Bionow hosted BioFocus 2022 on Wednesday 22^nd June 2022, it provided great insight into industry, general challenges North East businesses face and support available within the area.

I took the opportunity to catch-up with Kieran about the key messages from the day.

The morning discussions focused on the detailed plans to incorporate more lab/office space to developing and start-up businesses within the North East.

“Companies which have experienced rapid growth and quicker success than anticipated, seem to be crying out for extra space to grow and provide accommodation for extra staff and further projects. Additionally, spin-out companies are looking for a place to begin their journey central to the Northeast to attract scientists of all levels from the surrounding North-Eastern towns.”

These projects were supported by success stories of larger companies and their CEO’s who attribute part of their success to their integral situation within the heart of the Northeast. Further support was detailed by the collaboration of biologics companies in Teesside with academic institutions in the area, offering support to students due to graduate and demonstrating the fantastic opportunities beyond academia.

After lunch, the talks resumed where businesses global and local took the opportunity to discuss their approaches to recruitment and more importantly, staff retention or attraction.

“It is well known that the Biotechnology sector within the UK is dominated traditionally by the ‘Golden-Triangle’ comprised of Oxford, Cambridge, and London. However, the surge of rapidly growing and up-and-coming businesses within the Northeast and Northwest of England has provided thousands of job opportunities for people outside of the South. Businesses situated in the North highlighted their struggle to attract potential candidates from the Golden triangle due to drastic differences in salary and the traditional appeal of the Southern cities, as well as their difficulty in retaining staff who work with them.”

“A way to attract people from the South is to detail the (unquestionable) appeal of the North and all it’s local charm! The cheaper accommodation, cost of living, the rural landscapes and unscathed beauty of many of the close-by landscapes, the lack of the metropolitan ‘hustle and bustle’ outside of the city-centres and so many more undeniable advantages to living up North, and yes, I am heavily biased being born and bred within the North.”

The day wrapped-up with talks of success stories of businesses and institutions across Northern England, demonstrating the vitality of the work conducted across the NHS, diagnostic companies, academia, and other industries. Not only do these projects offer employment and a chance to all those outside of the exclusivity of the ‘Golden triangle,’ but they also epitomise the friendly spirited approach and collaborative efforts of business who in other industries may be bitter rivals and fierce competitors. As the work and projects all focus on improving the quality of life for people struggling with debilitating diseases and ultimately making the area a better place to live.

“The day was a brilliant opportunity to learn more about the importance of established and up-and-coming life science businesses within the North East. Highlighting the vitality of collaboration, networking and making available the opportunities out there to scientists of all levels.”

So, there we have it…. the North East is an exciting, engaging place to live and work – affordable too!

If you want to discover what opportunities are available now – then have a chat with our team.