Collaboration launched to accelerate bioscience in the North East

A collaboration to accelerate the bioscience sector in the North East has been announced between CPI, Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies and Teesside University.

The Northern Bio-Accelerator Partnership (NBioP) will create a bioprocessing, biomanufacturing and biopharmaceutical hub in the Tees Valley Region in an attempt to position the North East as a centre of innovation. It’s hoped the collaboration will attract investment into the area, enhance education and workforce development, and ultimately help more companies bring life changing medicines to market faster.

The hub will be based at Darlington’s Central Park which has a range of travel links to attract interest from across the North East and beyond.

As part of the collaboration, Teesside University, through its National Horizons Centre, will provide the academic and skills aspect, offering industry-specific scientific expertise, while also driving research and providing workforce training and development. CPI will leverage its existing industry connections, innovation facilities and expertise to reduce risk, gain investment and accelerate the development of new biotech products and their manufacturing processes. Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies will utilise its expertise as a biologics contract development and manufacturer and apply it to new tools and technologies for biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

The hub aims to train a next generation workforce who will be equipped with in depth bioprocessing knowledge and which can help developed upcoming advanced therapies.

Frank Millar, CEO at CPI, said: “The North East has a thriving biosciences sector that is globally competitive, vibrant and viable. This collaboration will enable us to draw on the best of research, workforce development, innovation and manufacturing to enable companies to develop, prove, scale up and manufacture new products that will improve the quality of life of people around the world.” 

Dr Mark Douglas, vice president at FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, said: “We are very pleased to be a partner in this exciting collaboration and look forward to developing innovative new technologies here in Teesside, to address biopharmaceutical manufacturing challenges at a global level.”  

Dr Jen Vanderhoven, director of the National Horizons Centre at Teesside University, said: “This new collaboration will build on the strong industrial heritage, and burgeoning Tees Valley life sciences sector to enable staff, students and industry partners to work together. Drawing upon each other’s expertise and experiences, we will catalyse economic growth in the North East through the creation of jobs, the training of a highly skilled workforce and the driving of the nationally leading biosciences research and development.”

Ben Houchen, Tees Valley Mayor, said: “Our region is becoming one of the best places in the world for science, innovation and jobs of the future, and this is down to the fantastic work being done behind the scenes at the National Horizons Centre, CPI and Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies. Science and innovation are thriving in our region, and we’ve all seen this year how important work is on future medicines and therapies. It is because of nationally significant partnerships like this that we can continue to punch above our weight as a region and attract jobs, businesses and investment to Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool.”