies revealed Edinburgh BioQuarter announces its first spin-outs this month, with the ophthalmic diagnostics company i2eye being launched, as well as management consultancy NeuroORG.
Mike Capaldi Commercialisation Director Edinburgh BioQuarter
Queens’ Medical Research Institute, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ
More about Edinburgh
T: 0131 242 9249 E: james.wood@bioquarter.com
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As always, we welcome any comments you might have at the address above.
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Incorporated in October 2010, i2eye has created a new ophthalmic diagnostics device based on intellectual property developed at the University of Edinburgh. i2eye’s device provides a reliable test for lateral sight performance in those patients old and very young for whom traditional sight tests are confusing.
Incorporating in November 2010, NeuroORG is an innovative management consultancy that engineers organisational performance and design from the perspective of the human brain’s function with different organs, reducing management engagement in organisational processes that are intuitive, in the same way as the body reacts to certain stimuli without reference to the brain. Its goal is to make organisations more efficient in their design and performance. Dr Mike Finnen, Head of Operations at Edinburgh BioQuarter, said: “We’re pleased to
lead off our commercialisation work with these two promising start-ups. Both companies have already identified potential customers and have clear business plans in place, with i2eye estimating that they have a total addressable market of more than US$280 million. NeuroORG has already had expressions of interest in its services from leading international companies based in the UK, and we’re confident that both organisations will have positive revenue accruing within the first year of formation. Without BioQuarter funding, there’s no doubt these companies would not have come into existence.”
For more information about i2eye Ltd or NeuroORG Ltd, contact Dr Mike Finnen at: e: michael.finnen@bioquarter.com t: +44 (0) 131 242 9248
Diane Harbison has joined us from Pfizer Ltd as our new Head of Business Development. Diane spent the last ten years at Pfizer, latterly as a member of the Global R&D business development team. Diane was Global Business Development leader for Pfizer’s Regenerative Medicine Group, and was the lead negotiator in their groundbreaking R&D collaboration with University College, London. She also led the acquisition of Axordia on behalf of the company. Prior to joining Pfizer, Diane was part of the team working on the EMBL database at the European Bio-informatics Institute. She began her career here in Edinburgh, working in the Kings Buildings on sex determination in fruit flies under Professor Mary Bownes. Diane says, “BioQuarter represents a fantastic opportunity for me to do something creative and innovative based on my previous experience in science and the pharmaceutical industry. Scotland boasts a wealth of talent and quality research in everything from clinical medicine through to informatics and engineering, and the chance to bring all of these different elements together in new companies that can make a difference is very attractive.”
Contact us
p02 the quarterly newsletter from Edinburgh BioQuarter W: www.edinburghbioquarter.com
Issue 01
locate at BioQuarter
Winter 2011
More about Edinburgh
T: 0131 242 9249 E: james.wood@bioquarter.com
Brand on the run BioQuarter has a new website and new presentational materials. James Wood joined us as Head of Communications in August 2010, and since then he’s been busy updating our web presence, press contacts and social media. BioQuarter has been covered in The Times, The Herald, The Edinburgh Evening News, Business7, Nihon Keizai Shimbun and The Scotsman in recent weeks, and we hope to expand this media profile further in the months ahead.
New Building in June 2011 The new BioQuarter Incubator building has broken ground and is progressing well towards its initial completion date of June 2011. The building will feature an incubator on the ground floor which will house small start-up companies in a range of office and lab accommodation in a variety of suite sizes. There will be meeting rooms provided for use by all tenants and a social/ informal networking area which will house a café, also serving the wider BioQuarter site. The two upper floors will provide flexible accommodation for office or laboratory use for more established companies.
James said: “Making sure that investors understand BioQuarter is one of the best places in the world for new and established biotech companies to do business is our number one message. Everything we do in terms of how we market and brand this environment has to reflect the co-location of outstanding research talent, clinical excellence and an experienced industrial team. I’m confident that the plans we have in place for 2011 will help us achieve these objectives.”
Follow Edinburgh BioQuarter on Twitter: @EdinburghBQ
Check out the new BioQuarter website: www.edinburghbioquarter.com
or join our LinkedIn Group. Search for: LinkedIn ‘Edinburgh BioQuarter’
New Innovation Competition Launched Jonathan Wilson, Project Manager at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Releasing 80,000 square feet of new accommodation at BioQuarter will allow both start-up firms and international pharmaceutical companies the chance to locate near three of the UK’s most significant medical research institutes. Situated just a few hundred metres away from the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, the Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine and the Queens’ Medical Research Institute, the building will provide new and established firms with one of the best co-location opportunities anywhere in the world.”
For more information about the new bio-incubator, go to www.edinburghbioquarter.com/ officespace.php
Or contact Virginia Herriot at Scottish Enterprise at: e: virginia.heriot@scotent.co.uk t: +44 (0) 131 313 6213
BioQuarter launched its new ‘Innovation Competition 2011’ on 8 November 2010 with the slogan ‘Innovate and Win’ and, thanks to our sponsors, total prize money of more than £55,000. Aimed at researchers based in the NHS and University of Edinburgh, this competition seeks to discover ideas for new companies in human and animal medicine. Prizes will be awarded in three rounds between April and June 2011, with the overall winner receiving £10,000 to set up their own business. There are also awards worth a total of £15,000 to recognise the best patent, best disclosure and best commercial idea from 2010. Dr David Newby, Director of Research at NHS Lothian, said: “Edinburgh BioQuarter
has the potential to become one of the world’s leading medical research sites and the innovation competition is a great opportunity to inspire staff. It will encourage them to develop their ideas and provide them with the financial investment they need to realise them.” More detail about the competition can be found at: www.innovateandwin.mvm.ed.ac.uk
or by calling Lorraine Dobbs on: t: +44 (0) 131 242 9444