24 June 2008

Dundee's role in developing Biotech recognised in major new report

A major continent-wide study examining how biotechnology clusters can be developed in Europe has recognised Dundee as a dynamic biotech community of research institutions and research & development firms.

The three-year study, funded by the European Commission’s INNOVA programme, examined the development of biotech clusters in different European countries. In addition to Dundee, leading European biotech cities, including Cambridge, Heidelberg, Munich, Milan and Turin, Stockholm and Uppsala, and Paris, were compared.

The report of the results of the study highlights twenty ‘good practices’ for cluster development. Four of these are Dundee-led - the Translational Medical Research Collaboration, a Scotland-wide collaboration with Wyeth Pharmaceutical which has its core research lab in Dundee; the commercialisation awards scheme used by Scottish Enterprise Tayside and the city universities; the support for the Scottish biotech sector provided by ITI Life Sciences; and the networking activity of BioDundee.

David Kirk, senior lecturer in Town and Regional Planning at the University of Dundee, indicates that the Dundee practices which are featured in the report cover key aspects of cluster development.

"The TMRC (Translational Medical Research Collaboration) features in the report as a key collaboration tightening the relations between universities, medical and pharmaceutical company research and so developing the research base of the cluster," he explained.

"The Commercialisation awards scheme which Scottish Enterprise Tayside and the Universities use to initiate the lengthy process of creating biotech spin-outs involves technology transfer and entrepreneurial coaching. This scheme is identified as a competitive measure successfully translating technology into new firms."

"A number of measures are identified in the report as ‘good practices’ to support biotech companies. These measures include the ITI Life Sciences which the report identifies as a unique provider for generating market-focused intellectual property for exploitation by biotech companies."

The fourth ‘good practice’ selected from Dundee is BioDundee. "This is the networking organisation connecting the biotech community in Dundee," said Mr Kirk. "It’s recognised as a good example of activities which support cross-cluster co-operation, create cluster consciousness and make the cluster visible at the international level."

The study report, which is being widely circulated across Europe, is intended to provide a guide to the factors that make for stronger clusters and identifies and compares a mix of support actions which can be adapted to the needs of local cluster communities.

NOTES TO EDITORS
Copies of the report may be obtained on request to David Kirk (r.d.kirk@dundee.ac.uk).

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