Stevenage, UK, April 16 2013 – Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst (SBC), the UK’s first open innovation (OI) bioscience campus, is pleased to announce that it is expanding its management team with the appointment of Miranda Knaggs as Marketing, Sales & Events Manager. Miranda, who joins in May from BioCity Nottingham/Scotland, brings significant expertise to SBC as it moves out of its start-up phase, now focusing on building on the strong tenant base and expanding the Science Park.
At Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, Miranda will also expand its events and conferencing service, and work on delivery of the open innovation agenda and tenant liaison. She brings significant expertise in such areas from her eight years at BioCity, latterly as Director of Marketing & Corporate Relations, where she was involved in an increase in tenant numbers from 15 to 70, and the launch of the Mobius Life Sciences Fund. Prior to this, Miranda worked at the British Consulate-General in Lyon for 15 years, where she was appointed Commercial Consul in 2000 and headed up the biotech sector for France.
Dr Martino Picardo, CEO of Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, said, ‘I am delighted to welcome an experienced professional like Miranda, whom I have known for many years, to our team. Her experience of driving bioincubator development will be invaluable as we enter our second year and build on the progress made in 2012.’
Miranda Knaggs, SBC Marketing, Sales & Events Manager said, ‘Martino and the team have built a vibrant and innovative biosciences hub at Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst. I’m looking forward to working in this exciting environment, liaising with both existing and new tenants, and raising the profile of the incubator.’
Photo available on request
For more information, please contact:
Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst
Martino Picardo, CEO +44 (0)1438 906906
Emma Palmer Foster, Strategic Communications Consultant +44 (0)7880 787185
comms@stevenagecatalyst.com
About Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst
Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst is the UK’s first open innovation bioscience campus, pioneering a unique culture to drive early stage bioscience technology and company development, and building a thriving community. It is backed by £38m of funding from its founding partners – GlaxoSmithKline, the Wellcome Trust, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Technology Strategy Board and the former East of England Development Agency. Consisting of an Incubator, an Accelerator and a Hub, covering 60,000 sq ft of laboratory, office and networking space, the independent facility houses a range of companies, from virtual and start-up firms to those which are more established, as well as other organisations. Located on the GlaxoSmithKline Stevenage site, Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst is in the unique position of operating in proximity to the expertise and resources of a major pharmaceutical company, close to both London and Cambridge. For more information, please go to www.stevenagecatalyst.com.
About Open Innovation
Firms using Open Innovation (OI) combine their own R&D with externally sourced ideas and expertise. OI is characterised by highly effective use of connections and networks to exchange knowledge and ideas, external partners being involved at all stages of product development, equitable win-win business relationships, and new business models to maximise the value of intellectual property and other assets. Examples in various sectors have shown that the benefits of OI include reduced time to market for new products and services, access to new markets, improved innovation success rates and increased profits. SBC will promote use of Open Innovation within the life sciences sector, connecting SMEs with an active network consisting of GlaxoSmithKline and its other stakeholders, academia, charities, other businesses and funding bodies. The term ‘Open Innovation’ and related research into its practice have been developed extensively by Professor Henry Chesbrough, Executive Director of the Program in Open Innovation at the University of California, Berkeley (http://openinnovation.berkeley.edu).
About Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst’s stakeholders
Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst’s stakeholders are GlaxoSmithKline (www.gsk.com), the Wellcome Trust (www.wellcome.ac.uk), the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (www.bis.gov.uk), the Technology Strategy Board (www.innovateuk.org) and the former East of England Development Agency (www.eeda.org.uk)
