Why Babraham
The Babraham Research Campus provides a unique and highly successful environment, bringing together academic and commercial excellence and aspires to become the premier location for entrepreneurs to establish new bioventures. The campus offers bespoke accommodation for bioventures at any stage in the business development cycle and supports the full spectrum of science from R&D to commercial realisation.
Central to our mission is the provision of state-of-the-art research and development facilities, scientific support services supported by an underlying infrastructure that enables the campus to deliver science of the highest quality, make discoveries that will improve the quality of life and thereby contribute to the Eastern Region and UK's economic competitiveness. BBT has developed its own Bioincubator, a technology accelerator and Aitua Ltd - to provide the infrastructure and finance to catalyse the technology transfer process; promote the commercial development of the Institute's IP and offer an attractive environment for emerging life science ventures.
This ethos has ensured that Babraham's Bioincubator has been fully occupied since 2001. There are currently 30 companies residing on the campus, developing technology platforms, products and services for the biomedical, biotechnological and healthcare sectors. These ventures, employing over 200 staff, occupy the 52,500 sq ft of bioscience facilities provided within our Bioincubator and first BioDevelopment Building, Minerva. To date, 20 companies have graduated from the campus.
A Regional Biotechnolgy Enterprise Hub
Cambridge has an active and integrated biotech networking community, making this a vibrant and stimulating environment in which to develop new bioventures. BBT is an active member of ERBI and a Founder Member of the Cambridge Network. It also plays an active role in organising events to bring together the full spectrum of stakeholders involved in the roadmap through which blue skies research is commercialised into viable business propositions.
In April 2003 EEDA awarded BBT a £K700 grant to operate one of the two pilot Enterprise Hubs in the Eastern Region. The Hub formed Babraham BioConcepts, a technology accelerator, aimed at promoting the translation of innovative research findings into investment-ready business propositions. This led on to a second award, where BBT was asked to manage a £K450 grant in conjunction with ERBI and Medlilink East, to provide a regulatory and finance advisory service (FRAS). BioConcepts has subsequently led to the formation of BBT's Technology Development Laboratory and Aitua Ltd.