King's College London hosted a lunchtime briefing with Alex, Director General for Growth, Science and International at the new Department for Business, Innovation and Science and Technology (DBIST).
The event, convened in partnership with the Whitehall and Industry Group (WIG) brought together government, industry and researchers to discuss how the UK can turn its world-leading research into long-term economic growth.
Alex Jones joined senior representatives from King's and industry for a discussion on the UK's science and innovation agenda.
At King's we have a strong history of business development and venture creation and every journey starts with an idea. King's Innovation Catalyst works closely with researchers throughout the University to unlock the commercial potential of their research via access and support with translational funding applications, industrial partnerships and also licensing and spinout company creation. Ultimately, we strongly believe that translation of real-world research into commercial output is pivotal to sustaining economic growth. Entrepreneurs really are the future and it is an enormous privilege to be part of their journey.
Dr Dinali de Silva, Director of Business Development & Innovation at King's College London
Held on 10 September at King's Strand Campus, the event explored how the UK can strengthen the relationship between research, innovation and economic growth, and what government, universities and industry can do to ensure promising ideas make the journey from the laboratory to the wider economy.
Speaking at the event, Ms Jones said the UK was starting from a position of strength, with world-class universities, research expertise, regional clusters and the ability to attract international talent and investment. The challenge, she said, was to make it easier for promising ideas to move from discovery through commercialisation and scale-up.
The briefing is part of King's wider engagement with government, industry and other partners, creating opportunities to share expertise, build relationships and contribute research and ideas to some of the UK's most important policy and economic priorities.
The Whitehall and Industry Group (WIG), brings together leaders from across the public and private sectors to support dialogue on issues affecting the UK economy and society.
The discussion explored how the UK can strengthen the journey from discovery research to commercialisation and scale-up, while maintaining its world-leading research base. Ms Jones highlighted the importance of protecting discovery-led research while making it easier for those discoveries to be turned into practical applications, saying: "It's not a choice between discovery or impact. They are integrally linked."
She also discussed the need to focus government support on technologies where the UK has strong potential to build a competitive advantage, including AI, engineering biology, quantum technologies and semiconductors.
She also emphasised the need to make the innovation system easier to navigate for businesses and researchers, with stronger connections between universities, industry and government.
A key focus of King's new Strategy 2030 is to further strengthen the power of research and education for the public good, including by strengthening partnerships with industry, government and other organisations and supporting the translation of research into real-world impact.
For example, Zeus Sleep, a partnership between King's, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and Morgan Innovation & Technology, has developed a discreet anti-snoring device, with further clinical research now underway to explore its potential to help people with obstructive sleep apnoea.
NeuroPrognostix, is being developed by King's researchers to explore how a blood test could help identify early biological changes associated with dementia risk. The team has been supported by King's as it moves from academic research towards a potential clinical product.
In dentistry, BeCertain, a spinout from King's and the University of Surrey, is developing AI technology to support the interpretation of dental X-rays. The company recently raised £1.7 million in pre-seed funding to develop its clinical-grade AI, which is designed to show dentists how confident it is in its findings rather than provide a simple 'yes' or 'no' diagnosis.
