ON eNews
March 2021
The Countdown is On! Welcome to this month’s One Nucleus eNews. I hope everyone is staying safe and productive as we continue to work in this disrupted normality. The past weeks, ahead of writing this welcome, headlines in the news, from peer organisations and within oneto-one discussions, point to us all feeling we are now into the countdown phase for a return to business as usual. Reflecting on that enthusiasm, it brings to mind the words ‘patience’ and ‘innovation’. I shall try and explain why.
Just because we can doesn’t mean we should Anyone who knows me will probably know I am not the most patient of people. The released UK roadmap for exiting the pandemic has created a timeframe many will feel passionate about adhering to. My impatience is no different to others’. Wanting to make plans, communicate them to our network and meet again face-to-face, I think is human. I don’t know who first used the above phrase, but it seems to accurately describe my heart vs head battle right now. We may be legally allowed to return to face-to-face conferences and networking with no social distancing towards late June, but would it be right to do so? Further, do we want to return to what went before in its entirety? Are we keen on simply fast forwarding to the past or is a different future our collective goal? What will the countdown look like? Many questions yet to play out, so this publication will seek to give a flavour of the One Nucleus countdown.
What has been achieved? It has been reassuring to see how the network has adapted to online-only events as a necessity. We have all learned a great deal about ourselves and our business partners and customers, I am sure. Some elements of face-to-face events have functioned to a high degree online, 1-2-1 partnering and presenting technical data, for example where the private meeting rooms, clear screen views, hearing the speakers with clarity, convenience of less travel and on-demand catch-up opportunities have been harnessed and deals executed. Some aspects have transferred less well, such as the serendipitous networking and small group discussions that add value when face-to-face.
When will we meet again? On the horizon for One Nucleus are ON Helix 2021 in July. Planned as a digital event, given last year’s success and enables the free attendance for each One Nucleus Member company, to enable partnering, the debate and e-networking. The indications are that we could potentially rush to have a physical event, but returning to my thought above, allowance does not by default mean it is right. Of course, it is a dynamic situation, so we could always look to add a physical dimension if it felt appropriate, especially since any such gathering is likely to be localised in the early days. Similarly, with regards to networking events and courses, a return to face-to-face will come, but patience may be a virtue here, to avoid being at least part of the trigger of backward steps for us all. Watch this space!
What inspirational adventures await us? March 30-31 will see our first Building Life Science Adventures online conference, debating how we attract the best talent into our sector, creating great careers and successful companies. I have been delighted to see the number of members supporting the event as sponsors and supporters. Understanding the future needs of the sector and the aspirations of the smartest employees is high on the radar for all influencers, in shaping a better, more successful, more sustainable Life Sciences industry.
How do we shape tomorrow’s normal? Engaging with each other to share opportunities, aspirations and needs has always been the way forward in business. One side with a need, the other with a solution as the trigger for doing business has not changed because we have been dealing online. The past decades of doing business have meant practices have evolved of course. We moved from physical letters to telephones and email (via facsimiles for those old enough to recall!). Internationalisation, or even globalisation of deal-making has seen the shift from using tall ships, to aeroplanes, to fully online. The challenge perhaps is how to be facilitators or passengers in such evolutions of practice whilst retaining the essence of solid relationships and trust.
What legacy will you leave? The pandemic has forced matters considerably. At times it seems social distancing will never end, when the last networking over a beer seems an eternity ago. Other days, I feel it has made the world feel smaller, as engaging with anyone, anywhere, anytime has become so much more routine. The decision for us all now perhaps is: what elements of the current norm do we wish to keep, which previous behaviours do we seek to revert to, and finally what new patterns do we wish to create? Engaging with our network, especially the younger age groups, about their career and life aspirations, it seems evident that ambition is in no way diminished. Success is a huge magnet. What may change is how that success is measured. Covid-19 has demanded attention, quite rightly, but returning to business as usual may mean we need to define what ‘usual’ should be.
Pre-pandemic years saw cities dealing with congestion, climate change being globally urgent, diversity and social mobility, with disparities and barriers to adopting technology in some key areas of society, such as healthcare delivery. I am sure I am not alone in wanting some of the elements back from pre-Covid-19. Equally, I am sure I am not alone in feeling we have individually and collectively shown that we can successfully do things differently.
Are you shooting for the moon? In common with any non-linear journey, what lies around the next corner is an unknown. Which advances in the science, technology and business of biomedicine remain to be seen, but how you all harness them to literally change peoples’ lives is what makes this such an exciting sector to work within. The term ‘moonshot’ can often be raised in research and policy making, acknowledging out of this world accomplishments from the past and inspiring such feats for the future. Such immense progress in diagnosing, characterising and combatting Covid-19 exemplifies the possible, and can motivate and inspire those who dream of similar achievements for mankind. Great achievements are not based on luck, although it can certainly help, but on solid foundations and strategies. Time waits for nobody and the countdown has begun to business life after Covid-19, but we must try and get it right. As someone much wiser than I, once said; ‘patience is the ability to countdown before you blast off’. I look forward to meeting again soon, online or face-to-face, whichever is feasible, offered and the best means for the task in hand. Tony Jones CEO One Nucleus
5-6 July 2021 | Digital
Registration Open
Ecosystem Spotlight Genesis was a great opportunity to highlight some of the One Nucleus international and national partners’ life science ecosystems. No one would deny the importance of local knowledge and expertise and it was amazing to see the great achievements they showcased during the focused one hour Innovation Workshops webinars. These included: - Flanders Investment and Trade - The Challenges to Deliver a Vaccine: a one hour discussion on the pharma and logistics perspective on how to develop and deploy capabilities for a rapid vaccine delivery. - South Australia - Australian Advantage for Clinical Trials – SA Government and Key Industry Stakeholders: a great showcase of the whole clinical trial value chain available in South Australia and how they responded efficiently to the healthcare crisis - Link-J - Japan as a New Investment Target for Life Science Innovation: an overview of the Japanese life science ecosystem and showcase of four innovative biotech companies - Norwich Research Park - The Power of Collaboration: When World-Leading Science Translates Into Business Success: a presentation of Norwich Research Park opportunities in life sciences and highlight on three companies, their technology and collaboration approach - Invest in Nottingham - How a Successful Life Science Eco-system Helps Drive Business Growth: a great discussion on how to build on an established pharmaceutical network to develop into an innovative healthcare ecosystem We’re delighted to offer the same opportunity on the dates following our ON Helix conference (5-6 July) for those wanting to showcase and highlight great innovation and partnering opportunities. For more information about the ON Helix Innovation Workshop, visit the ON Helix website.
