Partners

www.abhi.org.uk

The Association of British Healthcare Industries (ABHI) is the lead, and largest, industry association for the medical technology sector in the UK. They represent companies whose output makes up for around eighty percent of the industry's total. Their membership includes some of the leading businesses in the sector in the UK right the way through to small independent companies. Their members produce essential products for the NHS - everything from life support machines through to latex gloves.

www.abpi.org.uk

Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) is the trade association for more than 70 companies in the UK producing prescription medicines. Its member companies research, develop, manufacture and supply more than 80 per cent of the medicines prescribed through the National Health Service (NHS). 

The ABPI also represents companies engaged in the research and/or development of medicines for human use. In addition, its general affiliate membership is for all other organisations with an interest in the pharmaceutical industry.

www.bioapproaches.co.uk

BioApproaches South West is the biotechnology and life sciences network for the South West of England.  Funded by the South West regional Development Agency and managed by Great Western Enterprise Ltd, BioApproaches provides direct sector-specific support across industrial biotechnology (including marine and agricultural), pharmaceuticals, food technology and healthcare.

www.bioindustry.org

The trade association for innovative enterprises in the UK's bioscience sector. Acting as the voice of UK bioscience, they are active in representing the sector and its needs to audiences, from patient groups to regional, national and pan-European governments.

www.bionow.co.uk

Bionow is the brand name for the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and healthcare cluster programme within the Northwest Regional Development Agency. The Bionow team sit within the Business Relations Group of the Enterprise, Innovation & Skills Directorate.

www.biopartner.co.uk

BioPartner.co.uk is a non-profit trade organisation, promoting international partnering for trade, investment and collaborations with UK Life Sciences. We operate both independently and in partnership with the UK government to assist SMEs to exhibit overseas, and to support start-ups through our BiotechNet team of experts. 

We work with a range of clients in the private and public sector to research, report and selectively match companies with relevant opportunities; support international partnering events, and manage multi-centre international projects. We also offer strategic consultancy, research and briefing reports. Our unique partnerships integrate powerful, effective software with extensive industry contacts, and we bring a professional, personal approach to all of our projects.  

www.bioprocessuk-website.org

bioProcessUK is a publicly funded Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) set up in 2005 to drive innovation performance across the UK biological medicine bio processing industry.

They facilitate innovation and knowledge transfer by providing unique networking opportunities that help to connect companies, universities, funding bodies, national, regional and devolved administrations.

www.biosciencektn.com

Launched in February 2006, Bioscience for Business is a Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) that brings together bioscientists from the white, green and blue bioscience sectors.  These are industrial biotechnology, plant & crop science and marine & freshwater aquatic sciences so uniquely combining the cross-sector interactions that enable different disciplines to network for the benefit of the UK.

Working in partnership with the National Non-Food Crops Centre, Bioscience for Business brings together members covering a wide range of interests from researchers to end users of the technologies.

Reporting to the Technology Strategy Board, the KTNs  are designed to improve the UK's innovation performance by increasing the breadth and depth of the knowledge transfer of technology into UK-based businesses and by accelerating the rate at which this process occurs.

www.bbsrc.ac.uk

BBSRC is one of 7 Research Councils that work together as Research Councils UK (RCUK). It is funded from the Government's Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).

BBSRC's current budget is £420M. It supports a total of around 1600 scientists and 2000 research students in universities and institutes in the UK.

www.bhta.com

The British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA) is the UK's oldest and largest healthcare association (founded in 1917).

Its membership - of some 380 companies employing over 17,000 people - comprises both large and small businesses across the many non-pharmaceutical sectors of the healthcare industry, manufacturing, supplying and serving those with special physical needs and specialist healthcare areas, too. The products they make and supply are as varied as wheelchairs and scooters, stairlifts, seating and positioning products, patient support surfaces, rehabilitation products, stoma and continence products, aids and services for visually impaired people, and even prosthetics and orthotics.

www.bivda.co.uk

The British In Vitro Diagnostics Association (BIVDA) is the national trade association for companies with major involvement and interest in the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) industry. BIVDA represents both manufacturers and distributors who are active in the UK. It is not just an association of UK diagnostic companies, all IVD companies, irrespective of their national origin, are eligible to become members of BIVDA. As well as providing a range of support services for its members, BIVDA pursues a strategy of raising the awareness of the clinical and cost utility of diagnostics in the provision of effective healthcare in the UK.

www.celsatlife.com

Cels (The Centre of Excellence for Life Sciences Ltd) is partly funded by the regional development agency One North East to drive the growth of the healthcare and life sciences economy of North East England.

