News & events

 

 

Mercia Fund Management announcement

 

University of Birmingham spinout, Smart Antenna Technologies secures extra funding

Mercia Fund Management leads further investment in telecoms start-up

Birmingham, 19 February 2014. Smart Antenna Technologies (SAT) today announced the completion of a further investment lead by Mercia Fund Management, the investment syndicate included Angel investors, the company’s management team and family offices. The investment will fund product development and sales and marketing activities.

SAT provides an innovative single-antenna technology enabling mobile device manufacturers to replace all existing antennae with a single multi-band antenna, the performance of which will match that of the separate antennae at their specified frequencies.

SAT’s technology has emerged from research by Professor Peter Hall, Professor Peter Gardener and Dr Sampson Hu, leading experts in radio antenna technology at the University of Birmingham.  The spinout has been nurtured by the University’s Enterprise Acceleration Team and its technology transfer company Alta Innovations Limited.

SAT has made significant progress since its launch in August 2013.  It completed a demonstrator of the technology and is working with leading consumer electronic suppliers in each of its key market sectors; mobile phone, laptops and tablets, in-car electronics and micro-base stations. SAT expects to convert these engagements into ‘design wins’ for inclusion in future products over the next 12 months.

Rick Hillum, CEO of SAT, comments: “As handset manufacturers are rolling out devices more frequently, they are looking to produce fewer variants. Consumers also want the ability to use their mobile device globally; our antenna provides seamless multi-continent coverage whilst supporting all other integrated functions that would normally require separate antenna¹s. We are rapidly ramping-up discussions with a number of the leading portable device manufacturers and chip-set suppliers and remain on course to produce our first antenna later this year.”

Everard Mascarenhas of Mercia Fund Management added: “We are extremely

pleased with the progress the company has made within such a short time.  The performance of the demonstrator exceeded our expectations both in terms of its technical performance and the time-scale in which it has been produced.  We were always very confident that the benefits SAT’s technology had to offer would attract mobile device manufacturers, the speed with which the tier 1 suppliers have engage with SAT has surprised and delighted us and validated the market opportunity.  This only confirms our believe in the disruptive nature of the technology and the quality, commitment and focus of the management team”

About the technology

Currently mobile devices require a separate antenna to support each communication technology such as Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, GSM and 3G/4G. 4G phones are expected to have up to six narrow band antennae operating on individual band segments. This is highly inefficient in terms of cost and space occupied in the device.  The patented solution uses a novel foil or printable antenna and control chip to produce a compact multi-frequency antenna.

 

SAT single antenna solution is expected to ultimately cost a few dollars per handset compared to several dollar per antenna for existing mobile devices. Additionally, SAT uses software re-configurable hardware enabling manufacturers to produce one device for all territories, reduce costs and streamline manufacturing & logistics. SAT’s technology has already generated interest from its target customers, including include cellular handset and chipset manufacturers.

This technology delivers major benefits on every critical constraint for handset manufacturers, including cost, design flexibility, space, single product for multiple territories and extended battery life. It is also fully complementary to existing RF solutions being used by the mobile phone industry and emerging products such as Qualcomm’s RF360 technology.

About Smart Antenna Technologies

Smart Antenna Technologies (SAT) is a spinout company from the University of Birmingham, based at Birmingham Research Park. The team have designed, developed and patented a pioneering smart antenna technology. The market for this highly scalable technology is the global cellular handset market. SAT’s remarkable innovation has led to the creation of a significant number of patent applications, both filed and in process.

Today, handset manufacturers are seeking an effective antenna solution suitable for implementing the next generation of cellular handset technologies, known as Long Term Evolution (4G LTE). Currently, they are unable to achieve physically the desired antenna performance in a size that fits a cellular handset package at an acceptable volume cost. Current implementations from the leading handset manufacturers employ typically six antennas. The highly compact SAT technology replaces all existing antennas—DVB-H, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GSM, GPS, 3G multi-bands and 3.9/4G LTE—with just one. This single SAT device provides significantly lower costs, is smaller in size and offers much needed performance gains over existing designs and technology.

www.smartantennatech.com

About Mercia Fund Management

Mercia Fund Management (MFM) is a venture capital fund manager with over £19 million under active management.

