Double success for entrepreneurial Leeds bioscientists
Bioscientists from the University of Leeds have won two awards in the finals of the prestigious Biotechnology Young Entrepreneurs Scheme (YES) Scheme. The national competition, run by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the University of Nottingham Institute for Enterprise and Innovation (UNIEI), recognises entrepreneurial skills displayed using hypothetical companies and products.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Bioscientists from the University of Leeds have won two awards in the finals of the prestigious Biotechnology Young Entrepreneurs Scheme ( YES ) Scheme.
The national competition, run by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council ( BBSRC ) and the University of Nottingham Institute for Enterprise and Innovation ( UNIEI ), recognises entrepreneurial skills displayed using hypothetical companies and products.
Some 14 teams reached the final from 73 teams that took part in regional heats. The two successful teams from the University’s Faculty of Biological Sciences were led by Owen Jackson and Stuart Kyle.
Owen Jackson and his team, Steve Parsons, Oli Watherston, Mandeep Dhillon and Francis Galway, won the award for the Best Healthcare Plan, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline. Their company, Aptamix, developed a novel process capable of determining the levels of disease markers in blood. The Aptient™ device generates a simple output which can be interpreted by a healthcare professional, enabling rapid screening of a wide range of diseases.
Stuart Kyle’s team, comprising Serena Russell, David Smith, Alice Bartlett and Romana Mughal, won the Smith & Nephew Prize for Best Medical Technology. Their company, BioInspire, focused on the identification of pathological organisms from their protein fingerprints. To read the fingerprints, BioInspire developed a novel automated sample preparation and handling process.
Kyle says: “The competition massively developed our business acumen. I’m an applied scientist and I can now see how my work can be taken to market. I’d recommend taking part to anyone working in science who wants to go down the business route – it was invaluable.”
Biotechnology YES, now in its 13th year, aims to help the UK’s early career bioscientists gain the skills and contacts needed to turn research into commercial reality. The 2008 competition attracted around 330 entrants, with regional heats held across the UK. Finalists are mentored by a team of advisers including financiers, intellectual property experts and spin-out company heads.
Minister of State for Science and Innovation, Lord Drayson, said: “This scheme is producing a generation of commercially-aware scientists who will be crucial to the UK economy by generating new business, jobs and wealth for the UK. In addition to scientific talent, the development of entrepreneurial skills and ability to understand the commercialisation of research are key tools for young researchers today – whether they stay in academia or move into business.”
Further information
Jo Kelly, campuspr, tel 0113 258 9880, mob 07980 267756, email jokelly@campuspr.co.uk
Guy Dixon, University of Leeds press office, tel 0113 343 8299, email g.dixon@leeds.ac.uk
Notes to editors
The Faculty of Biological Sciences at the University of Leeds is one of the largest in the UK, with over150 academic staff and over 400 postdoctoral fellows and postgraduate students. The Faculty has been awarded research grants totalling some £60M and funders include charities, research councils, the European Union and industry. Each of the major units in the Faculty has the highest Grade 5 rated research according to the last government ( HEFCE ) Research Assessment Exercise, denoting research of international standing. The Faculty is also consistently within the top three for funding from the government’s research councils, the BBSRC and NERC. www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk
The University of Leeds is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK with more than 30,000 students from 130 countries. With a turnover of £450m, Leeds is one of the top ten research universities in the UK, and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities.
About Biotechnology YES Biotechnology YES has been running since 1995. Research has found that young scientists participating in the competition are more likely to enter business roles than other young scientists.
The competition is sponsored by 24 different organisations – AstraZeneca; BBSRC; BIA; BioNow; Cancer Research UK; Gatsby Charitable Foundation; GlaxoSmithKline; Manchester Investment Agency ( MIDAS ); the Medical Research Council ( MRC ); the Natural Environment Research Council ( NERC ); Nestle; the North West Development Agency ( NWDA ); ONE North East; Pfizer; Potter Clarkson; Royal Academy of Engineering; Smith & Nephew; Syngenta; Unilever; the University of Liverpool; the University of Manchester Incubator Company ( UMIC ); the University of Manchester Intellectual Property Ltd ( UMIP ); UNIEI and Yorkshire Forward.
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This story was released on 2008-12-15. Please make sure to visit the official company or organization web site to learn more about the original release date. See our disclaimer for additional information.
