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Features
Supporting R&D in Auckland
Mayor John Banks is speaking at the NZBIO conference opening in March
Auckland City Council recognises the importance of research and development (R&D) as crucial to achieve economic growth in the region.
Biosciences is a key sector in the Auckland economy, offering highly skilled jobs, high value and high growth potential. Auckland City Council is involved in a regional programme, promoting Auckland's R&D strengths in biosciences internationally.
Amongst the actions taken by the council is an investment attraction programme, targeting international events, such as BIO Convention in Chicago in early May. BIO is the sector's largest convention, and attracted more than 15,000 delegates this year.
The council assisted Auckland-based delegates already attending the convention, as well as companies who could not attend, by profiling the region as a place of excellence in R&D, with the aim of attracting foreign direct investment into Auckland.
"The attendees, such as Living Cell Technologies or Innate Therapeutics, showcase the region's strengths in the biosciences sector: human therapeutics, animal healthcare and drug development," says Stephen Cavanagh, Auckland City Council's investment manager.
"Raising Auckland's profile at specific industry events helps to attract investment into the city, leading to growth in this highly productive sector and global connections for the Auckland economy."
Auckland delegates attending BIO were part of a national delegation headed by NZBIO, the support organisation for the industry. Auckland City Council is NZBIO's regional sponsor.
The council is also a silver sponsor of Spark, an initiative to encourage R&D-based entrepreneurship led by the University of Auckland Business School and its business incubator, The ICEHOUSE.
Spark's most prestigious event is the 100k Challenge, a business planning competition, endowing winners with $20,000 seed capital and incubation at The ICEHOUSE.
It's all about Auckland at Ausbiotech
Brilliant for Business
Recognising and encouraging the sector's high growth potential, Auckland City Council is involved in a regional collaboration, promoting bioscience in Auckland internationally. One of the first actions with involvement from the council is an overseas investment attraction programme, targeting international events, such as Ausbiotech this year.
Auckland delegates, who were part of the NZBIO national delegation at Ausbiotech, used the opportunity to hand out specific Auckland collateral and case studies, provided by Auckland City Council.
Attendees represented some of Auckland's key bioscience companies, such as Living Cell Technologies, CoDa Therapeutics and Douglas Pharmaceuticals. They had the opportunity to promote both their company and the benefits of doing business in Auckland.
"The attendees mirrored Auckland's strengths in the biosciences sector: human therapeutics, animal healthcare, drug development", says Stephen Cavanagh, Auckland City Council's investment manager.
"Raising Auckland's profile at events like Ausbiotech helps to attract investment into the city, assisting growth in these high productive sectors and building global connections in the Auckland economy", he says.
The regional group has identified BIO 2010 in Chicago as the next event of strategic importance for the sector and is working on a strategy to further raise Auckland's profile at this event. BIO is the sector's largest convention, and attracted more than 20,000 delegates in 2009.
Boost for Auckland's biosciences industry
Institute for Innovation in Biotechnology
The IIB gives companies access to state-of-the-art research laboratories and equipment and expert university staff.
"Bringing great research and industry innovation together is the proven path to creating biotech success. That's what we do at the IIB," says Joerg Kistler, Director of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland.
Current tenants include Androgenix Ltd, Coda Therapeutics Inc, Highbury Pacific Ltd and the most recently announced Comvita Ltd. The 10,000 square metre site is due for completion late 2010.
Auckland has an innovative research community known for its excellence in biosciences, health and medicine. It is strong in the human health and medical technology sub sectors with commercial success.
The bioscience sector has a highly skilled and dynamic workforce engaged in research into breast cancer, diabetes, fertility treatments, sustainable fuels and medical devices.
Many bioscience start-up companies originated out of the intellectual property generated from universities. Investment in these companies has brought millions of dollars into the Auckland economy. Uniservices' spin-out, Pathway Therapeutics secured US$9.6 million in early stage funding last year. Another spin-out, Saratan Therapeutics, recently announced it will receive AU$1 million in early stage investment from the Breast Cancer Research Trust and the Trans Tasman Commercialisation Fund. The fund is a joint initiative run by an Australian superannuation fund. NZTE and Auckland City Council are also supporters.
The council encourages the high growth potential in the bioscience sector. It collaborates with others such as the University of Auckland and NZBIO in Auckland – the regional arm of the national industry body.
One such initiative is the Auckland regional bioscience development group, promoting bioscience in the region. The first projects include an overseas investment attraction programme and further research into the contribution and size of the sector. A good example for regional collaboration, the group is co-ordinated by Auckland Plus and includes members from other councils in the region.
NZBio 2008 conference
A big deal for hay fever and asthma sufferers
The New Zealand Biotechnology conference, held in Auckland between 31 March to 2
April, was testament to the continuing strength of the biotechnology industry
and the growth of interest in Auckland's role in the sector.
"This deal achieves the optimal combination of bringing inward migration of
technology, intellectual property, scientific collaboration and investment into
New Zealand," Bronwyn Dilley, CEO of NZBIO said of the winning deal.
Auckland venture capital firm, BioPacific Ventures invested more than $10
million into New Zealand start-up company Anzamune Ltd. The company is
developing new treatments for hay fever and asthma treatment in New Zealand and
Australia.
"In this case Anzamune established a base here because of New Zealand's
international competitiveness in research relating to allergic diseases.
Development of new treatments for these diseases is essential in this part of
the world as New Zealand and Australia suffer some of the highest rates of
incidence in the world," said Ms Dilley.
Anzamune Limited is an off-shoot of UK based company CMP Therapeutics which has
conducted research via Oxford University. Dr Kannan Subramaniam, chair of NZ Bio
Auckland, said NZ Bio had a role in introducing the New Zealand Biotechnology
sector to CMP Therapeutics and in convincing them Auckland had a place in their
activities.
The annual NZ Bio conference attracted 600 delegates from around New Zealand and
from overseas, including a large contingent from Manitoba (Canada).
Dr Subramaniam said that an out-take from the conference was that "we are known
for biomedical sciences, including therapeutic drug and therapy development, but
our unique historical capability is in agriculture - from forestry to marine
biology. We need to take time to leverage that."
New Zealand and Australia can be world leaders in the biotech space where food,
health and agriculture overlap.
"We're well positioned to be incredibly competitive globally in this space
because we've got such deep experience in the agriculture and food industries,"
says BioPacificVentures executive director Andrew Kelly. "We've got a big food
footprint in the world, meaning big companies, experienced executives, a real
knowledge of international markets. All those things are already here and when
we add the high-tech to it, we could be better than anyone in the world."
"The New Zealand biotechnology industry is estimated to directly employ 500 plus
people in Auckland alone, in research and development. A further estimated 3000
people implement and apply the technology and supply support services to the
sector in the Auckland region", says Dr Subramaniam.
Published June 2010
