The Medway-based sciences hub is the first of four hubs being set up by the University of Greenwich backed by the Higher Education Innovation Fund.
Bioscience companies across the Thames Gateway and beyond can now tap into some of the top brains in the country more easily following the launch of a new business innovation hub by the University of Greenwich at Medway.
The hub is bringing together experts from a range of university departments including, the University of Greenwich's School of Health and Social Care, School of Science and the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) as well as Medway School of Pharmacy, which is a shared project of the universities of Greenwich and Kent.
They will work with businesses to identify research, consultancy, training and funding opportunities.
The Medway-based sciences hub is the first of four hubs being set up by the University of Greenwich backed by the Higher Education Innovation Fund.
Business innovation hubs for sustainable development and manufacturing production industries will also be based at the University of Greenwich at Medway, which is sited at Chatham Maritime, while the information communications technology and new media technologies hub will be at the university's Maritime Greenwich campus.
Professor Patricia Harvey has been appointed as the bio-sciences hub director co-ordinating biotechnology, environment, pharmacy, health and sport and exercise science education, research and consultancy at the university.
Harvey said: "The University of Greenwich at Medway has always worked well with businesses and now for the first time we are bringing all our expertise together to make an even greater contribution to the business community.
"We will be showcasing all our research facilities as well as our consultancy and training opportunities.
"Working more closely with businesses, we will be able to identify new approaches which will enable us to respond to new business opportunities even more rapidly".
Each of the business innovation hubs is appointing a team of business fellows and a hub administrator to develop new business partnerships within each of the university's schools and research departments.
The sciences hub was launched at a breakfast meeting and a series of workshops focusing on the university's biotechnology skills and facilities.
Keynote speaker Marc Hume, director of enterprise at the University of Greenwich, said that the new business innovation hubs will be an essential part of the university's strategy to grow enterprise and develop knowledge transfer partnerships not only in Medway and the Thames Gateway but also nationally and internationally.
"We are starting a new dialogue with businesses which will be critical to our success as a university and enable us to make an even greater contribution regeneration across the region," he said.
Other speakers included Sue Seal, the university's biotechnology business fellow, John Dodd, director of Kent Bioscience Network, and Peter Garrod, responsible for specialist separations at GE Healthcare.
Garrod focused on the technology behind the new protein purification equipment and research facilities now available at the University of Greenwich at Medway.
The bio-sciences hub team is planning further events to promote other aspects of the research, consultancy and training available at the university and a website has been launched to provide businesses with further information.
