Bench to clinic - partnership with health and pharma
On 21 June, the Health and Pharma University Industry Sector Team (UIST) held its first conference to showcase its achievements and in particular its success in establishing dialogue with the industry sector.
Over 150 attendees from industry, academia and health professionals took part in the conference, including leaders from the UK's BioIndustry Association, Lilly, GSK, the UKTI, the Cell Therapy catapult, Aquarius Equity and the Wessex AHSN.
The conference addressed some of the most pressing questions in translation biomedical science ‘from Bench to Clinic' and explored how the University can, will, and should respond, in partnership with industry, to the grand biomedical challenges of the age. The audience also considered the issues of graduate employment in the sector and the challenges of translating blue sky research into concrete benefits for patients.
Professor Richard Oreffo, Associate Dean, International and Enterprise, Faculty of Medicine and Chair of the Health and Pharma UIST, said: "The vision of the Health Pharma UIST is to make the University of Southampton the partner of choice for Healthcare and Pharma companies engaged in translational research in defined areas of unmet need.
"This conference "Bench to Clinic' with leaders in the Healthcare sector across industry provided strong exchange and learning from both sides and highlighted the opportunity for real synergy that awaits collaborative partnership working between University and Industry."
Watch
video interviews
from the conference.
The Health and Pharma UIST seeks to optimise University industry interactions in all areas from charitable giving to common response to government policy. However, the main thrusts of its activity are in:
- Ensuring employability for graduates and postgraduates through engagement with prospective employers in the Health and Pharma area.
- Promoting academic-industry collaboration in research with a particular focus on translational outcomes.
From a low-key launch in 2011 (based in the Faculty of Medicine) the UIST has been successful in engaging with industrial partners, both large and small. A small core team of just eight individuals in 2011 has been expanded to include representatives of the IfLS (Institute for Life Sciences, a multidisciplinary centre linking several University faculties), the Faculty of Health Sciences (nursing, hygiene and rehabilitation) and the Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences. It has 10 key partner companies in the major pharmaceuticals and health sector. This has been complemented by a very inclusive list of SMEs and larger companies located within a one-hour drive of Southampton.
Since the launch of the UIST, it has been successful in recruiting senior industry figures to its external advisory board (notably Ian Clark, CEO of Genentech). Large companies, including GSK and Novartis, and smaller local companies, such as SeraLab, Teccare or Morgan Innovation have expressed an interest in working with the University on a range of projects.
We would encourage staff with activities in research or education to use the Health and Pharma UIST as a point of contact with potential industry partners for collaborative research, employment, philanthropy or concerted action on policy. For more information:
Professor Richard Oreffo (Richard.oreffo@soton.ac.uk) Associate Dean, International and Enterprise, Faculty of Medicine
Karl Simpson (j.k.simpson@soton.ac.uk), Director Health and Pharma Strategy, Research and Innovation Services