Author: Dr Marek Tyl

Lord David Willetts to Deliver Opening Keynote Speech at The Innovation Forum Leaders Conference 2017

Brexit has watermarked Britain’s future and has thrown not only the country but the whole scientific community into an enigma with a desperate need to stabilize its critical condition.  This may affect Britain tapping into shared science and funding as well as discouraging scientific talents globally.  What becomes of access to EU funding for many start-up companies?  What about R&D funding in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries?  With post-Brexit malaise, the true impact of Brexit will largely depend on how the government, industry, academics and start-ups rally to respond to this scientific shockwave.  This year’s 4th Global Innovation Forum Leaders Conference will address these topics and help link early-stage ventures with investment and support industry-academic partnerships to drive bio-medical innovation in Britain.  The conference takes place on 4th and 5th December in Oxford, UK and will not only showcase Oxford’s booming biotech scene but will feature noteworthy renowned speakers. 

Opening the conference we are delighted to announce Rt. Hon Lord David Willetts, Former Minister for Universities and Science, who will talk about ‘The Global Innovation Agenda.’  To follow, the Opening Executive Panel featuring Dr. Yong Jun Liu, Global Head of R&D at Sanofi looks into the future and discusses where bioinnovation can take us in 20 years. 

Dr. Jonathan Milner, Deputy Chairman and Founder of Abcam plc., serial entrepreneur and philanthropist will deliver a keynote on day two focusing on investing in people and building a company in this day and age, specifically ‘How to Build a Company Culture’. 

In addition, carefully selected workshops and breakout sessions will highlight this year’s trending fields such as epigenetics, immuno-oncology and artificial intelligence as well as entrepreneurial sessions on business funding and support for start-ups.  The conference also features the finals of the IMAGINE IF! 2017 Accelerator – a global competition featuring a top 20 amazing science-based start-ups pitching for funding to a panel of esteemed investors and industry executives. 

The ‘Apply to Attend’ process ensures a selective high calibre audience and results in a good mix of industry, academia and policy makers all making great connections.  The Forum is a fantastic opportunity for bringing the key people together – academia, industry and policy makers – partnership opportunities, investment and mentorship. 

For more information and to apply to attend please visit www.inno-forum.org/if2017

Innovation Forum partnered with J&J Innovation to organise the “She started it“ event in Oxford

Last June, the Innovation Forum partnered with J&J Innovation to organise the “She started it“ event in Oxford. The evening started with a screening of a film, co-directed by journalists Nora Poggi and Insiyah Saeed, that features five women founders in the tech sector. It showed the true and raw reality of being an entrepreneur and the obstacles that women face, putting a strong emphasis on the struggles with raising funding. However, it also emphasized the strength, resilience and drive of these women with an aim to highlight successful role models for every woman out there that is dreaming of embarking on this journey. To see the trailer visit.

The film was followed by a panel discussion on women in entrepreneurship. I had the real pleasure of being on the panel side by side with Eva-Lotta Allan, CBO of Immunocore, who brought a depth of expertise and experience from the business sector, and Joanna Goulda, a PhD student from Southampton University who founded the award winning start-up ViscoNano. The discussion was chaired by Letizia Goretti, Director, Portfolio Management and Business Operations at Jonhson & Johnson, who led an engaging discussion with strong key messages:

  • Don’t pretend to be something you are not! Be yourself in everything you do!
  • Don’t wait to make everything perfect, just go for it!
  • Don’t be scared of failure and don’t beat yourself up if you fail. Failure is a lesson that will allow you to grow.
  • Mentors and support groups are important! So go and network!

Is about time we highlight women that are out there and changing the status-quo of the women entrepreneur. The ‘She started it’ video is a kick start that we should continue!

Innovation Forum Leaders Conference 2017 – Apply to Attend

Applications are now open for the Innovation Forum Leaders Conference 2017 taking place on 4th to 5th December in Oxford, UK.  

This year we have an apply to attend process in order to ensure a high caliber, selective audience and quality collaboration opportunities across a good mix of industry, startups, academia and policy makers.   

Apply to attend online>>

World-Leading conference to link early-stage ventures with investment and support industry-academic partnerships to drive bio-innovation.

On the 4-5 December, our global conference will bring together over 400 delegates from the healthcare, biotechnology and life science sectors: Academics, start-ups, early stage ventures, SMEs, large pharmaceutical companies, prominent investors and top innovators.  CEOs, prominent investors and top innovators will deliver keynote speeches and head discussions on the latest trends in therapeutics, cleantech and medtech as part of our 2-day extensive programme of presentations and workshops. 