MFM provides investment growth capital for businesses ranging from early commercial traction through to those seeking expansion or working capital that are trading profitably. Furthermore, MFM can also provide cost-effective incubator accommodation at Forward House in Henley-in-Arden coupled with centralised support services in keeping with its model as a hands-on, supportive investor.

MFM is an FCA authorised and regulated fund manager under FSMA (FRN: 524856).

www.merciafund.co.uk

About The University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham is a truly vibrant, global community and an internationally-renowned institution. Ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions, its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers and teachers and more than 4,000 international students from nearly 150 countries.

The University is home to nearly 30,000 students. With more than 7,500 postgraduate students from across the world, Birmingham is one of the most popular universities for postgraduate study in the UK.

The University plays an integral role in the economic, social and cultural growth of local and regional communities; working closely with businesses and organisations, employing approximately 6,000 staff and providing 10,000 graduates annually.

About Alta Innovations

Alta Innovations Ltd is the University of Birmingham’s technology transfer company and is responsible for the commercialisation of research undertaken at the University. Alta Innovations links academic research with business through licensing and spinout activity, collaborative research and consultancy projects to generate the new ideas, technologies and processes required to achieve competitive advantage.

The University of Birmingham is using its experience in both commercialising new technologies and in nurturing young companies, to help entrepreneurs and start-ups to transform innovation into enterprise through the new BizzInn incubator, run by the Enterprise Acceleration Team in association with Alta Innovations.

For more information about Alta Innovations please see: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/generic/alta-innovations/about/index.aspx

For more information about the Enterprise Acceleration Team and BizzInn Incubator please see: http://bizzinn.org/index.php

University of Birmingham launches Business Club to enhance engagement with SME’s

Businesses from across the region recently visited Birmingham Research Park for an opportunity to network, be informed about funding opportunities available and learn how they can access the knowledge and expertise at the University of Birmingham.

Delegates were also treated to an informative and entertaining talk on consumer markets and brand loyalty by marketing expert, Isabelle Szmigin, Professor of Marketing at the University of Birmingham.

The audience was a mix of business leaders who have already benefitted from engaging with the University of Birmingham and potential partners eager to tap into the considerable opportunities on offer from the University.

Nick Blinco, Director of Engagement, University of Birmingham welcomed guests and was delighted to announce the launch of The Birmingham Business Club which will be a gateway for business, in particular local SMEs, to the University.

“The Club will provide an opportunity for businesses to network with peers, find out ways to work with the University and also be able to influence how we can enhance our business offer. In addition it will facilitate debate as we are keen to listen to what business want and respond quickly.” commented Nick Blinco.

Businesses who become members of the Club will benefit from regular breakfast networking events, new funding announcements, access to a range of state-of-the art equipment and free hot desks and meeting rooms in the parks business incubator, BizzInn.

The BizzInn which hosted the event, is the University’s new business incubator, situated at Birmingham Research Park. It provides free space and access to specialist business advice and networking for entrepreneurial start-ups.

James Wilkie, Director of Research and Innovation Services at the University of Birmingham said, “We are delighted to showcase the support we have already given many businesses in the region and look forward to working with many more. Birmingham Research Park offers a vibrant location in the heart of Edgbaston with easy access to the University and the QE Hospital”. The Birmingham Business Club is one such service which can be accessed through BizzInn to interact with other businesses and the academic community.

To find out more about the benefits of becoming a member of the Birmingham Business Club contact the business team at the University of Birmingham, tel: 0121 414 5070 or email [email protected]

To find out more about BizzInn, contact Paul Field, tel: 0121 414 6132 or email: [email protected]

Smart Antenna Technologies brings single antenna solution to cellular handsets

Mercia Fund Management leads investment in University of Birmingham telecoms spinout. Smart Antenna Technologies (SAT) today announced the launch of its innovative single-antenna technology for mobile devices. The technology will enable smartphone and tablet device manufacturers to replace several antennae with a single multi-band antenna, the performance of which will match that of the separate antennae at their specified frequencies.

