19/01/2015
The newest building on the Babraham Research Campus, the Bennet Building, was officially opened today by Dr Menelas Pangalos, Executive President at Astra Zeneca. The £10M building is part of a £44M development programme funded by BBSRC to expand and support commercial life science enterprises on the campus. The building is already fully let to two tenants: Kymab, which develops new antibody medicines, and Eagle Genomics, providing bioinformatics services and management of genomic data. The Babraham Institute and Eagle Genomics work collaboratively through a training grant (BBSRC CASE studentship) and Kymab uses the Institute’s world-leading scientific facilities. Babraham Institute Director, Professor Michael Wakelam, said: “We’re proud to be a part of the flourishing bioscience ecosystem in the Cambridge region and look forward to further developing our relationships with Kymab and Eagle Genomics. Sharing the research excellence and facilities of the Babraham Institute with our campus neighbours benefits us all by promoting innovation across the academic and commercial bioscience sectors.” Derek Jones, Chief Executive of Babraham Bioscience Technologies, the Babraham Institute’s subsidiary company, said: “With around sixty companies at the Babraham Research Campus, we continue to be an important regional centre for commercial life science research. “Co-location of world-class academic research carried out at the Babraham Institute, with early-stage and growing life science companies benefits both the academic science and the companies themselves, whether that is access to expertise and facilities, or the community that exists here.”
Contact: Louisa Wood, Communications Manager louisa.wood@babraham.ac.uk The Babraham Institute Babraham Research Campus Cambridge CB22 3AT United Kingdom Notes to Editors: About the Babraham Institute: The Babraham Institute undertakes world-class life sciences research to generate new knowledge of biological mechanisms underpinning ageing, development and the maintenance of health. Our research focuses on cellular signalling, gene regulation and the impact of epigenetic regulation at different stages of life. By determining how the body reacts to dietary and environmental stimuli and manages microbial and viral interactions, we aim to improve wellbeing and support healthier ageing. The Institute is strategically funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, through an Institute Core Capability Grant and also receives funding from other UK research councils, charitable foundations, the EU and medical charities. Website: www.babraham.ac.uk The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is the UK funding agency for research in the life sciences. Sponsored by Government, BBSRC annually invests around £450 million in a wide range of research that makes a significant contribution to the quality of life for UK citizens and supports a number of important industrial stakeholders including the agriculture, food, chemical, health and well-being and pharmaceutical sectors. BBSRC carries out its mission by funding internationally competitive research, providing training in the biosciences, fostering opportunities for knowledge transfer and innovation and promoting interaction with the public and other stakeholders on issues of scientific interest in universities, centres and institutes. Website: bbsrc.ukri.org/
19 January 2015