A team of researchers from the Department of Chemistry has placed second in a national competition to develop an innovative science-based idea into a business plan.
BioUnite, made up of researchers Kirsty Smitten, Fliss Noakes and Simon Fairbanks, entered the Society of Chemical Industry’s Bright SCIdea Challenge after noticing a gap in the market for a university linked biological testing facility.
The Bright SCIdea Challenge is an annual entrepreneurial competition where researchers and students develop plausible scientific concepts that could be commercialised for the benefit of society.
The team’s proposed business plan was for an easily accessible antimicrobial and anticancer drug screening facility, offering services from simple activity assays through to an in vivo invertebrate model, with discounted rates for university research groups to help them identify therapeutic leads. They hope the business will reduce the bottleneck of academic research reaching the clinic.
The team reached the finals of the competition, giving them the opportunity to pitch their idea to a panel of industry experts. Their business plan was awarded second place and the team won £500 to put towards their business model.
During the competition the team received valuable advice on pitching and developing their business model into a functioning service for their target market.
Kirsty Smitten, PhD student, said: “We were shocked and thankful to have placed second. We are passionate about eliminating the misuse of animals within research and reducing deaths caused by cancer and antimicrobial resistance.
"We intend to work closely with the University’s tech transfer team, using feedback from the judges, to build BioUnite and eventually increase potential clinical candidates.”