24th March 2006 - Article by UK Trade & Investment

Four French journalists, particularly interested in the biotech sector, visited BioCity Nottingham on 16 March to get to know the UK biotech sector better and also its influence in the East Midlands region. The journalists, who were invited by UK Trade & Investment, were appreciative of the presentations given by the main biotech and healthcare organisations. Meetings with a few of the "start-ups" located at BioCity helped to shape their views on the UK biotech sector. They were also invited to attend specific presentations relating to cancer during the Cancer Congress in the afternoon. All journalists underlined the smooth organisation of the mission and the quality of information provided. Marie-Françoise Villard and Jacques-Bernard Taste enjoyed "this fascinating discovery of Nottinghamand BioCity" and claimed that "this experience was a model of its kind". Two articles directly linked to this visit have subsequently been published in the French specialist press. BioCity, a "flagship" of biotechnologies in the East Midlands region, attracts numerous start-ups and allows them to optimise their development in a good and business-like environment. They are organising a workshop on 25 May 2006. This event will demonstrate how they have successfully created a technology incubator that has now become an emerging bio cluster.

From left to right: Miranda Knaggs, BioCity Nottingham Anne-Marie Coffy, UK Trade & Investment (Lyon) Marie-Françoise Villard, journalist (several publications) Jim Taylor, Nottingham Development Enterprise Jacques-Bernard Taste, Chief Editor Biotech & Finances Ian Young, Bioscience Unit DTI Ian Barr, UK Trade & Investment (Healthcare and biomedical) Stéphanie Cohen, journalist (Biotech Infos) Julie Wierzbicki, journalist (Biofutur) For additional information on this visit, please contact:
Anne-Marie Coffy
UK Trade & Investment, at the British Consulate General in Lyon (France)
Tel: 00 33 4 72 77 81 70