Imperial wins two awards at Biotechnology Young Entrepreneurs competition

Young Researchers rewarded for their business plan and presenting skills - News

Thursday 14 December 2006
By Naomi Weston

Young researchers from Imperial College London won two awards at the Biotechnology Young Entrepreneurs Scheme (YES) competition, held on 4 December 2006.

Leila Shepherd, a postgraduate student in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, won the prize for Best Presenter, sponsored by Cybersense Biosystems and the team from the College won the prize for Best Healthcare Business Plan sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline.

The team developed a business plan for a fictional company, Aptinostics, based on technology which uses short DNA sequences called aptamers to perform rapid microbial diagnostics. Their first product would be called 'TruSense™', a home test kit for sexually transmitted infections.

Leila explains: "Being involved in the Biotechnology Young Entrepreneurs Scheme has been a fantastic learning experience and a lot of fun. It's given us a feel for what's involved in turning technological innovation into commercial success - from now on we'll be approaching our research with a much more entrepreneurial outlook!"

The team from Imperial was interdisciplinary with students from a range of academic backgrounds including two biochemists, a chemist, a physicist and an electronic engineer.

Seven other teams competed in the final which took place at the Marriot County Hall. A panel of eight judges, including real investors, patent agents and successful biotech entrepreneurs judged the competition.

The Biotechnology Young Entrepreneurs Scheme (YES) is an annual competition organised by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the University of Nottingham Institute for Enterprise and Innovation (UNIEI). The aim is to help young researchers understand how to set up their own biotech company through developing business awareness and entrepreneurial skills.