Babraham's 5th Biotechnology Investment Forum draws French Biotech Companies

9th May 2008

Babraham Bioscience Technologies (BBT) held its fifth Biotechnology Investment Forum (BIF) at the Babraham Research Campus on 1st May. Ten new companies were profiled, seeking investment ranging from £500k to £3M. For the first time at this Forum, two French companies, CellVir and NOKAD from a Bioincubator near Paris, took the opportunity to pitch their technology and business to potential investors. Bioventures based in Edinburgh, Sheffield, Norwich, and Liverpool, were also selected.

Approximately 60 delegates attended the Forum, which aims to encourage bioscience investment through presentation and networking opportunities for investors and bioscience companies. A diverse array of technologies was showcased including: novel vaccine technologies; new generations of anti-retroviral compounds; screening systems for hospital acquired infections and strategies to combat antibiotic resistance; implantable nano-materials targeting the orthopaedic markets and a system to predict tumour responsiveness to chemotherapy, thereby enabling a more individualised and effective treatment strategy.

The Guest Lectures were given by Ray Coole, Chairman of Matrix Private Funds Group, discussing the current institutional investment in early stage technologies and Tim Fell, COO of CellCentric, presenting the company’s novel approach to maximising innovation potential in the field of epigenetics and regenerative medicine.

The Forum was established in February 2006 to provide new and early-stage biomedical companies seeking funding with an opportunity to pitch their propositions to a forum of Venture Capital and Business Angel investor groups with special interest in biotechnology. Since their inception, 74 companies have presented at the Babraham Investment Forum meetings.

Plans for the sixth event are already underway, which is expected to be held in early October 2008. Companies and potential investors who would like to attend the next meeting are encouraged to contact Babraham Bioscience Technologies direct.

Derek Jones, Chief Business Officer of BBT commented, “We were delighted to have attracted two companies from Genopole in France. Through these events BBT has played a pivotal role in stimulating partnerships between entrepreneurs and investors and we hope that this will stimulate interaction with other Bioventures from across Europe at our sixth Investment Forum in October.”

Contact details:

Babraham Bioscience Technologies Ltd
Contact by email
Tel: +44 (0)1223 496269
Fax: +44 (0)1223 496020

Nicola Kinsey,
Commercial Liaison Manager, Babraham Bioscience Technologies Ltd
Tel: +44 (0)1223 496334
Fax: +44 (0)1223 496020
Email: Contact by email

Dr Claire Cockcroft,
Head, External Relations,Babraham Institute
Tel: +44 (0)1223 496260
Fax: +44 (0)1223 496002
Email: Contact by email

Notes for Editors

Babraham Bioscience Technologies Ltd is the wholly-owned subsidiary and trading arm of the Babraham Institute. Coalescing scientific, technological and commercial excellence, BBT delivers the Knowledge Transfer remit of the Institute through the wider landscape of the Babraham Research Campus, catalysing opportunities for enterprise across the academic and commercial divide. BBT brings together all the elements to support innovation and enable the successful exploitation of research in the biomedical sector based on technologies emanating from the Babraham Institute and bioventures relocating to the Babraham Research Campus.

The Babraham Research Campus is the UK’s leading knowledge-driven Biomedical Park where world-class research, business know-how and entrepreneurial excellence come together to stimulate effective knowledge transfer and bridge the academic and commercial divide. The campus provides a unique and highly successful environment that actively fosters innovation and plays a pivotal role for biomedical start-up companies in the Cambridge region and with delivering innovation at the frontiers of biomedical research.

BBT has taken a prominent role regionally, initiating and leading partnerships to promote knowledge and skills flow and has established a reputation for successfully translating innovative science into viable business opportunities through partnerships for wealth creation. This is stimulating inward investment to the campus and contributing to regional development. Building on the success of the incubator model, BBT established a new venture, Aitua Ltd, formerly 'Babraham BioConcepts Ltd'. Aitua works closely with innovators to create and nurture emerging companies from world-class science and technology deriving mainly from the Babraham Institute or locating to the Babraham Research Campus. It will provide seed and early round funding, inject specific expertise and provide access to facilities to companies. BBT’s activities support wider investment in the life sciences to generate and sustain growth of the region’s healthcare economy. Website: www.babraham.com

The Babraham Institute is a charitable organisation devoted to biomedical research and is an institute of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The Institute’s research is focused on understanding the biological events that underlie the normal functions of cells and on how their failure or abnormality may lead to disease. As such, Institute scientists are striving to find cures for conditions where there is currently no treatment or where the existing treatment is not fully effective or causes serious side effects. The latest technologies are being used to study the basis of conditions such as neurodegenerative disorders, birth defects, cancer and diseases of the immune and cardiovascular systems. With a strategic focus on ‘healthy ageing’, novel approaches for tackling chronic diseases and public health concerns like obesity are being discovered. The Institute’s innovative research is commercialised through Babraham Bioscience Technologies (BBT) Ltd, which also manages Babraham’s vibrant Bioincubator on the Babraham Research Campus, six miles south-east of Cambridge.  Website: www.babraham.ac.uk