Lunches highlight Park's special science community

Granta Park’s ethos of creating a special science community has been put in to practice recently with a series of senior team lunches where people from the Estate and representatives of local the high-tech community have the opportunity to get together to network and seek opportunities for collaboration.

Explains Marketing and Asset Manager Roz Bird: “Hosting a senior team lunch is a real pleasure because the conversations that take place across the lunch table are so stimulating, the atmosphere is relaxed and informal, and It is really nice to be able to help business people to meet and get to know each other. Are guests come because it is good for their business relationships and for developing new business opportunities, and I think people really do start to feel part of the special science community which is what MEPC is proud to be creating here at Granta Park.”

Simon Allen, who recently joined Softwerx as Marketing Manager, attended the most recent lunch and made some useful contacts: “It was great to meet the neighbours and get first-hand information on what they are doing. Since the lunch I’ve arranged meetings with two of the other guests, one who is based at Granta Park and the other one who is thinking about moving to Granta Park. All in all, a particularly enjoyable and productive working lunch!”

The knife and fork buffet lunches are supplied by local caterer Gill Waller, who has many years’ experience providing finger or knife and fork buffet lunches for hi-tech companies in and around Cambridge. Adds Roz Bird: “Gill’s catering really adds to the special atmosphere of the lunch as it is to a very high standard and to be highly recommended.” Gill can be contacted on 01763 261693 howardandgillwaller@yahoo.co.uk

LEADING EUROPEAN SCIENTISTS COLLABORATE AT GRANTA PARK

Around 100 senior scientists from 14 countries across Europe were in Cambridge to present their latest developments in biotechnology at a Europe-wide scientific poster day at Granta Park in conjunction with The Council of European BioRegions (CEBR).

Posters were presented by companies from the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and France. The companies attended because they wanted to meet the senior teams of Granta Park occupiers Lonza, MedImmune and Pfizer Regenerative Medicine in order to discuss latest developments and seek potential opportunities to collaborate. The posters covered the areas of Antibody Technologies, Bioinformatics to support target ID and development, Regenerative Medicine and Neuroscience.

As well as the poster session the event included presentations from Jane Osbourn Head of MedImmune UK on advancing science for better health, Tim Allsopp, Head of External Research at Pfizer Regenerative Medicine and Noel Smith, a Senior scientist at Lonza Biologics on improving design and minimizing risk during Biotherapeutic development.

Claire Skentelbery, Network Manager of the Council of European BioRegions commented “We were delighted to bring a European focus to Cambridge in partnership with Granta Park. Europe has an enormous depth of biotechnology capability and the poster day brought a focus around key applications, with scientists from across Europe coming together to build collaborative research partnerships.”



Says Granta Park’s Marketing and Asset Manager Roz Bird: “We were delighted to welcome so many leading scientists from so many countries to our scientific poster event. Our aim at Granta Park is to create a special science community which is all about seeking ways to add value to the businesses here. The poster event was an opportunity for our companies and others from the world of science, to network and collaborate internationally. We call it ‘engineered serendipity’. It would be great to think that conversations struck up during this event will lead to groundbreaking future R & D developments.”

Granta Park is managed and operated by MEPC. It has available space from 765 sq ft (70 sq m) to 330,000 sq ft (31,000 sq m) ranging from flexible leases on fully fitted offices to development land ready for specialist buildings to be built. To find out more visit www.grantapark.co.uk.

CEBR is a network of biotechnology support professionals that support their local biocommunity through direct services including networking, incubation, partnering and cluster promotion. www.cebr.net.

COUNCIL CHIEF EXECUTIVE VISITS GRANTA PARK

The Chief Executive of South Cambridgeshire District Council, Jean Hunter, visited Granta Park to meet the MEPC team and representatives from the occupier community at Granta Park.

During her visit she met representatives from companies including MedImmune and One Nucleus as well as attending a lunch with local companies both on and off the Estate. Says Granta Park’s Asset and Marketing Manager Roz Bird: “Jean was keen to meet the MEPC team and occupiers on the Estate to discuss their work and find out about the issues and pressures they are facing. The companies were also able to ask her about her previous role as head of an authority in Lancashire and about her plans for South Cambridgeshire District Council.”

Says Jean Hunter of the visit: “I was delighted to have the opportunity to visit Granta Park and meet both the people who run the science park and the companies undertaking ground breaking work. Not only is it home to some world leading science as well as smaller up and coming companies it is also an example to many other science parks in terms of its innovative approach to networking and collaboration and its excellent staff amenities making it a development about which South Cambridgeshire can be extremely proud.”

Jean plans to return early in the new year for a tour of the Estate and to visit TWI (The Welding Institute) who are involved in a number of industry leading areas of R&D including Electronics, Photonics and Sensors.