Apply to attend>>

Who should attend?
Whether  you  are  an  industry  leader,  investor,  leading academic  or  early‐stage entrepreneur, #IFLC2017 offers you the chance to benefit from extensive partnering opportunities, hear key opinions, discuss the latest trends in innovation and find inspiration.

Academia – The Innovation Forum 2017 is the perfect meeting place for entrepreneurial academics to connect with industry and investors and explore the opportunities for commercialisation and application of basic research.  

  • Meet and network with leaders from large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies
  • Seek mentorship opportunities and advice from professional business organisations
  • Pitch your research and product ideas in our IMAGINE IF! Acceleration Program for a chance to win cash prizes
  • Hear from key opinion leaders on the latest topics such as immuno-oncology, robotics in healthcare or recent advancements in epigenetics
  • Learn from early stage startups and entrepreneurs
  • Discover the latest technology and learn about key changes to policy and regulations
  • Attend our gala dinner and drinks reception for exclusive networking opportunities

Early-stage startups – The Innovation Forum 2017 supports early-stage ventures seeking investment and provides a unique platform for industry-academia collaboration to deliver innovation in healthcare.  

  • Access funding
  • Hear from renowned keynote speakers from top pharmaceutical companies including GSK, GE Healthcare, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and many more
  • Pitch for investment in the IMAGINE IF! competition
  • Network with and gain feedback from key opinion leaders
  • Showcase your latest research or technology
  • Collaborate with a global network of industry, academics and investors
  • Learn from other startups and SMEs and hear their experiences

SMEs – The Innovation Forum 2017 supports SMEs in exploring potential collobarations and investigating the best possible growth and exit strategies. 

  • Meet potential partners and clients through 1-2-1 dedicated meetings
  • Explore growth and exit strategies
  • Network with potential customers, partners and investors
  • Gain access to a global network of academics and researchers
  • Hear from renowned keynote speakers from top pharmaceutical companies
  • Attend our VIP dinner

Large pharmaceuticals – The Innovation Forum 2017 can help you to build relationships and explore potential partnerships and licensing opportunities with the best academics and new early-stage ventures. 

  • Hold 1:2:1 meetings with potential business partners
  • Meet and network with 100s of academia and new innovative start-ups
  • Hear from renowned keynote speakers from industry and government
  • Gather market intelligence from key opinion leaders from industry, government, academia, early stage-ventures and SMEs
  • Recruit new researchers – gain access to a global network of academics and researchers
  • Attend our VIP dinner

IMAGINE IF! Accelerator applications open!

Do you have a great idea for a science-based start up?

Join the global network of innovators across 16 branches world wide, and become a scientist-entrepreneur via our IMAGINE IF! accelerator!

Innovation Forum invites you to participate in the 4th edition of the first truly global competition and accelerator program for science-based ventures. 

IMAGINE IF! accelerator’s mission is to turn scientists with business ideas into scientists-entrepreneurs.

The accelerator provides early stage science startups with extensive opportunities: mentorship, training, the potential to secure non-dilutive capital, free advice from leading professional services companies and rapid networking across the Innovation Forum platform. If your innovative idea can have an impact on the world: this is the accelerator program for you!

View IMAGINE IF! 2016 projects and read about last year’s winner!

Don’t miss the application deadline on the 28th of July and APPLY NOW!

Ignite 2017: Fast-Tracking Innovation to Commercial Reality

Are you an ambitious entrepreneur, researcher, academic or scientist looking to transform an innovation and prepare it for commercial reality? Are you looking to invigorate innovation within your company, build skills and strengths in the R&D teams, maximise the potential of new ideas and revitalise business in these challenging economic times?

Ignite is an intensive, one-week training programme for aspiring entrepreneurs and corporate innovators from the hi-tech and life sciences sectors. The course is a blend of practical teaching sessions delivered by our world leading faculty, one-to-one clinics with experts, mentor sessions; and advice from experienced entrepreneurs and innovators. It provides delegates with the tools, contacts and confidence to transform their ideas into successful business projects or ventures.

The programme structure enables support to be tailored to fit the individual business idea and to focus on specific issues such as investment readiness, technical and market due diligence. Participants will end the week long activity by presenting their idea to a panel of experts and obtaining real time feedback. Contributors during the week include founders of global technology companies and venture capital firms.

