|
Bio-Buzz
No.04 / April 2008
IN THIS ISSUE
HEADLINE NEWS
INDUSTRY CORNER
EDITORIAL
EVENTS LISTINGS
Headline News
SWAIN BioTech and MedTech Seminar - 25 June, Bridgewater
The South West Angel Investor Network (SWAIN) together with BioApproaches SW are hosting a seminar on biotechnology and medical technology on Wednesday, 25th June 2008 at The Exchange just off M5(J23).
The event will bring investors and companies together in a unique meeting that aims to raise awareness of the growing opportunities in these sectors, as well as create an ideal networking opportunity for businesses.
The morning session will introduce the sectors with presentations given by successful regional businesses. There will also be presentations on legal and financial considerations for those starting out on the path.
In the afternoon there will be a case study followed by short company presentations. The case study will take an example of how a company started up and became successful in this area by looking at different stages in the company’s life. There will also be an opportunity for a number of companies to give a short overview of their technology to demonstrating the wealth of opportunities in the South West. Investors will find this allows them to understand the potential for growth in this sector.
There is a limit of 100 places and experience has shown that these seminars are usually oversubscribed. There is a charge of £45 for the event which includes a buffet lunch, tea and coffee. (BioApproaches members receive a 25% discount on the registration fee).
For more information and details on how to attend please contact Brian Dorricott by emailing brian.dorricott@swain.org.uk or calling 07715 856 274.
Marine algal meeting - 20 May, Plymouth
The Marine Bioprocessing Special Interest group of Bioscience for Business KTN will be holding a meeting at Plymouth Marine Laboratories on the 20 May.
An important aim of the workshop is to discuss the opportunities for funded consortia for background and applied research in the potential of marine and freshwater algae to capture carbon and generate oils that can be used as biofuels or high-value materials.
The format will be short presentations about some of the research ongoing in the UK and the funding opportunities available with time for discussions of this and a round table session on how best to bring these together.
Please contact Sue Addison at sue.addison@biosciencektn.com or by telephone +44(0)1223 566850 to register an interest and to get more details.
INDUSTRY CORNER
Call for Papers: Biofine USA
BioFine USA 2008 takes place from December 3-4, 2008 at the Sundial Beach & Golf Resort, Sanibel Island, Florida, USA. Speakers are being invited to present papers in two areas:
‘New Directions in Chemical Process Design’ conference, which features new technologies for the synthesis of pharmaceutical intermediates and ingredients. Papers are invited from industry and academe covering the application of new chemistry in the fields of chiral synthesis, aromatic compounds, chemocatalytic processes and biocatalysis for pharmaceutical discovery, development and manufacture. Speakers are encouraged to present papers describing new work in these fields, with an emphasis on practical commercial applications of new chemical synthesis technologies for drug discovery and development.
‘Chemical and Biopharma Development with Synthetic Biology’ conference, which features gene synthesis and engineering technologies for the development of new biocatalysts for use in chemical processes and the development of new biomolecules as biopharmaceutical products. Papers are invited from industry and academia covering the application of synthetic biology techniques in the discovery, development and manufacture of biocatalysts and biopharmaceuticals. Speakers are encouraged to present papers describing new work in these fields, with an emphasis on practical commercial applications of new synthetic biology techniques in chemical and biopharmaceutical development.
Those interested in speaking at BioFine are invited to submit abstracts for review by June 1, 2008. For further information on either presenting a paper or attending the conference as a delegate contact Tom Mulligan, Conference Director, avakado Ltd. Tel: +44 (0)1403 220755. Email: tom@avakado.eu Web: www.biofineusa.com
EPSRC call for proposals for Industrial CASE Awards within the Process Industries sector.
Proposals are welcomed in the areas of novel biotechnology and pharmaceutical research that address timely, user driven challenges within the remit of the Process Industries sector at EPSRC*.
Proposals are particularly encouraged from SMEs within this sector as they form a core part of the R&D activity in this area. The closing date for submissions is the 31st of May 2008.
For remit enquiries please contact Nicola Goldberg on 0179344 4475 or Nicola.goldberg@epsrc.ac.uk
For general enquiries and how to apply please contact Anita Howman on 0179344 4349 or anita.howman@epsrc.ac.uk
* Pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, high throughput screening, bioscience, drug discovery, biocatalysis, enzymes, radiopharmaceuticals, natural product synthesis, therapeutic agents, molecular recognition, biosensors, bioinformatics, combinatorial chemistry, synthesis (clean, asymmetric, organic, inorganic, novel pathways), drug design, drug delivery, biomimetics, receptors, separation processes, particle technology, crystallisation, physical organic chemistry, clean technology, green chemistry.