Currently mobile devices require a separate antenna to support each communication technology such as Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, GSM and 3G/4G. 4G phones are expected to have up to six narrow band antennae operating on individual band segments. This is highly inefficient in terms of cost and space occupied in the device.

SAT’s technology has emerged from research by Professor Peter Hall, Professor Peter Gardener and Dr Sampson Hu, leading experts in radio antenna technology at the University of Birmingham. The patented solution uses a novel foil or printable antenna and control chip to produce a compact multi-frequency antenna.

SAT’s single antenna solution is expected to ultimately cost a few dollars per handset compared to US $20 per handset for existing antennas. Additionally, SAT uses software re-configurable hardware enabling manufacturers to produce one device for all territories, reduce costs and streamline manufacturing and logistics. SAT’s technology has already generated interest from its target customers including cellular handset and chipset manufacturers.

This technology delivers major benefits on every critical constraint for handset manufacturers, including cost, design flexibility, space, single product for multiple territories and extended battery life. It is also fully complementary to existing RF solutions being used by the mobile phone industry and emerging products such as Qualcomm’s RF360 technology.

The new company is a spinout from the University of Birmingham. Originating from research funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) the development of the opportunity into a viable company has been supported by the University’s Enterprise Acceleration Team at its BizzInn Incubator, and its technology transfer company Alta Innovations Limited. The SAT team has been working with venture capital company, Mercia Fund Management (MFM), to secure its first investment, a Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme round, and will be shortly completing a further syndicated round led by Mercia. Funding will be used to produce the first product and customer deployment.

The company is led by Chairman Colin Tucker a global leader in the mobile industry having previously been the CTO and COO of Orange, the Founder & CEO of 3 in the UK before becoming Deputy Chairman of Hutchison 3G. CEO of the venture is Professor Rick Hillum, an experienced entrepreneur who has successfully led a number of start-ups in this space including Camitri Technologies, Software Radio Technology, Securicor Wireless Technologies, Intek Global Technologies, and Linear Modulation Technology.

Rick Hillum, CEO of SAT, comments: “As handset manufacturers are rolling out devices more frequently, they are looking to differentiate and this is where our antenna will reduce cost and produce less variants. Consumers also want the ability to use their mobile device as widely as possible and our antenna provides uninterrupted service between various communications technologies. We are currently in discussions with several of the leading mobile device manufacturers and chip set suppliers and are on course to produce our first antenna later this year.”

“We are working with Mercia Fund Management as they are trusted advisors that bring both funding and added value, in terms of feedback on our strategy and crucial contacts within our industry,” he concluded.

Everard Mascarenhas of Mercia Fund Management added: “We are extremely excited about the prospects of this world-beating technology. Currently 1.2 billion phones are manufactured each year; SAT’s technology has the potential to deliver a 10% – 20% reduction in the Bill of Materials for each of these products. It is one of the very few technologies that tick all the boxes for mobile phone manufacturers and it is not surprising that it is generating so much interest from handset manufacturers. Together with the management and the University, we have taken world-class research and created a company with a truly disruptive solution for smartphone and tablets which represent one of the fastest growing sectors in consumer electronics.”

David Coleman, Head of Spinout Portfolio for the University of Birmingham, said “we are delighted to have spun out SAT from the University and completed on this investment with Mercia Fund Management. With such a great combination of commercial management, intellectual property, and supportive investors, SAT is really well placed to advance this concept into a market-ready product.”

About Smart Antenna Technologies

Smart Antenna Technologies (SAT) is a spinout company from the University of Birmingham, and is based at the BizzInn Incubator, located within Birmingham Research Park. The team have designed, developed and patented a pioneering smart antenna technology. The market for this highly scalable technology is the global cellular handset market. SAT’s remarkable innovation has led to the creation of a significant number of patent applications, both filed and in process.

