Institute of Biotechnology wins Queen's Anniversary Prize

Since the establishment of the Institute in 1988, its ethos has been to provide a centre of excellence in biotechnology research and training within a flourishing entrepreneurial environment. The Institute has an annual research income of £3.5 million and has generated no less than nine spin-out companies – whose products range from glucose-sensing contact lenses for diabetics to hand-held devices for detecting food pathogens – with a current market capitalisation of approximately £250 million. In 2005/6, 19% of the University’s new UK patents were filed by members of the Institute.

The Institute’s research activities are underpinned by an intensive Master’s of Bioscience Enterprise (MBE) course that combines science, technology and business training. It is this unique combination of innovative multidisciplinary research, education and entrepreneurialism that has been recognised by The Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, awarded at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in February.

‘Entrepreneurially inclined business-trained graduates rarely have sufficient fluency in science and technology to recognise opportunities or to gauge the intrinsic value of emerging developments in high technology,’ said Professor Chris Lowe, Director of the Institute. ‘The Institute of Biotechnology is a global exemplar of how to ensure that entrepreneurial scientists can be nurtured within a well-managed academic environment.’

For more information, please visit the Institute of Biotechnology website (www.biot.cam.ac.uk). Professor Lowe is an Enterprise Champion for Cambridge Enterprise Ltd.