 

“I met important contacts both within my own industry and also from other backgrounds. The mentoring sessions provided valuable experiences from people who were prepared to spend time polishing business plans.”

Ian Bu, Research Associate, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge

 

Date: 9-14 July 2017

Location: Cambridge Judge Business School Cambridge, UK

Deadline: The final application deadline is 12th June 2017

Individual fee: £1,200 (academics, researchers and scientists)

Corporate fee: £3,000 (supported by organisations)

 

Click here to find out more and apply.

If you have any queries please contact [email protected]

 

Milner Innovation Representatives programme

The Innovation Forum is pleased to partner with the Milner Therapeutics Institute and Entrepreneurial Postdocs of Cambridge (EPOC) to launch the Milner Innovation Representatives programme.

This initiative will allow us to identify cutting edge research with translational potential. The Milner Innovation Representatives who are all dedicated volunteers in Cambridge will proactively reach out to other junior and senior scientists in the various University departments  to talk about their research, and act as the ‘go-to-person’ for discussions on translation of research.

Identified projects will be reviewed by a joint team composed of representatives from the Milner Institute, EPOC and the Innovation Forum and presented to world-leading pharmaceutical companies and innovative biotechnology startups in order to ignite new connections and collaborations .

The initiative aims to create a more collaborative culture between industry and academia.

 

 

London Event: The Future of Science Innovation

On 1st June at Bush House, Aldwych in London, Innovation Forum King’s College London will be hosting an event on The Future of Science Innovation: Building Collaborations between Academia Start-ups and Industry

The event will include an interactive panel discussion that will aim to dissect key factors for successfully starting and maintaining industry-start-up collaborations, and how can these be improved to drive innovation.

Points of interest will include:

  • What are the advantages for start-ups, especially those from universities, to collaborate with corporates?

  • What are major barriers for start-ups in starting and maintaining successful relationships with corporates?

  • What have policymakers already done to help start-ups from universities initiate collaborations with industry, and how could these policies be improved?

We welcome policymakers, academics and entrepreneurs working with science start-ups and corporates.

AGENDA:

17.45 – 18.15: Registration
18.15 – 18.30: Introduction of KCLIF and Panelists
– Prof. Jackie Hunter CBE, CEO of Benevolent Bio
– Prof. Stefan Allesch-Taylor CBE, Serial Entrepreneur
– Dr. Jim Totty, Managing Partner at STIL
– Dr. Duncan Young, Associate Director at Scientific Partnering and Alliances, AstraZeneca

18.30 – 19.30: Panel Discussion
19.30 – 20.00: Q&A
20.00 – Onwards: Networking with Drinks and Canapés

PANELISTS:

Prof. Jackie Hunter, CEO of Benevolent Bio, has over thirty years of experience in the bioscience research sector, working across academia and industry including leading neurology and gastrointestinal drug discovery and early clinical development for GlaxoSmithKline. She founded OI Pharma Partners in 2010 to support the life science sector in harnessing the power of open innovation and most recently was Chief Executive of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

Prof. Stefan Allesch-Taylor CBE, a London-based financier, entrepreneur, charity chairman and philanthropist, with over 25 years’ experience of business startups, turnarounds and public companies. He has served on Boards in Europe and the USA as CEO, Chairman or senior non-executive director on both public and private companies.

Dr. Duncan Young, Associate Director in the Scientific Partnering and Alliances team at AstraZeneca – responsible for university collaborations, oncology business development and open innovation interactions for the portfolio. Duncan has a wealth of experience in the interface between industry and academia, technology transfer and translational research.

Dr. Jim Totty, Jim has 20 years’ experience in sustainable and clean technology, gained through his previous roles including Citi, PricewaterhouseCoopers and earlier academic work. Kim is a Chartered Financial Analyst, and holds an MA in Physics from the University of Cambridge and a MSc and PhD in Physics from Imperial College, University of London.

For more information and tickets visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-future-of-science-innovation-tickets-33813660569

She Started It: A Film Screening

96% of venture capitalists are men1. Women still account for less than 10% of founders for high growth firms2 and earn only 12.9% of computer science degrees3. “She Started It” gives a new face to the image of the tech entrepreneur: a female face.

Join Johnson & Johnson Innovation JLABS and the Innovation Forum for a film screening of “She Started It”, a new documentary film that follows five trailblazing young female entrepreneurs through their journeys of entrepreneurship.

The movie screening will be followed by a short panel discussion featuring local influential women in business.

