Translation of University Based Research into the Commercial Arena

The LBSA sees opportunities for both technology and knowledge transfer in all of its activities; indeed such transfer has underpinned the success of the Division. The LBSA has a long and successful track record in transferring technologies and services to the market place. For example, Molecular Profiles Ltd, a spin-out company that provides advanced nanoscale analysis and consulting services to the Pharmaceutical Industry, was formed in 1998 by four members of the LBSA. The company has won many awards, including the UK’s most prestigious corporate accolade, the Queen's Award for Enterprise, in the category of Innovation in 2007.

The School of Pharmacy won its own Queen's Award for Enterprise in Innovation in 2007. This unique award for a School of Pharmacy was in a significant part recognition of the work of the LBSA and the Drug Delivery Group for the translation of nanotechnology into the development of new medicines. Academics within the LBSA continue to have a wide ranging level of direct interaction with industry, through PhD studentships and large scale research projects. Recent collaborators include AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, 3M, Unilever, Abbott Vascular, Nitto Denko and Johnson & Johnson. Colleagues within the LBSA also played a role in the formation of two other University of Nottingham companies, Critical Pharmaceuticals Ltd and Regentec Ltd.

A recent example of significant translational funding is the award to members of the LBSA by the Wellcome Trust to develop new materials using novel polymer array technology to rationally design polymers for anti-biofilm properties that can be incorporated readily into standard medical devices. It is anticipated that formation of a spin-out company and/or licensing of materials will result from this project.