Merseyside is set to benefit from millions of pounds in Government support aimed at growing innovative business ventures springing from its research institutions. Universities working with industrial partners across Merseyside, East Anglia, Northeast England, and the Midlands will share in the £30m funding.
The Biologics Regional Innovation and Technology Ecosystem (BRITE), located within the Liverpool City Region, will receive in excess of £4m over a three-year period. This investment will go towards creating a sustainable life sciences ecosystem specialising in the development of medical treatments such as vaccines.
BRITE will tackle existing challenges in product and material development, focusing on scale-up processes and paving the way for commercialisation.
The funding aims to bolster partnerships between academic parties, industry stakeholders, and local authorities to fast-track the transformation of research findings into practical solutions for antimicrobial resistance, infectious diseases, and emerging healthcare issues.
BRITE includes the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine as lead institution, alongside the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, and Edge Hill University, reports .
Speaking at Aston University, Science Minister Lord Vallance said: "The º£½ÇÊÓƵ is home to some of the world's best universities, and we have deep strengths from life sciences to cutting-edge fields like quantum and engineering biology.
"But we can and must do more to unlock scientific research's vast economic potential, and to help our innovators (in) world-leading public sector labs turn brilliant ideas into businesses that attract investment and sustain jobs.
"The funding and guidance we are announcing today will reinforce those efforts – supporting our mission to grow the economy as part of the Plan for Change."
Lord Vallance highlighted the region's history of research and development: "From life sciences research at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine to groundbreaking quantum computing work at Daresbury, Merseyside boasts a long and valuable track record for innovation.
"I want the backing we are announcing today to help turn the 'Eureka!' moments happening across this region into businesses and even industries of the future, growing the economy in Liverpool and beyond, and supporting our Plan for Change."
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has stated that the £30m funding will back a taskforce comprising top-tier universities and industry experts across four locations. This initiative aims to foster the incubation and spinning out of new companies, unlocking benefits across sectors from clean energy to healthcare and beyond.
The other projects that have been granted funding from Research England are:
- Strategic Commercialisation Ecosystem North East (SCENE) will receive more than £8m over five years
- Forging ahead/Forging beyond based in the Midlands is receiving almost £10m over five years. The project will particularly target Heath, Advanced Manufacturing, Net Zero, and Creative & Digital sectors
- Agri-Tech Commercialisation Ecosystems (ACE) will receive almost £5m over three years to establish a world-leading, self-sustaining agri-tech research commercialisation cluster in Greater Lincolnshire and East Anglia