Cels is committed to developing scientific enterprise through the development and commercialisation of new technology, innovations and the exploitation of new and emerging market opportunities.

Cels drives growth in four main ways:

• By building and managing first-class business and research infrastructure
• By placing the region on the world stage through internationally recognised networks
• By managing emerging technology and stimulating the formation of new business ventures
• By offering business start-ups management and financial assistance.

In order to achieve this, Cels works in close partnership with the North East's regional universities, associated research institutes, healthcare and life science companies and public sector organisations.

www.ccra.org.uk

The Clinical Contract Research Association (CCRA) is the voice for all organisations which provide clinical contract development services for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

www.berr.gov.uk

Bioscience Unit is part of BERR's Business Relations activity, within Enterprise and Business Group.  Business Relations aims to use sector knowledge and expertise to create the conditions for globally competitive UK business.  In order to understand the factors impacting on companies in the UK, their Relationship Managers develop and maintain contacts with key companies and trade associations in the sector.

The Unit's vision is growing Bioscience R&D capability and commercialisation within the UK.

The Unit focuses on a number of key areas:

• Pharmaceuticals
• Medical Biotechnology
• Healthcare Technology
• Industrial Biotechnology
• Technology Transfer

www.dh.gov.uk

The Department of Health's overall purpose is to ensure better health and well-being, better care and better value for all.

They have responsibility for standards of health care in the country, including the NHS. Their work in setting direction includes:

• Strategy
• Policy
• Legislation and regulation
• Allocating resources
• The NHS operating framework
• Local Area Agreements.

DH lead on the integration of health and well-being into wider government policy, working with other sectors and systems with which we do not have a direct relationship with, as well as integrating wider public policy into health and care services. DH also takes the lead internationally on some health issues for the UK.

www.scotland.gov.uk/Home

wales.gov.uk

www.northernireland.gov.uk

The three devolved nations of the United Kingdom perform similar activities to the RDA's in the English regions and are under the direct control of individual elected assemblies.

www.emtechna.com

www.epsrc.ac.uk

The main UK government agency for funding research and training in engineering and the physical sciences, investing around £740 million a year in a broad range of subjects - from mathematics to materials science, and from information technology to structural engineering.

www.erbi.co.uk

ERBI was established in 1997 with a grant for 3 years from the DTI. As a networking organisation for Cambridge and the East of England, our original goal was to provide a platform for biotechnology and related companies to meet and interact through attending regular meetings.

In 2000 ERBI became a private, not-for-profit, self -financing, membership based company. Our Board and Steering Group are made up of representatives from all walks of the bio-community including major pharma, large and small biotechs and professional advisers.

Today they have almost 300 members and ERBI is currently Europe's leading regional bio industry group.

www.gambica.org.uk

GAMBICA is the national organisation representing the interests of companies in the instrumentation, control, automation and laboratory technology industry in the UK. The diverse nature of the industry is reflected in the five industry sectors represented by the Association:

• Industrial automation products and systems
• Process measurement and control equipment and systems
• Environmental analysis and monitoring equipment
• Laboratory technology
• Test and measurement equipment for electrical and electronics industries

www.healthtechktn.com

Their goal is  ‘to strengthen the global position of the UK medical device and healthcare sector through a dynamic national network nurturing innovation and technology exploitation'. 

Knowledge transfer is facilitated through the KTN website, specialist interest groups, and a network of Knowledge Transfer translators providing direct support to companies or regionally through Medilink (http://www.medilinkuk.com/).   

www.londonbiotechnology.co.uk

The London Biotechnology Network (LBN) began in 2000 and has since grown to be a stalwart addition to the London life sciences community. LBN is a business network of over 800 organisations and 2000 members from the biopharmaceutical sector, academia, venture capital community, legal and accounting services, and consultants with an interest in the sector. LBN strives to provide members with relevant information and networking opportunities to cultivate the right environment for innovation and collaboration in the life sciences community.

www.mrc.ac.uk

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is a publicly-funded organisation dedicated to improving human health.

