OBN Welcomes Birmingham Research Park as its Fifth BioScience Incubator Member

OXFORD, England, March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

OBN, the not-for-profit business network which provides comprehensive support for bioscience businesses in the Oxford and South-East England biocluster and beyond, is pleased to announce that it has now partnered with Birmingham Research Park as part of its mission to provide comprehensive support to UK bioscience companies.

Birmingham Research Park joins an impressive grouping of bioscience incubators and science parks serving some of the most cutting edge research & development start-ups in the country. Diagnox, Begbroke Science Park, Harwell Oxford and Edinburgh BioQuarter have partnered with OBN in mutually beneficial arrangements to strengthen those organisations' offerings to their tenants, and to extend OBN's extensive group purchasing offering to all of their R&D tenants.

OBN is firmly focused on its 'not for profit' ethos striving to serve its Members in the R&D community that it was created to help. Partnering with these five organisations, with more than 35 companies under their 'wing' is proof of this commitment. The OBN Purchasing Scheme now boasts 35 suppliers including 12 lab-equipment-based deals that enable OBN members to save up to 40% on the list price of their consumable and equipment purchases. At today's calculations the OBN Purchasing Scheme has already saved its members over £1 million.

Dr Jon Rees, CEO of OBN, said: "This latest addition to OBN's relationships with the incubator and science park universe builds on OBN's many years' experience of supporting the UK life science industry from the grass roots stage of the university start-up, all the way up to FTSE100 and NASDAQ-listed companies. There is no 'sting in the tail' for these organisations and their tenant companies; it is at this very early stage in their development that OBN can perhaps be of the most help. Through the purchasing scheme, networking meetings and our flagship BioTrinity Partnering Conference we can save the companies money, keep them informed and put them in contact with investors. OBN is proud to continue to be involved in supporting the earliest stage of life science company formation and looks forward to welcoming many more members into this innovative scheme."

About OBN

OBN is a not-for-profit business network which provides comprehensive support for its member biotech and medtech companies in the Oxford and South-East England biocluster and the rest of the UK. Our activities can be summarised as networking, partnering, group purchasing, and fundraising advice. Through its delivery of Europe's fastest growing biopartnering and investment conference, BioTrinity, OBN generates more R&D-company-to-investor interactions than anyone else in Europe. OBN is sponsored by Shire, as Corporate Patron, and Corporate Sponsors MEPC, Manches LLP, James Cowper, George James, Interea International, SRG, FOCUS Insurance, World Courier and Citigate Dewe Rogerson as well as by its extensive membership of R&D companies and other companies across the entire life sciences industry ecosystem. OBN counts more than 200 companies amongst its membership, which is growing over 40% per year. 

For further information on OBN and its activities, please visit: http://www.obn.org.uk

About Birmingham Research Park

Established in 1986, and located adjacent to the University of Birmingham campus and the College of Medical and Dental Sciences, Birmingham Research Park offers an ideal site for companies and other commercial projects arising from within the University or coming to Birmingham to work with the University. Over the years, tenants have built successful businesses based upon the University's reputation in biotechnology, medical diagnostics and scientific instruments and several of them have gone on to outgrow the site and become significant employers in the region.

Current tenants all have at their heart some medical-related activity, ranging from the provision of clinical trials to medical diagnostic equipment and public/military health services.   Talks are now also underway to fund and build a 25,000 sqft BioMedical Innovation Hub on the site which will allow even more entrepreneurs access to facilities that they might not otherwise have been able to afford.

Contacts

OBN
Jon Rees, CEO
Tel: +44(0)845-5049722
jon.rees@obn.org.uk

Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Chris Gardner/Nina Enegren        
T: +44(0)20-7638-9571
chris.gardner@citigatedr.co.uk / nina.enegren@citigatedr.co.uk