View the trailer for the film:

1Fortune
2“Sources of Economic Hope” by Kauffman Foundation
3Computing Research Association study

Screenings (register for free!): 

London 11th May
Oxford 13th June
Cambridge 15th June 


Agenda:

17:30 | Registration Opens & Networking Reception
18:30 | Film Screening of “She Started It”
20:00 | Panel Discussion
20:30 | Programme Close

Speakers – London Screening (11th May):

  • Jeanne Bolger | VP, Venture Investments, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JJDC
  • Annette Clancy | Sr Advisor, Frazier Healthcare Partners and Chairperson/Board member of various Biotech Companies
  • Iona Inglesby | Founder, Dot One – DNA Personalised Design
  • Sinead McCluskey | Director Commercial Innovation, PEI

 

Speakers – Oxford Screening (13th June):

  • Letizia Goretti | Director, Portfolio Management and Business Operations, Johnson & Johnson Innovation
  • Joanna Gould | Founder, Visus-Nano
  • Danuta Jeziorska | Oxford President, Innovation Forum

 

Speakers – Cambridge Screening (15th June):

  • Karin Conde-Knape | VP of Cardiovascular & Metabolism Scientific Innovation, Johnson & Johnson Innovation
  • Tanya Hutter | Darwin College Research Fellow at the Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge
  • Fiona Nielsen | Founder and CEO, RePositive and DNAdiges

Fees:
FREE | General Public

Location- London Screening (11th May):
UCL Institute of Child Health
30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH

Location – Oxford Screening (13th June):
Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Park End St, OX1 1HP Oxford, UK

Location – Cambridge Screening (15th June):
Kaetsu Lecture Theatre
Murray Edwards College, Cambridge 

 

Event Partner: Innovation Forum

ON Helix 2017 Conference

Date: 13 July 2017
Location: Wellcome Genome Campus Conference Centre, Hinxton

Translational research is now at the forefront of most researchers minds. It has never been more crucial for R&D companies and for the benefit of society, to shorten the time to market for new drug and healthcare technologies.

ON Helix, brought to you by One Nucleus is a translational research conference for everyone in the life science sector.

ON Helix is a one day event aimed at informing delegates of how to turn early stage inventions and ideas into innovative health treatments (new medicines, novel biomarkers, useful medical devices or improved medical practices).

It presents the UK landscape of the business environment, funding, scientific and clinical research excellence and will be a unique knowledge-sharing environment between academia and business:

  • Session 1: Choosing the Right Business Model
  • Session 2: New Technologies in Translational Medicine
  • Session 3: Do Charities Make the Best Investors? 

 

ON Helix 2017 Conference Keynote Speakers:

Sharon Vosmek, CEO, Astia

David Tapolczay, CEO, MRC Technology

Sara-Jane Dunn, Microsoft

Click to view the 2017 programme for ON Helix.

The conference will commence with a Welcome Reception and Summer BioNewsRound Award on 12 July, more information can be found here.

Please click here to view the delegate rates and here for more information on exhibiting at ON Helix.

To register, please click here.

 

Full Price Delegate Rate £425 see a full list of delegate fees here.

For further details visit On Helix website www.onhelix.com   

Follow ON Helix on Twitter @OneNucleus  using #onhelix17

 

Research partnership with industry? Apply today!

We invite you to submit research proposals to the SHIONOGI Science Program, an international collaboration call for drug discovery. The collaboration research budget will be a maximum of JPY 15 million per year per project for up to three years.
 
Shionogi has a strong track record in productivity in drug discovery. They generate more than 60% of the development products in their pipeline. The products they are developing include candidate drugs originating from the Shionogi Research Laboratories, those from external seeds, and products derived from collaborative research with academic scientists and biopharmaceutical companies. Their strength is that they do not rely solely on in-house development, and develop drugs that incorporate a wide variety of ideas.
 
The SHIONOGI Science Program will be open for scientists who are based in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and the UK. The application areas for this year are infectious diseases, CNS and pain research.
 
You can find details of the research themes and the submission guidelines at SHIONOGI INNOVATION. The proposals should be submitted electronically via the Application Form.
 
[Key Dates]
 
Proposal submissions for primary selection:
 
Primary selection results sent by:
 
Proposal submissions for secondary (final) selection:
 
Final decision notified by:
 
For general information on Shionogi Open Innovation, please visit SHIONOGI INNOVATION.
 
For any questions specific to the SHIONOGI Science Program, please contact SHIONOGI Science Program Team at [email protected].