Department of Trade and Industry

"I want to ensure that we continue to turn this exciting science into successful products and processes, and more dynamic companies.

The UK has a world-class science base in the biological sciences which is the envy of our competitors, and which is the basis of a vigorous and innovative biotechnology industry."

"The pilot BEP initiative brought together 8 partnerships, involving some 30 academic and charity research groups. These have made a significant improvement to the management of their intellectual property and to securing the benefits of bioscience research for the UK. This substantial further investment by the Government in the BEP Challenge will enable the rest of the bioscience base to build the same kind of partnerships and help them to market their intellectual property more effectively; ensuring that the UK gets the most from our public investment in life sciences."

Grants of up to £ 250,000 are available to enable the BEP partnerships to secure the necessary skills to audit, manage and match their intellectual property portfolios with potential industrial markets.

Lord Sainsbury also announced a further call for proposals under the Biotechnology Mentoring and Incubator (BMI) Challenge which aims to stimulate the provision of management and business skills as well as the development of specialist premises - incubator units providing laboratory and office space - to help young biotechnology companies start up and grow. (Click here to see "Biotechnology Clusters", a report by the DTI.)

He said:

"The UK has a vigorous and innovative biotechnology industry, and is the leader in Europe in the commercial development of biotechnology. I want to ensure that we maintain this leading position. We have made an excellent start in improving the provision of mentoring services and incubator facilities but more needs to be done if we are to keep the UK at the forefront of developments in this exciting new technology. I am now calling on others to come forward and take up the challenge to nurture the creation and growth of new entrepreneurial biotechnology companies. I am particularly keen to see the development of additional incubator units, which will provide young biotechnology companies with the facilities and resources they need to get established."

Notes to editors

1. The Biotechnology Exploitation Platform Challenge is a competition to improve the management of intellectual property in the bioscience base. The challenge is open to academic institutions, industrial liaison offices, university commercial companies, research and technology organisations, charities, trade associations and other intermediaries that offer necessary specialist skills in the management of bioscience. Winning BEP syndicates will be offered grant of up to £ 250,000 towards a maximum of 50% of eligible costs. Applications will be judged by an independent panel of experts according to the credibility of the business plan, the quality and the experience of the team in intellectual property management, the commercial potential of the technology and the extent to which government support will stimulate new collaboration and leverage new private sector finance.

2. The pilot BEP programme, launched on 19 September 1996, has catalysed 8 partnerships - involving over 30 groups from HEIs, Hospital Trusts and biomedical charities; some are regionally based while others are based on particular areas of application (such as the environment or cancer).

3. The Biotechnology Mentoring and Incubator Challenge is a competition to encourage the provision of incubators and specialist business mentoring services to help young biotechnology companies grow. Under the initiative up to £ 5 million will be made available. BMI challenge winners will be offered up to £ 500,000 towards the cost of a demonstrator project. Organisations may apply individually or on a collaborative basis. Applications will be judged on their contribution to the growth of the British biotechnology sector, the degree of innovation and the wider benefits. This is the fourth call for proposals.

4. Previous winners of the BMI Challenge are establishing mentoring and incubator services in Cambridge, York, Oxford, the South West and London, covering a variety of different areas such as medical and environmental biotechnology applications.

5. The Challenges are open to organisations operating in England, Scotland and Wales. Entry forms will be available from the relevant Challenge Secretariat (BEP on Tel 0171 215 4120 and BMI on Tel 0171 215 5856). The closing date for applications under both Challenges is 12.00 noon on 30 November 1999.

6. Further details of previous winners for both Biotechnology Challenges are available from the Challenge Secretariats.