MediCity, a collaboration between Boots, the UK’s leading pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer and BioCity, the UK’s leading life sciences incubation company officially opens for business this week. Over 300 guests, including experts in health, beauty and wellness technology, are expected to attend events during MediCity Innovators’ Week 18-22 November 2013, with the official opening taking place on Thursday 21 November 2013.
Boots UK will be recognised by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) for its pioneering work, headed-up by Dr Stewart Adams, which led to the discovery of ibuprofen in the 1980s and which is now used by millions worldwide for pain relief. The conferring of the RSC Chemical Landmark plaques by Boots UK and BioCity symbolises the foundations of innovation that underpin both businesses.
The new innovation hub is housed in the historic D6 building on the Boots site in Beeston, Nottingham, and is the first initiative to open within the Nottingham Enterprise Zone. The building has been refurbished to provide fully serviced office and laboratory space, designed to offer a stimulating and supportive business development environment for innovators in consumer healthcare, medical technology, diagnostics and beauty products. Support for early stage businesses based at MediCity is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
MediCity also offers a venue for conferences and events of eventually up to 1,000 delegates focused on health, beauty and wellness innovation with the objective of developing dynamic teams driving innovation across these three business sectors.
David Browning, Director of MediCity, says: “MediCity offers the ideal environment for both start-up and established companies to grow and achieve success. By introducing hot desks and ‘pods’, we are catering for individuals or small teams at the very early stages of developing a business idea, as well as laboratory and office facilities for more established ventures. Our colleagues at Boots are also in a position to offer access to innovation and product development knowledge, as well as supply chain expertise.”
Ken Murphy, Managing Director, Health & Beauty International and Brands, Alliance Boots, comments: “Boots has a long history of innovation in Nottingham and, together with BioCity, we are excited by the opportunity to work with like-minded businesses and individuals in assisting the future development of the health, beauty and wellness market in the UK and beyond. We remain committed to the Nottingham region, and the opening of MediCity marks a promising step in the development of the Nottingham Enterprise Zone, as well as an opportunity to help attract new businesses to the area.”
Anticipating a lively MediCity Innovators’ Week, Dr Glenn Crocker, CEO, BioCity, adds: “This is the beginning of an exciting collaboration with Boots. MediCity will allow us to diversify into early innovation and business support for medical technology, whilst retaining our focus on drug discovery and drug development in BioCity Nottingham.”
During Innovators’ Week, visitors will learn more about how companies housed at MediCity will benefit from BioCity’s experience of successfully growing businesses in specialised incubator environments and Alliance Boots’, of which Boots UK is a member, expertise in the global healthcare sector, including access to innovation and product development knowledge, as well as supply chain expertise.
Guests will have an opportunity to observe a demonstration showing how Boots UK is using Hackathons to fast-track new product ideas, as well as meet participants of the first MediCity Spark event around wearable technology hosted by the Next Business Generation Spark initiative. An extensive exhibition will enable Boots UK, the University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University and a range of companies to showcase some of the latest innovations from within the health, beauty and wellness markets.
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