Spotlight

BioWales this week showcases thriving sector

First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones will open this year’s BioWales, the eighth annual bioscience event at the Vale of Glamorgan Hotel near Cardiff March 17 and 18 (www.biowalesevent.com), showcasing a thriving sector to an international, commercial and academic audience of 400 delegates.

BioWales features a brokerage event, exhibition, and a conference covering hot topics such as stem cells industrialisation for drug development and therapy, with a line-up of eminent speakers including Nobel Prize for Medicine winner Professor Sir Martin Evans, Dr.Stephen Minger and Anthony Davies. The conference will also cover translational research, point of care diagnostics, cancer genetics, and Futurewatch, highlighting the next big thing in life sciences.

The event’s keynote speaker this year is John Jeans, the Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council who has responsibility for the MRC’s operation as well as major infrastructure projects, and is the Chairman of MRC Technology. He is also a non-executive Director of Myconstica, a development stage in vitro diagnostics company. In his presentation, John will look at ‘Research funders and the Biotech industry; a case for better partnership’.

The life sciences in Wales are represented by 330 companies, employing over 15,000 people and contributing more than £1.3bn to the Welsh economy.The sector has grown in Wales by over 19% in the last three years, and there are world-class facilities and people operating in this country. Wales is home to the largest cluster of in-vitro diagnostic companies in the UK while Cardiff University’s Wound Healing Research Unit (WHRU) has the distinction of being the second largest specialist wound healing centre in the world. In the field of Medical Technology, Biomet’s largest European subsidiary is in Bridgend and Arjo Huntleigh, the largest manufacturer of foetal monitors in the UK, has a site in Cardiff.  

The First Minister said: “The life sciences industry is already an increasingly important part of the Welsh economy with more than 15,000 people employed in the sector. BioWales 2010 will not only highlight the innovative developments already being carried out here, but also help to encourage even more companies to come and set up bases here in Wales.”  

BioWales takes place during National Science and Engineering week with activities around Wales including a Cardiff University School of Biosciences ‘Learn About Life’ event for around 250 children to encourage youngsters’ interest in science.

Event project manager Dr. Sharon Thomas said: “We have some major international speakers presenting at the conference this year, reflecting the event’s growing reputation in biosciences in the UK, plus a buoyant exhibition, a series of workshops and a brokerage event where we have had over 580 meeting requests to discuss potential collaboration projects and new technologies.” 

One of the key speakers is Dr. Stephen Minger, Head of Research and Development for Cell Technologies at GE Healthcare, which has been in Wales since the 1980s. He said: “Part of what drew me out of academia and into business was the opportunity to work with such an immensely talented team at our Cardiff site, where we are doing groundbreaking things, for the first time anywhere in the world, commercializing and industrializing the growth and use of stem cells for drug discovery - helping drug companies discover new medicines more quickly, and making medicines safer. What's happening here in Wales is comparable to many biotech hubs around the world, with a concentration of expertise and R&D excellence.”  

The sector is strengthened by MediWales, the industry-owned forum that also acts as a signposting and business support service for its members. Forum Manager Gwyn Tudor said: “BioWales provides the country with a unique platform to showcase our numerous success stories and globally competitive companies that we are rightly so proud of.”

The BioPartnering event is being co-ordinated by the Enterprise Europe Network, and organisers are looking to emulate last year’s event which produced a number of successful collaborations. w