NEWS - PRESS RELEASES

Healthcare iNet breathes life into respiratory sector collaboration

East Midlands institutions to brief businesses on partnership opportunities

Issued on 25 August 2010

New opportunities to improve the measurement and treatment of respiratory diseases will be explored when healthcare and medical experts gather at The Glenfield Hospital, Leicester on Wednesday 1st September at the meeting of the East Midlands Respiratory Special Interest Group. The event is being organised by the Healthcare and Bioscience iNet in partnership with the universities of Leicester and Nottingham, and will enable businesses with an interest in respiratory medicine to meet academic and clinical leaders in respiratory scientific research.

As part of the Respiratory Science Collaboration (RSC) East Midlands initiative, companies interested in developing new products and devices can learn how they can work alongside university researchers, making use of the laboratory facilities and the technical know-how of the scientists. The Healthcare and Bioscience iNet advisers will also be there to guide the companies on all aspects of commercialisation from intellectual property protection and legal contracts to marketing and raising finance. Given the increased rate admissions for asthma and COPD to hospitals in the region, there is a pressing need to find new solutions in treatment and care.

Andrew Wardlaw, Professor of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine at the University of Leicester and co-lead PI on RSC East Midlands said: “We want this region to be a world-beater in respiratory medicine. Both universities are already strong in the sector and we recognise the advantages of pooling our research base and expertise. By enhancing our clinical performance we are able to offer specialist expertise and new knowledge to East Midlands companies to help them innovate and grow. We hope to generate many new products and therapies as a result of the collaboration.”

Healthcare and Bioscience iNet director Dr Ian Barr said: “When it comes to respiratory medicine, Leicester and Nottingham are already top-class institutions and this new partnership should put them right up with the world’s leaders. The new arrangements also promise to make it easier for companies to embark on tomorrow’s innovations in a more assured way”.

The event coincides with the official opening by University of Leicester vice-chancellor Professor Sir Robert Burgess of the new bronchoscopy and laboratory facilities in the Glenfield Respiratory Science Department. This is due to take place at 12 noon. A total of £1.8million was raised for the new laboratories in Leicester and Nottingham.

This meeting is part of an extensive programme of sector events organised by the Healthcare and Bioscience iNet, which is funded by the East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

To attend the event call 0115 912 4470 or email sally.baker@bioknex.org

ENDS

Media contacts

Louise Third: 0115 912 4350 (Healthcare iNet)

Notes

The Healthcare and Bioscience iNet helps people in the sector, particularly in East Midlands’ businesses and universities, to develop new technologies, processes, products and services in order to build a healthy economy

Innovation is a key strategic priority for East Midlands Development Agency (emda). Four sector specific Innovation Networks (iNets), including Healthcare and Bioscience, have been established to help turn innovative ideas in to business opportunities.

The iNet concept was developed by emda and East Midlands Innovation (the Regional Science and Industry Council) to bring together businesses, colleges, universities, public sector representatives and individuals with a shared interest in a market or the tecnology that underpins it.

A key aim of iNet is to provide a sector-specific focus that enables organisations to exchange knowledge and form collaborations to exploit new ideas.

The Healthcare and Bioscience iNet is based at BioCity in Nottingham, a renowned life science industry centre of excellence but it covers the whole region.

About ERDF nationally

The ERDF Programme aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the European Union by supporting regional economic development.

The ERDF objectives for England are:

• Promoting innovation and knowledge transfer
• Stimulating enterprise and supporting successful business
• Ensuring sustainable development, production and consumption
• Building sustainable communities
• Improving accessibility and connectivity (for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly only – as part of their Convergence Programme).

A Programme Monitoring Committee consisting of regional stakeholders such as Government Offices, RDAs, Regional Assemblies, Local Authorities, Sub-regional Partnerships, Higher Education Institutions, Trade Unions, and the private and voluntary sectors will monitor and oversee programme implementation in each region.

For more information on ERDF funding generally, please visit www.communities.gov.uk/citiesandregions/european or http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/funds/feder/index_en.htm

About ERDF in the East Midlands

The East Midlands is eligible for €268.5m (approximately £236m at current exchange rates) between 2007 and 2013, which when combined with match funding, provides a programme value of approximately £472m – a significant investment in the economic development of the region.

The East Midlands qualifies as a competitiveness and employment region under the EU’s Cohesion Policy, which aims to meet the EU Lisbon objective to become ‘the most competitive and dynamic knowledge based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social inclusion.’

East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is responsible for the programme management and delivery of the region’s 2007-13 ERDF Competitiveness Programme. The responsibility for ERDF programme management was transferred from the Government Office for the East Midlands (GOEM) to emda following a decision by the UK Government to seek greater alignment between ERDF and regional strategies and funding streams. The 2007-13 ERDF Programme is therefore set firmly within the framework of the Regional Economic Strategy.

A Programme Monitoring Committee, chaired by the Regional Director of Government Office for the East Midlands (GOEM), guides the strategic direction of the programme and works closely with emda.

To find out more about ERDF, the region’s strategy for delivering the funds, how to apply for funding and how the programme is managed, please visit www.eastmidlandserdf.org.uk

About emda

East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is one of nine Regional Development Agencies in England, set up in 1999 to bring a regional focus to economic development.

Ten years on, independent evaluation shows emda has:

• Had a significant impact on the region’s economy

• Generated economic benefits that substantially outweigh its overall costs

• Put back over £9 of economic output (or GVA) into the regional economy for every £1 it spends

• Produced more than £1 billion in economic benefits per year

• A wider impact on people, places and businesses in the East Midlands that cannot be captured by figures alone.

emda is committed to supporting the region through the current downturn and has put in place a range of measures to provide real help during these challenging times.

Over the long term, emda’s aim is to deliver the 2006 Regional Economic Strategy (RES) by working in partnership with public, private and voluntary organisations. The RES highlights the themes of productivity, sustainability and equality and sets out key priorities until 2020 to ensure the vision for ‘a flourishing region’ can be achieved.

For more details visit www.emda.org.uk