Meet us at... BIO-Europe Spring 2021 22 March to 25 March The fifteenth annual BIO-Europe Spring® premier springtime partnering conference will be held March 22-25 in a fully digital format. It will include on-demand early access to the company pitches, program sessions, and sponsor and showcase company content up to five weeks prior to the live event for the best possible networking and meeting decisions once partnering begins. BIO-Europe Spring Digital 2021 is expected to bring together over 2,500 executives from biotechnology, pharmaceutical and finance companies from around the world, who will engage in more than 15,000 partnering meetings. One Nucleus members get 10% off registration! Find out more here.
Now Live! Building Life Science Adventures App
Register for free now for the Building Life Science Adventures conference on 30 - 31 March. Sign up to receive access to: • • • •
Pre-recorded Conversations in Careers sessions Networking Programme Learning and Development on-demand content
Upcoming Webinars & Digital Events One Nucleus Events 04 March | HR SIG: A Tribunal Masterclass - register 10 March | Laboratory Supplies and Import Duties Post Brexit - register 16 March | National Security and Investment Bill: Impact on Life Science Businesses - register 18 March | Life Science Marketing Group: The Five Main Reasons That Life Science Lead Generation Campaigns Fail (And What You Can Do To Fix Them) - register 29 March | Conquering Complexity for Novel Biotherapeutics – from Concept to Clinic - register 30-31 March | Building Life Science Adventures - register 14 April | BioWednesday Webinar - register 05 May | BioWednesday Webinar - register 02 June | BioWednesday Webinar - register 05-06 July | ON Helix Digital - register
One Nucleus Training Courses 01 March | Introduction to Managing Life Science Projects - register 11 March | Online Safe Use and Management of Lab Gases - register 14-15 April | Online Introduction to Drug Discovery - From Idea to Clinical Candidate - register 15 April | Online Presentation Skills for Scientists - register
Industry Events 03-04 March | 2021 Bionow Precision Medicine Conference - find out more 04 March | China Series: How to Enter the Pharmaceuticals Industry in China - find out more 04 March | Balance in Business – The International Perspective - find out more 04 March | Cambridge New Therapeutics Forum (CamNTF) - find out more 11 March | How Agile Working Can Help Build a Culture of Innovation- find out more 19 March | Key Regulatory Updates in the Pharma Industry - find out more 23 March | Utilizing GPEx® Cell Line Development for Difficult-to-Express Proteins - find out more 29 March - 01 April | MediWales Connects - find out more 02-05 Mar | Member Discount Available: Oncology Virtual Partnering - find out more 09-12 Mar | Member Discount Available: Immunology Virtual Partnering - find out more 22-25 Mar | Member Discount Available: BIO-Europe Spring 2021 - find out more Corporate Patron
Corporate Sponsors
Member Webinar Highlight The Covid-19 pandemic along with a change in Administration in The White House continue to impact those doing business in the US. The ever growing power imbalance between negotiating parties, the impact of national lock downs on future deals or the questions around therapeutics pricing are bringing uncertainties in a pool of great opportunities. 2020 started with a valuation peak reflecting on a biotech appetite and an emerging capacity to conduct deals remotely. It concluded with evidences remote deal making works but how much did it change our approach to them? Our experts panelists Teresa Lavoie and Chad Shear from Fish & Richardson discussed this legacy on executing deals in the US from a perspective of due diligence, regulation and market access in this insightful session available to watch here.
Deal of the Month The new Pharmaceutical R&D Model – Centessa Pharmaceuticals launches with an impressive $250M Series A Combining the innovative capacity and agile programme management of biotechs with the development powerhouse and expertise of pharmas has been discussed, tried but never really achieved. The new Medicxi venture Centessa is giving it a try with a brand new approach and the ambitious related amount of cash. Centessa brings together 10 companies from Medicxi’s portfolio with 15 high conviction programs led by experienced teams. Each Centessa Subsidiary is led by industry leaders and subject matter experts with deep experience directly related to key biological pathways that underpin the programs being advanced. These entrepreneurs who have catalyzed the creation of subsidiary companies will continue to advance novel science within the Centessa enterprise. It represents great span of therapeutics foci: oncology, hematology, immunology, inflammation, neuroscience and rare diseases and geographical location including the USA, Germany, France and the UK which is home of 6 of the subsidiaries, 3 of them being located in Cambridge. It is an acknowledgment of the innovative capacity of our region and definitely a model to keep an eye on. The full press release is available here.
Funding & Support Innovate UK Edge Despite the exit from the European Union on 31 December, the support previously offered by Enterprise Europe Network are now covered by Innovate UK Edge. They support companies cross sector and of course life sciences on access to funding, with support on Innovate UK grants and Pitchfest, and also innovation and connection to networks as well as IP audit. More information on how to access this free support here.