Today, handset manufacturers are seeking an effective antenna solution suitable for implementing the next generation of cellular handset technologies, known as Long Term Evolution (4G LTE). Currently, they are unable to achieve physically the desired antenna performance in a size that fits a cellular handset package at an acceptable volume cost. Current implementations from the leading handset manufacturers employ typically six antennas. The highly compact SAT technology replaces all existing antennas—DVB-H, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GSM, GPS, 3G multi-bands and 3.9/4G LTE—with just one. This single SAT device provides significantly lower costs, is smaller in size and offers much needed performance gains over existing designs and technology.

SAT has emerged from work initially funded by the EPSRC, and the concept has been refined and commercial proof of concept work undertaken following further support from EPSRC through both its Pathways to Impact grant and Institutional Sponsorship Fund and the University of Birmingham’s own Enterprising Birmingham Fund.

http://www.smartantennatech.com/

About Mercia Fund Management

Mercia Fund Management (MFM) is a venture capital fund manager with over £19 million under active management. MFM provides investment growth capital for businesses ranging from early commercial traction through to those seeking expansion or working capital that are trading profitably. Furthermore, MFM can also provide cost-effective incubator accommodation at Forward House in Henley-in-Arden coupled with centralised support services in keeping with its model as a hands-on, supportive investor.

MFM is an FCA authorised and regulated fund manager under FSMA (FRN: 524856).

http://www.merciafund.co.uk/

About The University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham is a truly vibrant, global community and an internationally-renowned institution. Ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions, its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers and teachers and more than 4,000 international students from nearly 150 countries.

Alta Innovations Ltd is the University of Birmingham’s technology transfer company and is responsible for the commercialisation of research undertaken at the University. Alta Innovations links academic research with business through licensing and spinout activity, collaborative research and consultancy projects to generate the new ideas, technologies and processes required to achieve competitive advantage.

The University of Birmingham is using its experience in both commercialising new technologies and in nurturing young companies, to help entrepreneurs and start-ups to transform innovation into enterprise through the new BizzInn incubator, run by the Enterprise Acceleration Team in association with Alta Innovations.

http://www.alta.bham.ac.uk/

http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/bizzinn

BizzInn

We would like to invite you to the first networking event to be held at BizzInn, a new business incubator established by the University of Birmingham and hosted by the Birmingham Research Park. BizzInn has been set up to offer free office space and support to innovative start-up enterprises

The event will give you a chance to find out more about how the BizzInn will work, inspect the new facilities on offer and network with entrepreneurs and professional advisers.

We want to use BizzInn to build a dynamic environment around innovative entrepreneurs and we welcome business services providers who want to get involved in this new enterprise in order to support and build networks with the entrepreneur community.

If you are an entrepreneur in the process of getting a new, innovative business off the ground OR if you are a supplier of business services who would like to work with new start up business, please come along to find out more about this initiative and how you can get involved. If you have any contacts or clients who you believe would be interested in finding out about BizzInn, please do feel free to extend this invitation to them.

For more information on BizzInn please have a look at our webpage www.birminghamresearchpark.co.uk/support/bizzinn-innovation-hub/ or contact Catherine Mansell (contact details below).

Event details:

Date: Tuesday 4^th June

Time; 5 – 6.30 pm

Location; Institute of R&D, Birmingham Research Park, Vincent Drive, Edgbaston, B15 2SQ

Light refreshments provided

To RSVP – register at: http://bizzinn.eventbrite.co.uk
We look forward to welcoming you on the 4^th June

Catherine Mansell

Enterprise Development Team

University of Birmingham

Institute of Research and Development

Birmingham Research Park

Vincent Drive

Birmingham

B15 2SQ

tel: 0121 414 4905

mobile: 07986 353469

[email protected]

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/newsaggregator//tm_headline=new-birmingham-medical-quarter-offers-hope-for-healthy-growth-in-the-region%26method=full%26objectid=32996757%26siteid=65233-name_page.html

Scientists at the University of Birmingham have received funding from the Technology Strategy Board, the UK’s innovation agency, to develop a novel multi action siRNA drug with proven neuroprotective and neuroregenerative activity to treat Glaucoma.

Plan enterprise is a UK based multinational business advisory with promotion of international trade and investment between UK, India and Middle East as its one of the core service to the business in these three great regions of the world.

