Impact
BBT aims to drive knowledge exchange and support bioscience innovation through the infrastructure of the Babraham Research Campus, delivering wider economic and societal impact for the UK.
Where the knowledge generated from the Institute’s research has potential for application, scientists work with clinicians or with companies to translate the research and deliver social and economic benefit. However, by its nature, the Institute’s research is not immediately close to application and timescales to reveal opportunities for translation can be lengthy, requiring years of focused and evolving research effort. Licensing royalty income from Abgenix Inc. only came on stream in 2007, despite the patent being obtained in 1988 jointly with the MRC. This technology, involving expression of humanized antibodies in mice, led to the company developing a therapeutic product to treat metastatic colorectal cancer (Vectibix TM –the first fully human anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody).
In addition to the direct benefits being derived from our research findings in the long term, the Institute and its research facilities form the cornerstone of the knowledge-driven Babraham Research Campus, which is already a rapidly expanding economic success for the Cambridge region and nationally. Since Babraham’s Bioincubator opened in December 1998, 62 companies have been through the facilities. In total, these companies have raised over £330 million of investment funding to date. The current companies occupy 72,500 sq ft of laboratory / office space, including two purpose-built buildings recently developed by BBT.
In this way the Babraham Research Campus is a true science park bringing together fundamental, applied science and commercial R&D. This creates an interactive, supportive environment maximising the prospects of success of the curiosity-driven science and the transfer and exploitation of knowledge into biomedical products and services.
