Bioscience industry puts funding under the microscope

SOME of the North’s leading bioscience firms will discuss access to finance at the BioCap event in Manchester today.

It will feature Matthew Walls, chief executive of diagnostics firm Epistem; Gary Millar, chief executive of hygiene specialist Byotrol; and Steve Little, vice president of personalised healthcare at Qiagen. All three are based in Manchester.

The conference, at the Bridgewater Hall, will cover public funding opportunities, partnership opportunities with big pharmaceutical firms, venture capital and angel investment, and stock market fundraising.

Between 2005 and 2009, 31 of the 315 life sciences companies established in the UK were set up in the North West.

A number of businesses have emerged from technology pioneered at the University of Manchester or from the existing North West pharmaceutical industry and some have gone on to attract investment from larger multi-nationals.

The event has been organised by industry body Bionow and is sponsored by Manchester Science Parks, the law firm Semple Fraser and accountancy group Baker Tilly.

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