Join our UK INDIA Trade Partner Group on Linked in

Breakfast Event Details

08:00 Registration and Tea/Coffee

08:30 Introduction- By Representatives of Birmingham University-PLAN Enterprise

08: 45 International Trade overview-Focusing and succeeding in India (by Fayaz Malik)

09: 15 Getting Paid for Exports (by Mark Hayward )

10: 00 Green Power From Residue Bio-Mass using National Climate Award Winning technology for ‘Best Technological Breakthrough’ UK-German-India Project (by Prof. Andreas Hornung Aston Uni)

10: 30 Networking/Tea/Coffee

11:15 Close

To register for the event visit: International Trade Event

To Register for Interest in Indian Business Opportunities Click Here
or email to [email protected]

Having been awarded best start-up at the 2012 Medilink West Midlands Healthcare Business Awards in December, the list of acalades for Serascience could continue to grow following the recent announcement that the company has now been shortlisted for the Medilink UK Awards.

Some of the world’s most pioneering technologies will be recognised at the prestigious awards ceremony, taking place at the ExCel Centre, London, on March 13. The Medilink UK Healthcare Business Awards, this year supported by the NIHR Devices for Dignity Healthcare Technology Co-operative, is an annual event that celebrates cutting edge technologies, outstanding business achievements and international success across the UK’s Life Sciences sector.

Serascience Limited, is a specialist cancer diagnostic company and the technology is based around monoclonal antibodies used for diagnosis and management of myeloma and related immune cell disorders. This was developed by the clinical immunology group of Professor Mark Drayson in the school of Immunity and Infection.

Related News:

Medilink UK Awards Shortlist Announced

University of Birmingham medical spinout company wins award

Cytox Limited, developer of a unique blood biomarker, ADpredict™, using a proprietary cell cycle approach for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), today announces a £3.5 million injection from new and existing backers reassured by a new, experienced management team with a proven track record.

ADpredict™, a blood-based test in development for identifying AD in early symptomatic patients, was developed by Cytox’s Science Director, Dr Zsuzsanna Nagy, Lead of the Neurodegeneration and Repair team based at the University of Birmingham.

Cytox is also today unveiling the completion of a study sponsored by Roche on ADpredict™. Cytox says the results further build their confidence that the assay – based on a totally novel paradigm for the disease-causing mechanism for AD – will become an important tool to assist pharma companies in their development of new therapies. The results will be used to refine the next steps in assay validation and clinical development. ADpredict™ has now been tested in close to 300 subjects in three clinical studies; the new data from this has been submitted for publication.

Steered by experienced diagnostics entrepreneur David Evans as Chairman, Cytox has appointed an ex-GE Medical Diagnostics Global Head of Research & Development, Richard Pither, as CEO. Richard has a background in molecular and cellular pathology and has been involved in the development of diagnostic and therapeutic pharmaceutical products for more than 20 years.

As well as Dr Nagy’s Birmingham lab, Cytox has opened a new HQ office on the Harwell Business Park near Oxford and a new research facility on the Manchester Science Park adjacent to the University of Manchester.

David Evans, Chairman of Cytox, says, “I am pleased to announce that we have exceeded our expectations for the first round of funding for Cytox at such an exciting juncture. This investment round is expected to exceed £3.5 million with around 85% coming from new backers. They are as excited as we are by Cytox’s proposition at a time when an early biomarker for Alzheimer’s is so keenly needed.

“We have compelling early validation data supporting the use of the ADpredict™ blood test in predicting Alzheimer’s disease in the early stages, just when having such a simple research use biomarker has become critically important to the development of new therapies. It was vitally important for us that we got the right team in place to enable us to align our priorities amongst customers in both pharma and clinical markets and offer them the level of expertise they needed to progress their clinical studies.

“We will now push forward with our plans to complete the remaining steps in assay development, deliver near-term revenue opportunities and conduct prospective clinical studies.

“The immediate value in research is clear and, with over 35m people worldwide suffering from dementia and an estimated 75m experiencing some degree of cognitive impairment, the long-term potential for use in clinical trials and diagnostic products is staggering.”