Does not include: biomaterials, medical instrumentation, medical imaging or biomedical implants
Venturefest 2008, June 2008
Venturefest (www.venturefest.com) celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The 2008 event will take place at the Unipart Group of Companies, Unipart House in Oxford on the 30 June and 1 July 2008.
The event is an excellent way to meet experts in business planning and development, raising finance, intellectual property, HR, company law, marketing and a whole range of other resources and support services to help you grow your enterprise. Venturefest is absolutely free of charge and open to all. For more information Rubicon Communications Ltd. T: +44 (0)1865 327813 E: info@venturefest.com
Medical Innovation Forum – London, June 2008
The Medical Innovation Forum is the premier networking event for all those with an interest in health technologies to discuss innovations, fast-track technology transfer, find partners, offer capabilities and seek funding/licensing agreements. www.medical-innovation.net
Oxoid Young Microbiologist Award – your chance to enter (closing date 30 June 2008)
The award competition is organised in conjunction with International Food Hygiene and the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. To enter, a 2,000 word summary of activity is required and entries are welcomed from young microbiologists worldwide, who are no more than 30 years old at the end of June 2008. You can nominate yourself or be nominated by colleagues and employers. Hints and tips on what might be included in your entry are available from your local representative of Oxoid products, or by visiting the oxoid website HERE. The closing date is 30 June 2008.
The first prize winner will receive a trip to the 2009 International Association of Food Protection (IAFP) Meeting in Grapevine, Texas, USA, (a meeting widely regarded as the world's premier food safety and hygiene event) plus £1,000. The runner-up will receive £500.
For more information please speak to your local representative of Oxoid products or contact Fiona Macrae, awards manager, oxoid.awards@thermofisher.com, tel: +44 (0) 1256 841144.
Rapid microbiological methods – Seminar & Exhibition – Gloucestershire, June 2008
Microbiological analysis is a rapidly developing area with faster and novel approaches to testing in order to satisfy the demands of the food industry for a quick result. With product safety still high on the agenda the requirement for accurate and rapid testing is paramount to meet the needs of both the food manufacturer and the end consumer. Fast and reliable technology is becoming more accessible to modern microbiology labs in areas such as detection, enumeration and microorganism identification.
This seminar is designed to combine presentations from key experts in the area of rapid microbiological testing, with an exhibition providing delegates with the chance to see what testing and identification options are currently available.
For more information about the event click HERE
UK Life Sciences Strategy
A new strategy board, tasked with promoting the UK’s expertise in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, was announced on the 6 April by Trade and Investment Minister Lord Digby Jones press release HERE.
The UK LifeScience Marketing Strategy Implementation Board is an integral part of a new strategy unveiled by Lord Digby Jones last November. Chaired by Chris Brinsmead, President of AstraZeneca UK, its aim is to demonstrate the UK’s world-leading position in LifeSciences, whilst combating intense and growing global competition in this sector. It held its inaugural meeting on Friday 11th April.
To help people keep up to date with progress UKTI have announced that a newsletter is being created and BioApproaches SW will be making this available via our website. In the meantime, for more information about the Strategy, the composition of the Board and to download a full copy of the Strategy document please click HERE
UKTI request information for internship project student – (Life Science Trade and Partnering in China & India)
Veronica Jiang is a current graduate student of University of Cambridge studying a Masters in Bioscience Enterprise. Her 8 week internship project, entitled Life Science Trade, Partnering and Investment in China and India, will mainly focus on a comparison between Chinese and Indian markets in terms of R&D and Manufacturing in the biopharmaceutical sector. Veronica is looking for specialists on either Chinese or Indian R&D and Manufacturing, especially on technology advances, talent pool, IP issues and quality control issues. If you are able to help Veronica with her project by sharing information on your experiences please contact her Mobile: 07506 026704
Email: yvj20@cam.ac.uk / yvjiangchina@googlemail.com. The completed report will be made available to UKTI networks and UK businesses free of charge.
EDITORIAL
News from the world of patents
Please follow the links below for some useful information provided by local Bristol Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys Withers and Rogers HERE
These items cover: the significant reduction in the European patent costs -probably a 40% reduction in terms of the cost of obtaining European patent protection more information HERE
information relating to the specific fees in the European patent office
HERE
and news of some fundamental changes under European patent office practice HERE
For more information please contact Rhiannon Turner at rturner@withersrogers.com
EVENTS LISTINGS
Covering Lifesciences (biotechnology) and Medical interests can be found at HERE
Contact Us
For further information on any of these items, please visit our website:
www.bioapproaches.co.uk or contact us directly.
Jade Fulbrook-Smith – Project Coordinator, BioBuzz Editor
Tel: 07715 856262 Email: Jade@BioApproaches.co.uk
Dr Pauline Lee – Network Manager
Tel: 07710 779548 Email: pauline@BioApproaches.co.uk
|