They support research across the entire spectrum of medical sciences, in universities and hospitals, in their own units and institutes in the UK, and in their units in Africa.

www.medilinkuk.com

These regional trade associations offer focused business support to organisations in the medical device and life sciences field. Not all are known as Medilinks, but all can be sourced via Medilink UK at the above link.

They bring together at regional level the health technology industry, NHS trusts, universities and business support agencies to offer specialist support to health technology companies and to individuals with new ideas for health related products. They add particular value to the product innovation process because of their knowledge of the innovation landscape for the health technologies sector regionally, nationally and internationally, including specialist requirements in areas such as regulatory affairs and clinical trials.

www.nic.nhs.uk

The NHS National Innovation Centre (NIC) aims to speed up the development of pre-commercial technologies likely to benefit the NHS.

www.dius.gov.uk/ols 

On 27th January 2009, the Prime Minister announced the creation of an Office for Life Sciences, to be led by Lord Drayson, Minister for Science and Innovation.

The Office, comprised of officials from DIUS, UKTI, BERR, Department of Health, and the Treasury, will work closely with industry to identify priorities and actions in the short, medium and longer term, including the development of a strategy.

The Office's work over the next 6 months will be focussed on taking swift action to improve the operating environment for the pharmaceutical, medical biotech, and medical devices sectors. This work contributes to government policies for "new industrial activism" leading to actions to improve the UK business environments for leading UK industries.

• The NHS as an Innovation Champion
• Building a more integrated life sciences industry
• Access to finance and stimulating investment
• Successful international marketing of the UK's strength in the Life Sciences sectors to win business and attract investment

Working groups for each pillar, chaired by an industry representative and having membership from industry and government have been convened.

www.obn.org.uk

OBN is a not-for-profit biotech business network which exists to catalyse the growth and development of the Oxford and South-East biotech super-cluster. Their activities can be summarised as networking, partnering, group purchasing, advice and information dissemination.

www.englandsrdas.com

England's Regional Development Agencies (RDA's) were first launched in 1999, with the London Development Agency following in 2000.

Their mission is to spread economic prosperity and opportunity to everyone in the nine regions of England. When establishing the RDA's, the Prime Minister said he wanted to ‘bring fresh vitality to the task of economic development and social and physical regeneration in the regions' through a business-led approach.

The RDA's do this through providing strategic direction for economic development, ensuring the needs and opportunities for every region are taken into account. They work to make lasting improvements in the economic performance of all regions and to reduce the gap in growth rates between the regions.

www.semta.org.uk

Semta is the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies. Semta supports UK businesses in achieving global competitiveness through investment in skills.

Semta works with companies in its sector to understand skills needs and provide solutions to meet those needs. Semta is led by employers in each of the sectors it works with.

www.sehta.co.uk

The South East Health Technologies Alliance (SEHTA) is a membership organisation established to support businesses in the health technologies sector - pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, and diagnostics.

Funded primarily by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), SEHTA supports its members by providing access to business development opportunities and promotes their interests to policymakers, regulators, the media and the general public in order to improve the environment in which they operate.

www.ukcrc.org

The UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) is a partnership of organisations working to establish the UK as a world leader in clinical research, by harnessing the power of the NHS. Our aim is to re-engineer the environment in which clinical research is conducted in the UK, to benefit the public and patients by improving national health and increasing national wealth.

www.ukti.gov.uk

UK Trade & Investment is the government organisation that helps UK-based companies succeed in the global economy and assists overseas companies to bring high quality investment to the UK.

• UKTI's mission is to deliver maximum value for the UK economy and for business in an increasingly globalised and competitive world.  In the current challenging economic climate, UKTI can help business to make the most of global opportunities and manage the risks of doing business internationally.
• UKTI has a wide range of services, open to all sectors and all types and sizes of company.  Its trade services are designed to help UK-based companies develop the potential to export and to access new overseas markets. Its inward investment services are designed to maximise the benefits of foreign direct investment.
• UKTI also leads on marketing the strengths of the UK economy. The UK remains attractive thanks to the strengths of its open business environment, as a gateway of international connections, its creative talent, and its strengths in innovation and as an academic research base. The UK is a Springboard for Global Growth.