Mr Evans also acknowledges the valued assistance of City of London broker Hybridan for helping find some of the investors who have contributed to the investment in Cytox.

Commenting, Dr Penny Attridge, Senior Investment Director at SPARK Impact, which manages the North West Fund for Biomedical, says: “We are excited to be investing in Cytox’s paradigm-shifting science, just at a time when an early AD biomarker is so clearly needed in pharmaceutical research. The new management team at Cytox has an impressive track record and we have every confidence that the relaunched company will make a huge impact in its market.” The £25m North West Fund for Biomedical, managed by SPARK Impact, is a sub-fund of The North West Fund, which is provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), to supply equity funding to small and medium sized enterprises in the North West of England.

Further commenting, renowned biotech investor, Jim Mellon, says: “We’re delighted to see a renewed focus from Cytox. Their approach is unique and is being developed to create a much needed candidate companion diagnostic to identify Alzheimer’s in its early stages. It should therefore continue to attract serious interest in this therapeutic market.”

A key Cytox investor is The University of Birmingham. As a senior lecturer and Lead of the Neurodegeneration and Repair team at the University of Birmingham, Dr Zsuzsanna Nagy continues her pioneering work in Neurodegeneration, preclinical drug screening, biomarkers and risk factors for neurodegenerative diseases. Cytox has a strong intellectual property portfolio of in vitro diagnostic products all of which are licensed from the University of Birmingham via its wholly owned subsidiary Alta Innovations Ltd and the University of Oxford via ISIS Innovation, its technology transfer subsidiary.

Dr James Wilkie, CEO of Alta Innovations Ltd, says: “With a new management structure in place, 2012 has seen excellent progress culminating in a successful re-financing of the Cytox business. With this investment we feel confident that Cytox will be able to commercially develop its AD biomarker to the point where it can be successfully applied for use in screening patients for clinical trials.”

Dean Slagel, Managing Director of Esperante, the privately-held life science investment fund,says: “As a life science fund currently interested in diagnostics and biomarkers, we are delighted to be investing in Cytox on the merits of an excellent team and multiple market opportunities in the diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic management of Alzheimer’s, Mild Cognitive Impairment and associated indications. Cytox’s unique approach is innovative, exciting and carries huge potential.”

New investor, Rajat Malhotra, Partner, Wren Capital, says: “We were introduced to Cytox by David Evans. We have worked closely with David before: he has a strong track record in diagnostics.

There are three main reasons we decided to invest in Cytox. Firstly, the science behind it is very credible and innovative. Second, Alzheimer’s diagnostics is with a big global market out there that needs a solution that we believe Cytox can provide. Thirdly, Richard Pither is without doubt one of the most impressive CEOs we have come across in a long time. The company is in the hands of somebody with the right vision, the right networks and deep experience in dementia.”

Editor’s Notes

About Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) causes degeneration of the brain, leading to progressive impairment of memory and for which there are currently no effective curative treatments. Furthermore, no test is currently used by clinicians to diagnosis AD in its early stages of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), before significant brain damage has occurred and effective disease-modifying treatments might still make a difference in patients’ lives.

About Cytox Limited

Cytox Limited is a UK company developing diagnostic and prognostic services for neurodegenerative disorders. Cytox currently provides biomarker services, based on its ADpredict™ assay, to pharmaceutical industry clients conducting clinical trials with drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Its blood tests are used to predict which patients with MCI will develop AD, which allows treatment in the earliest stages of AD. The biomarkers are based on the cell cycle hypothesis of AD discovered by Dr. Zsuzsanna Nagy. This service enables patient stratification to enhance drug discovery and efficacy trials by means of a simple blood test, analysed in Cytox’s testing laboratory.

Cytox Technology

Cytox’s technology is based on discoveries made by the company’s scientific founder, Dr. Zsuzsanna Nagy, of cell cycle-related biomarkers associated with the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The cell cycle hypothesis postulates that dysfunction of the G1/S regulatory mechanism allows brain neurons to (abnormally) progress to the late stages of the cell cycle, where they produce plaques and tangles, the hallmark pathologies of AD.

