GMEC Awayday Saturday January 23rd 2010

1 Feb '10

The Board and Cluster Committee of GMEC met at the conference centre at Queen’s Gate, Imperial College, London on Saturday January 23rd to discuss activities and how the GMEC business model should evolve to meet the needs of its academic, industrial and NHS partners, facilitate the creation of world-class biomedical science and boost inward investment in the cluster.

The guest speaker, Dr Patrick Vallance, Senior Vice President Drug Discovery, GSK updated the group on trends in drug discovery and spoke of the potential opportunities promised by developing new modes of interaction and collaboration between academia, the NHS and industry. Dr Chris Hitchcock, Executive Director, Pfizer Global Research & Development, a Member of the GMEC Cluster Committee, developed the theme, focusing on PhII clinical trials, where the UK is uniquely poised to use the NHS patient base and its clinical expertise to conduct PhII clinical trials. Professor Alastair Buchan (University of Oxford) discussed the GMEC capabilities in this area and Prof Robert Souhami, who is heading up an initiative to develop an integrated model for the conduct of PET Imaging, updated the team on progress. A discussion on how GMEC partners should respond to the OLS initiative on the formation of a capability cluster in Immuno-Inflammatory diseases was led by Professor Robert Lechler (King’s Health Partners, King’s College London). Discussions on the current business model were led by Dr Keith Ruddle (Fellow in Leadership, Said Business School, Oxford University). Dr Chris Mottershead (VP Research and Innovation, King’s College London) reflected on how the GMEC cluster might best respond to a changing research and funding environment. The day provided an opportunity for the cluster members to refine their shared vision and the discussions will inform the preparation of the company business plan for the next cycle.