Innovation Day 2012, Thursday 17th May, The Nottingham Belfry Hotel
Four Nottinghamshire-based companies swept the boards in this year’s Medilink East Midlands Business Competition, between them winning all five categories announced at the Innovation Day awards evening at the Belfry Hotel, Nottingham on Thursday 18th May.
Despite strong competition between the fifteen finalists chosen from across the East Midlands, it was the Nottinghamshire companies who led the way by impressing the judges with their business achievements.
Best Start Up Award winner – XenoGesis Limited
Award sponsor – Smith Cooper Accountants.
XenoGesis Limited is a laboratory-based contract research organisation (CRO) specialising in preclinical drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK), which is the study of what happens to drugs after they have been administered to the body. Founded in 2011, the company is able to offer their clients an attractive combination of state-of-the-art laboratory tests and bioanalytical capability alongside expert data interpretation, from their base at BioCity in Nottingham.
Innovation Award winner – Novozymes Biopharma
Award sponsor – Potter Clarkson LLP
Novozymes Biopharma develops and manufactures products and technologies that allow pharmaceutical manufacturers to develop innovative, safe, and more uniform healthcare products. They won the Innovation Award for their drug half-life extension technology which will allow significant reductions in drug doses for some patients, making the drugs more effective and less toxic.
Export Achievement Award winner – Advancis Medical
Award sponsor – Shakespeares Solicitors
Founded in 2003, the company works with some of the world’s leading experts in their field, alongside patients and their carers, to develop solutions to wound-care management. The company’s global reach is impressive. Having successfully established key markets through a network of distributors in 36 countries around the world, including Europe, the Middle East, South East Asia, Europe and Australasia and satellite operations in Germany and France, Canada and a new operation in the US due to start in the middle of 2012.
Partnership with the NHS Award winner – ViVO Smart Medical Devices
Award sponsor – NHS Midlands and East
Since 2010 ViVO Smart has been designing, developing and manufacturing medical devices licensed from the NHS that reduce costs and improve patient care. The company also specialises in the licensing of medical devices, as well as sales and marketing strategies for the commercialisation of breakthrough technologies. The company won this award for the Pupiloscope, a device which will allow medics to detect the onset of major head trauma enabling immediate treatment and prevention.
Outstanding Achievement Award winner – Novozymes Biopharma
Award sponsor – Morningside Pharmaceuticals
Novozymes Biopharma is being recognised by this special Medilink award for the world-wide impact its bio-innovations have had on drug delivery, and also for its contribution to the wider community. In January this year the company picked up the prestigious 2012 Drug Delivery Partnership™ Technology Innovation award at the DDP international conference in Nevada.
Speaking after the awards were announced, Dr Darren Clark, chief executive of Medilink East Midlands commented: “These Awards are further evidence of Nottingham’s impact and influence in the healthcare and bioscience business sector. The creativity and innovation shown by these companies has created jobs, profits and business growth which should contribute to the region’s continued climb out of recession. They are also playing a major part in improving patient care by changing the way healthcare is delivered to meet the needs of more cost-effective, community based treatments.”
The Awards ceremony was supported through the iNet programme, which is part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and took place on the evening following Medilink’s Innovation Day, a conference for the region’s leading businesses and academics in the sector.
All four winning companies are automatically entered into the Medilink UK national awards which will take place in early 2013.
ENDS
Back row: David Wright ViVO Smart Medical Devices; Darren Clark CEO Medilink East Midlands; Mark Allatt, Advancis Medical
Middle: Helen Luu, Novozymes
Front: Dave Mead, Novozymes; Richard Weaver, XenoGesis
Medilink East Midlands media contact:
Louise Third, Integra Communications: 0115 912 4350 / 07773 288342 louise@integracommunications.co.uk
Please call Louise for photography, caption confirmation and interviews with the winning companies.
NOTES
Medilink East Midlands is the life science industry association for the East Midlands whose aim is to help healthcare and bioscience companies establish, develop and grow. Medilink’s highly knowledgeable team is a proven and trusted source of expert assistance and provides a range of specialist support services to its network of over 4000 contacts.
The Healthcare and Bioscience iNet is an initiative, delivered by Medilink East Midlands, that brings together businesses, universities, and the NHS to develop new technologies, processes, products and services in order to build a healthy economy.
The Healthcare and Bioscience iNet project is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund Programme 2007 to 2013. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund Programme, which is one of the funds established by the European Commission to help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support local businesses and create jobs. For more information visit www.communities.gov.uk/erdf