Want to be a successful entrepreneur? try a doctorate

The recent sale of London tech start-up DeepMind to Google for a reported £400m is the latest in a series of deals highlighting the ever-increasing entrepreneurial spirit of Britain's scientists - and does much to dispel the myth that the UK is good at science but poor at innovation and enterprise.

Antibiotic resistance & making medicines in Britain

The new Director of the Wellcome Trust, Jeremy Farrar is right to highlight the ticking bomb of antibiotic resistance and reminds us of the perils that we face if we continue to ignore this emerging public health issue (Britain is reaching 'a tipping point in its use of antibiotics', Jan 8). Part of the solution must inevitably involve greater working in partnership between commercial organisations such as biotech, pharmaceutical companies, charities, the NHS and central government.  But making new medicines is an expensive and risky business. 

Some personal memories of Professor Sir John Cornforth

I was deeply saddened to hear the news of the passing of a former colleague, Sir John Cornforth at 96. I first met, Sir John, known to all as Kappa in 1993 when I joined the faculty at the School of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences in Sussex. I thought I had seen the "great man" in a lab coat in the audience at my job interview, but not had a chance to meet him. And luckily he had not asked one of those deceptively simple questions!

Why higher education is this country’s secret industrial powerhouse

Published in CityAM

When considering the powerhouses of the British economy, most people’s minds flick to the City, or perhaps pharmaceuticals or retail. Yet it’s British universities – the envy of the world – which have the potential to save the British economy.

Higher education is the UK’s secret industrial powerhouse. UniversitiesUK suggests that our universities are responsible for generating 650,000 jobs, and contribute £60bn to UK GDP. In London alone, our international students are estimated to support over 100,000 jobs – roughly one per student. 

UK universities need to do more for the lost and indebted generation

As custodians of our future generation of political, media and business leaders, the new analysis of graduate employability and salaries, should be particularly worrying for universities.

Now, more than ever, we in universities need to help students maximise the value of their educational experience by providing a whole range of support which specifically enhances employability rather than just simply focus on lectures and libraries.

In the war against antibiotic-resistant bacteria we need patient city investors

Medical researchers, particularly in London, are making real inroads into understanding how bacteria work, evolve and become resistant. These painstaking studies take years – sometimes decades – to conclude, but offer up exciting opportunities for the development of new treatments. 

But Marc Sidwell's article highlights very real concerns regarding antibiotic resistance and calls for more openness in regulation, to ensure technological advancement from research discovery. 

University spinouts can prosper but we need long term financial instruments

Danny Fortson declares that turning university science projects into big companies is mostly impossible [Imperial needs to pick more winners, 13 October]. Yet the widely reported acquisition of Spirogen - a UCL spinout - by AstraZeneca for $460m last week shows that substantial returns to investors are possible from university research.

The lesson to be learned from such successes is that the most transformational university spinouts will need much longer than ten years of support to succeed - Spirogen for example was founded in 2001. The dearth of long term capital to support business propositions on such a timescale, reflects a market failure.