Biomedical and Biotechnology
The South West of England is renowned across
the world for bio manufacture, bio diagnostics and marine
biotechnology. There are more than 1,500 overseas-owned businesses
in the region, of which 450 are active in life sciences and
healthcare. Organisations in the South West excel in
biodiagnostics, medical devices, bimanufacture and marine biology.
These have a very productive workforce of 20,000 workers and
that number is growing all the time.
Outstanding research centres
There is a rich environment of innovation in the
South West and the region has produced 10 Nobel prize winners or
Nobel laureates within life sciences and healthcare. More
than 3,000 research staff (soon to rise to 4,000) are
employed by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and the
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) at Porton Down.
These renowned public research agencies act as the nation's
frontline against emerging health threats and biohazards. The HPA
and Dstl network across the region with more than 20 other
organisations at the forefront of diagnostic South West of
England;s commercial strenghts in this field span vetinary,
medical, food and agricultural markets.
Marine biotechnology
Marine biotechnology is another world class
strength for the South West of England. With its 700 miles of
coastline and a research budget in excess of £20.9 million, the
region is natural choice for the sector. In Plymouth alone, there
is a cluster of seven of the world's foremost marine science and
technology organisations which, together, are categorised as the
Plymouth Marine Sciences Partnership (PMSP). This is made up of the
Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth University's Marine Institute,
the Marine Biological Association, the National Marine Aquarium,
the Diving Diseases Research Centre, the Navy's Hydrographic
Meteorological & Oceanographic Training Group and the Sir
Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Sciences. Plans to co-locate
these organisations onto one site will make the South West one of
the top five locations in the world for marine science and
technology. Aquaculture also thrives here, with the Centre for
Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) having one
of the most advanced aquarium facilities available anywhere.
Knowledge transfer
One of the most notable features of the South
West of England is the sheer breadth of different technologies and
the co-operation that exists between them. As well as biotechnology
and biomedical, the region is a world leader in silicon design,
software, nanotechnology and advanced engineering. This has led to
some truly ground-breaking knowledge transfer initiatives, such as
the application of aerospace and automotive industry expertise to
the development of high tech monitoring equipment and measuring
instruments for the healthcare and medical sectors.
Support
This is encouraged by organisations like
BioApproaches South West, which exists to support the growth of
life sciences and biotechnology organisations in the region. One of
the ways it does this is through knowledge transfer, as well as
networking, providing access to information, brokering contacts and
promoting new market opportunities.
Translational science
In the South West of England, there are 15 public research
science establishments, seven universities, two medical schools and
63 National Health Service centres, servicing a population of over
five million people. These organisations exploit their
translational science and have spun out a number of high growth
SMEs, like Vectura plc, which are amongst the most successful
organisations in the UK.