Babraham Research Campus impact report illustrates Campus’s supportive ecosystem as key to commercial success

Key points:

• A new impact study illustrates the difference the Campus ecosystem makes to supporting commercial life science companies, over and above providing a space to call home.
• Babraham Research Campus companies report faster scientific discovery, faster growth and higher fundraising as a result of benefiting from everything the Campus has to offer including access to the world-leading research of the Babraham Institute.
• The powerful combination of the Institute’s strategic research focus, state-of-the art facilities and prowess in innovative methodology development with the Campus’s translational culture and collaboration opportunities is recognised as a defining factor in what the Campus can offer to Campus companies.
• The new analysis updates a previous study performed in 2019 and the findings will be used to inform the future development of the Campus and its support for commercial life science research.

A new economic impact report has highlighted how a rich diversity of provision and opportunities on the Babraham Research Campus (BRC) is supporting the growth of commercial life science. The report confirms the Campus’s position as a unique hotspot for life science research and innovation both within the Cambridge biocluster and nationally.

The report highlights the multi-faceted nature of how Campus companies are supported to succeed and grow, such as flexible lease terms, easy and facilitated access to the Babraham Institute’s research and technical expertise, the supportive and collegiate environment, and exposure to innovation, entrepreneurial and investor opportunities.

In financial terms, the 44 commercial companies surveyed contributed a direct impact of £200 million to the UK economy in 2022-2023.

Collectively, these companies also raised one of the highest total amounts of funds over the last three years, when compared to companies located on similar business and science locations. Five out of six BRC-based companies received finance investment over the last five years from a growing pool of investors, and companies estimated that being part of the Campus community accelerated their fundraising by six months.

Derek Jones, CEO, Babraham Research Campus Ltd, commented on the Campus’ distinct role in fostering growth: “The report shows that companies at Babraham Research Campus are raising 20% more investment six months faster than those based elsewhere, accelerating their discoveries and creating jobs and economic impact for the UK economy. This isn’t just about numbers; it’s about the ripple effects these successes have on innovation, health outcomes, and economic prosperity. It also reflects the importance of Babraham Research Campus being a ’place‘ with capabilities and community rather than just being a ‘space’ within which to locate.”

A place where innovation thrives

The supportive and collegiate environment on the Campus is credited with delivering important benefits to campus companies: campus-support to flexibly meet company requirements, cost-effective access to the Institute’s state-of-the-art scientific facilities, and exchange with academic and commercial organisations as ‘a community of best practice’.

Dr Simon Cook, Director of the Babraham Institute, said: “In 1998 the Babraham Institute launched the Babraham Bioincubator, recognising the opportunity to support early-stage life science companies. 25 years later it is fantastic to see how the Babraham Research Campus is now rightly recognised as a leading hub for research and innovation, not just in the UK but also in Europe. There are several factors that place the Campus in a league of its own, from the bespoke provision of support at every stage of a company's growth, to the cross-pollination of ideas and the technical capabilities provided by the Institute's world-class academics and facilities. We're proud to be a core contributor to what makes the Campus such a unique and fruitful environment and look forward to continuing to work very closely with Babraham Research Campus Ltd and our campus community to support innovative life science research that will improve lives.”

Beyond facilitating the practical elements of establishing and scaling up a company, the innovation pipeline provided by the Campus has made an important contribution to the fundraising activity of Campus companies, such as through the Accelerate@Babraham programme, an entrepreneurial support programme for spin outs, and the Babraham Investor Conference.

The report also recognised the support that exists at the level of the individual with mentorship programmes and networks that bring people together and equip them to succeed.

Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, BBSRC Executive Chair, said: “As a beacon of innovation and collaboration, Babraham Research Campus exemplifies BBSRC's commitment to foster environments where scientific inquiry and entrepreneurship intersect with extraordinary results. This report highlights the substantial economic contributions and dynamic growth of those companies on Campus, which pay testament to our sustained investments in cutting-edge research and innovation facilities and expertise across the UK. By nurturing early-stage companies, BBSRC is accelerating groundbreaking discoveries that show tremendous promise in re-defining health outcomes and economic prosperity worldwide."

The academic heart of Campus

The Institute’s researchers and facilities offer a significant resource for the Campus’s commercial companies, providing a critical mass of world-leading researchers in the fields of epigenetics, immunology and cell signalling and access to a suite of cutting-edge facilities.

In the recent analysis, access to scientific equipment and expertise featured as the most important facilities-related benefit of being located on the BRC and three quarters of the Campus’s company had made use of an Institute facility. Beyond practical access to instrumentation, access to these leading technologies and Institute staff expertise was seen as valuable for the personal and professional development of Campus companies’ staff.

The Institute’s role in entrepreneurial mentorship and supporting the translation of innovative research, both led by the Institute’s Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation (KEC) team in close partnership with BRCL’s science and entrepreneurship team, were also identified as factors that contributed to the Campus’ unique environment. As was the deepening collaborative efforts between Babraham Institute Enterprise (BIE Ltd., the commercialisation arm of Babraham Institute), the Institute’s KEC team and BRC Ltd. in enabling a culture of entrepreneurship and providing a plethora of opportunities to exchange and engage on areas of common interest.

Methodology

The economic analysis was undertaken by Cambridge Economic Associates in association with Cambridge Econometrics, Cambridge University Centre for Business Research, Savills and Professor Lisa Hall, Professor of Analytical Biotechnology in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge.

A total of 44 companies located on campus were included in the survey informing the analysis, which was performed between October 2023 and March 2024.

For further details and to download the full report, visit www.babraham.com/impact-report.

Notes

Press contact

For Babraham Research Campus Ltd.: Sarah Brereton, Director, Limewash, Cambridge. Tel: +44 (0)7796 583 223, email: sarah@limewash.co.uk           

For Babraham Institute; Dr Louisa Wood, Head of Communications, Babraham Institute, louisa.wood@babraham.ac.uk