The UK bioscience sector is world leading – second only to the US globally – and the industry’s success, especially in developing innovative new medicines are well documented. However, whilst there is rightly much euphoria about the Cambridge cluster and the so called ‘golden triangle’, a quiet revolution is occurring in Yorkshire and Humber, a revolution which is increasingly seeing the Yorkshire region become one of the UK’s greatest bio-science success stories.
Employing over 10,000 people within life science and related industries, Yorkshire and Humber already has the infrastructure required to enable its thriving bioscience cluster to grow and attract further investment. It is predicted to grow by over 10 per cent in the next five years, particularly with respect to small and medium sized companies. There are eight research-active universities and 40 colleges in the region, including the White Rose University Consortium (White Rose), a strategic partnership between Yorkshire’s leading research universities at Leeds, Sheffield and York. Testament to the strength of the collaboration, the combined research power of White Rose ranks alongside that of the University of Oxford and Cambridge and accounts for 86 per cent of the region’s research spend.
The well-established regional bioscience cluster supports the highest rate of University spin-outs in the UK, has the strongest tissue engineering and biomaterials industry and a high concentration of contract research organisations (CROs).  It also boasts a major academic and commercial expertise in plant biotechnology, genomics, dermatology, oncology and entrepreneurial drug discovery and development – 80 per cent of the bioscience activity in the region is focused on human healthcare.
One reason why Yorkshire and Humber has become such a leading force in a relatively short time frame is the enormous financial contribution by the regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward. Regional bioscience was flagged as one of the original sectors for priority intervention, and Yorkshire Forward subsequently stepped up the challenge and invested in excess of £20m to aid the development of the industry. Its contribution has been intrinsic to bioscience growth – and offshoots of this include wide-ranging schemes to increase educational and community involvement, which is crucial if we are to maintain and build upon the growth of the sector both regionally and nationally.
Knowledge transfer activity has been instrumental to the growth of the bioscience sector. The White Rose University Consortium plays an active role in collaborative research, exploitation of commercial opportunities and industrial partnerships. The National Bioscience for Business Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) is based at York University, bringing together a diverse knowledge base specialising in biotechnology, plant and crop-based expertise and links to the UK marine biotechnology. Its work is absolutely vital in generating new multidisciplinary opportunities. Yorkshire Forward also pioneered a network of Centres for Industrial Collaboration (CIC) – a ground breaking initiative designed to help businesses take advantage of the world leading expertise within the region’s universities.
Bioscience is a crucial industry for UK PLC – and I am pleased that Yorkshire and Humber as ever, is playing an ever increasingly role in its success.