Biotechnology companies will have access to a fully-tailored suite of ‘drop-in’ lab facilities at Luton’s Butterfield Business Park, thanks to a significant investment from the East of England Development Agency.
The new and much-needed bio-science services will be provided by the University of Bedfordshire funded by a £290,000 grant from EEDA’s pilot innovative capital equipment competition.
The new investment will provide Luton’s Institute of Research in the Applied Natural Sciences (LIRANS) with a state-of-the-art confocal laser microscope facility for both bio-imaging and materials applications, allowing scientists to speed up developments and businesses to road-test their ideas without spending huge amounts of their early-stage capital.
Critically, the new services will forge stronger links between businesses and academia, with expertise and collaborative working opportunities on offer from University of Bedfordshire academics working on-site.
“Bioscience is one of the fastest growing sectors of the East of England’s economy which is bringing international recognition and investment to the region,” said EEDA chair, Richard Ellis.
“It really enabled us to select focal points across the region where we could invest in the ‘infrastructure’ that ambitious, early-stage bioscience companies need to take them to the next level, and move their concepts closer to market success.”
The pilot capital equipment competition was launched by EEDA in February this year. Butterfield Business Park, home to a number of research facilities and academics from the University of Bedfordshire, is one of three regional centres who were successful in scooping a share of nearly £900k.
David Rawson, Professor of Applied Cell Biology at LIRANS, said: “EEDA’s funding is going to be absolutely critical in enhancing the flexibility of Luton’s offering to SMEs across the East of England, allowing us to cater to their individual and specific needs.
“Businesses in this region can tap-in to a wealth of facilities, without having to tie-up their early-stage capital in out-sourcing. At the same time, the grant will provide a base from which University of Bedfordshre scientists can engage with industry, enabling businesses to take full advantage of their expertise.”