Nottingham’s investment in life sciences was held up as a national exemplar for the sector by a panel of experts at a seminar hosted at the Royal Society in London.
The Science Insight event, which was the first in a series of thought leadership seminars to be hosted by Nottingham-based contractor Willmott Dixon, brought together a panel of industry experts to discuss the UK investment into science, recent changes within the industry and the potential impact of the political landscape.
Chaired by industry figurehead Steve Bates, The Guardian columnist and university lecturer Kieron Flanagan and biotech and pharmaceuticals expert Martino Picardo debated along with the audience a range of issues across the industry.
Nick Gibb, managing director at Willmott Dixon, said: “One of the very strong messages was just how many fantastic life sciences facilities there are in the Midlands.
“Nottingham City Council’s BioCity was highlighted as a flagship scheme for the life sciences industry in the UK, with the panel affording high praise to Glenn Crocker and his team for their vision in what they have created.
“There is still more to come there with the new Biocity building progressing well, which will further enhance the city’s already impressive incubation offering within the sector.”
The panel also discussed the topics including the challenges and opportunities presented by devolution and the requirement for private developers to see science and tech as commercially viable for it to really flourish.
Nick added: “One of the points that was made very strongly by the panel was that for the life sciences sector to push forward, it is really important to engage with private property developers and allow them to see the commercial value in investing in these types of development.
“This has been achieved in Manchester, for example, as the science partnerships have brought organisations together to great effect, and this is something that the rest of the country could learn from.
“The future of public sector funding is uncertain, and by encouraging buy-in from private property developers, we can encourage further growth and sustain the UK’s status as a world-leader in research.”
