Northern Powerhouse promotes North of England life sciences across the globe

A delegation from the North of England is heading to the BIO International Convention (BIO) in San Francisco this week – the first time the region’s life science sector has worked together to promote its offer on the global stage

BIO covers a wide spectrum of life science and application areas including drug discovery, bio-manufacturing, genomics, biofuels, nanotechnology and cell therapy.

The Northern Powerhouse’s life science delegation will promote the North of England as a competitive centre for international businesses to set up operations for research, development and manufacturing, according to Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP).

The line-up is led by Alderley Park, one of the five major assets within MSP. The delegation also features Redx Pharma, The Northern Health Science Alliance, (NHSA), the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC) and Aptus Clinical.

Neil Murray, CEO of Redx Pharma, a drug development company based at Alderley Park, Cheshire, said: “The UK has a compelling offer to biotech, with one of the strongest and most productive life science sectors in the world and a tax regime that is increasingly favourable for R&D-based businesses.

“The North of England is integral to that offer and produces world class science. The combination of the people and facilities here has already made the region very attractive to international companies.

“BIO, the largest event of its kind, is the right place for the North to tell its story.  We are delighted to support and work alongside other companies and stakeholders in showcasing the region to a global audience.”

Rowena Burns, chief executive of MSP, said: “It’s always been the Manchester way to collaborate – we achieve more by working together. Biotech is one of those sectors where academia, industry, the NHS and other organisations and institutions collaborate quite naturally.

“In Manchester we already work in this way and support each other in pitching to global businesses. This approach permeates all sectors of our economy and sends a powerful and positive message to businesses thinking of locating here.”

“This wider North of England initiative at BIO is very welcome. We share a responsibility to speak for the North and to explain the significant competitive advantages our region offers.”

Hakim Yadi, chief executive of the NHSA, will be presenting the UK and Northern Powerhouse offering in life sciences at BIO on behalf of the UK Trade and Industry (UKTI). There’s also a Northern Powerhouse reception in the main BIO exhibition centre late afternoon on Tuesday June 7th.

Yadi said: “I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to promote the North’s life science offering globally.

“The North has a great many centres of international excellence and a supportive eco system that allows life science businesses to flourish.”