Welcome from the CEO
The quarter to October 2023 saw IBioIC’s membership reach 176 - and still growing. A very warm welcome to our newest members Abercorn Sinclair, Zeitler Technologies, KelpCrofters, SANI Membranes, Ailurus, Prozymi Biolabs, Laidir Circular Mobility, Alga Global, Modela, Entrust Resource Solutions, and Mercel.
I hope you have seen the launch of our 10th anniversary conference and the second Bioeconomy Week Scotland. I look forward to welcoming many of you to the event which aims to celebrate the growth of the bioeconomy in Scotland and ten years of IBioIC.
The team have been busy over the past few months planning and building these events. I do hope that you’ll grasp the opportunity, whether you work in industry or academia, to use these events to raise your profile, meet and network with the ever-growing biotech community in Scotland, and tell the world about your work and what you have to offer.
The FlexBio team have also had a busy few months, hosting events and courses, and taking delivery of Scotland’s first seaweed fermenter. This will enable us to help Scottish companies demonstrate that lab-scaled seaweed fermentation can work when transferred to process scale equipment, and represents an important opportunity to grow Scotland’s blue economy.
In September, IBioIC took part in TeenTech at Strathclyde, and spent the day inspiring young people to consider a career in biotechnology. TeenTech is an award-winning charity that was co-founded by 30-year veteran of science and technology television reporting, Maggie Philbin. As a result of this engagement, I’m also delighted to share with you that Maggie will be our Keynote Speaker at IBioIC24’s opening plenary.
In October, IBioIC received news that we, as part of a consortia with Scottish Enterprise and Forth Valley College, had been awarded one of eight pioneering Innovate UK Launchpads to accelerate innovation and R&D in identified clusters. This will support Bio-based Manufacturing in Scotland. The first two competitions are open now until 13 December. Businesses and researchers can bid for Innovate UK grants ranging from £25k to £1 million for business-led projects that build on the region’s strengths and I strongly encourage you to speak to the team if you’re planning on submitting a bid.
It's also been a strong quarter for our members, who have celebrated award wins, grant successes, new appointments, and new collaborations. Particular congratulations go to the Converge Challenge IBioIC Award winner, Jessica Birt of Concinnity Genetics, and Stephen Wallace of the University of Edinburgh, who was awarded the Colworth Medal at the Synthetic Biology UK 2023 conference earlier this month.
I hope you’ll join us to celebrate our 10th anniversary in March, and I look forward to seeing many of you then.
Best wishes
Mark
