Further written evidence submitted by
University of Leeds (TIC 05a)
Thank you for hosting the Parliamentary and Scientific
Committee meeting on medical engineering and your kind letter.
As we discussed I would be grateful if I could share with you
a few thoughts on technology and innovation in this sector, in
response to current consultation on TICs.
Technology development and innovation is part of
a process that starts in knowledge creation and ends in commercial
products. It is important that this process is fully integrated.
Our evidence has shown that there is currently a
strategic gap (capability and resources) in translation of knowledge
to commercial products at technology readiness levels 3, 4 and
5, and in some existing technology areas, a gap in capability
to support commercial development at higher technology levels
(TRL 5-9).
Universities working closely with, and being led
by, industry needs is essential to fill these gaps at all TRLs
and as such a partnership approach is needed. In addition integrated
knowledge creation is needed for long term sustainability. Furthermore,
to ensure better utilisation of these assets by companies it is
important to utilise and provide better routes to access existing
investments and assets.
Simply lifting the Fraunhofer model into UK may not
work. Different sectors/sub sectors will need different solutions.
Some emergent technology areas may grow from existing technology
areas, evolution rather than revolution, and through utilisation
of existing strengths and capabilities.
In the case of medical technologies it provides a
significant platform for a key sector that offers capability to
grow an emerging sector—regenerative medicine. In this technology
space translation pathways are long, 10 years or more. Medical
technology is already a substantial market and with an ageing
population will continue to grow as a global market. Current UK
industry sector £10 billion of which regenerative medicine
is less than 1%.
Investment to support growth is needed in existing
technologies as well as emergent technologies such as regenerative
medicine. Existing technologies will deliver economic growth in
one to 10 year time scale.
Regenerative medicine derived from the bioscience
and pharma base likely to deliver economic benefit in a 10 to
20 year time scale. Regenerative medicine delivered from a medical
technology base (using patients own stem cells) gives earlier
economic returns in five to 10 years. The latter is a stepping
stone to the former, as it provides earlier economic return for
future investment.
The University of Leeds has an existing centre of
excellence in medical technologies (largest in Europe) on which
to build medical technologies for regenerative medicine TIC. Our
existing MTIC medical technology Innovation Centre in Leeds has
a turnover of £10m/year, has a network of over 100 industry
partners and the potential to grow with partners and existing
assets in emergent areas such as regenerative therapies. We have
already established a network of 250 members in RegNer8 across
the North of England and are actively engaged in discussions with
potential partners in Scotland and East Midlands. We support an
approach that draws together national assets in regenerative medicine,
and have the capability through our existing Medical Technology
Innovation Centre to bring these together in an integrated approach
to benefit UK nationally.
26 November 2010
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