Our investors

Alta Innovations Ltd is the technology transfer Office of The University of Birmingham and is responsible for the commercialisation of research undertaken at the University. Alta Innovations links academic research with business through licensing and spinout activity, collaborative research and consultancy projects to generate the new ideas, technologies and processes required to achieve competitive advantage.

For more information please see: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/generic/alta-innovations/about/index.aspx

Esperante is a privately-held life science investment fund with a portfolio of 17 therapeutic development, diagnostic and specialty pharmaceutical companies in Europe, North America and Israel. Esperante is led by experienced management from the pharmaceutical and diagnostics industries and is presently focussed on increasing its involvement in diagnostics and therapeutics providing near-term or current revenues. Esperante’s portfolio today comprises Altacor, Anergis, Atox Bio, BioSyntha, Canbex, Cara, Cytox, Endocells, Haemostatix, Immune Targeting Systems, Karus, NeuroTransit, Novacta, Pinnacle Biologics, Theryte, UroSens and Vantia.

For more information please visit www.esperanteventures.com

The £25m North West Fund for Biomedical, managed by SPARK Impact, is a sub-fund of The North West Fund, which is provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), to supply equity funding to small and medium sized enterprises in the North West of England. The North West Fund for Biomedical, which was launched in February 2011, is accessible to a broad range of companies including those developing pharmaceuticals, new diagnostics and medical devices, and those working in the fields of clinical research, contract manufacturing and analytical services. It is open to companies based in, or prepared to relocate to, the North West of England, with 40% of the fund to be invested on Merseyside. It is expected that the fund will invest in over 50 businesses. It has already received over 200 applications and made over 40 investments to date.

For more information about the fund please visit www.thenorthwestfund.co.uk

Wren Capital specialises in early stage investing across a variety of sectors. Our portfolio currently includes companies in the healthcare, energy, food & drink, and high-tech engineering sectors. Our involvement is tailored to the needs of each business and we aim to be a supportive value-adding investor. We generally follow a co-investment model and have links with a number of universities, business schools, angel networks and a trusted network of high quality investors who share our investment philosophy.

For more information please see: www.wrencapital.co.uk

To celebrate an international reputation in fuel cell and hydrogen research, the University of Birmingham recently hosted a seminar to invited guests both from industry and academia showcasing pioneering projects that will continue to help shape a sustainable future.

Professor Robert Steinberger-Wilckens, Director of the University’s Centre for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Research introduced the day’s programme highlighting investments into lab facilities that support research such as the production of hydrogen from waste, fuel cell electrical drives for road and aerial vehicles, and the direct use of natural gas in fuel cells for domestic hot water and power.

The importance of collaborating with industry was a key theme of the event and current and former members of staff and students were joined by industry partners such as Microcab Ltd and Airmax Group.

Mr Paul Honeyman, Product Manager, Vaillant UK said, “The quality of presentations was fantastic, and the enthusiasm with which they were delivered was admirable. To see the cars in the flesh was a great way of visualising how this research has been realised into what will undoubtedly be the fuel of the future as we look to find cleaner and more renewable ways of living our 21st century lives.”

Mr Stephen Crosher, CEO, Fleet Renewables said, “The 60 Years of Hydrogen event provided several insight’s into interesting and exciting technology developments emerging from Birmingham University. We hope that Fleet Renewables can become an active partner in commercialising some of the technology innovation available”.

The Centre for Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Research was formed in early 2000 by the former Director, Prof. Kevin Kendall and is part of the School of Chemical Engineering within the College of Engineering & Physical Sciences at The University of Birmingham. With an internationally recognised programme of research into hydrogen as a future energy vector and the development of key technologies in all of these areas, the University is working towards making a low and no carbon economy a reality.
The focus is on building a bridge between basic and applied research. Building on a firm basis of science, practical solutions are sought. Industry can engage with this expertise through commercial research and consultancy services, accessing equipment and facilities, through to collaboration and partnership to gain access to the university intellectual property.