94INNOVATION UKINNOVATION Almirall In January 2008, Spanish drug manufacturer Almi-rall opened up an office near London, expanding its European presence. " It had been our goal to move into the UK mar-ket since we decided to expand internationally," says Carlos Gallardo, General Manager of Almirall in the UK and Ireland. " Happily, we are doing even better than anticipated." Almirall received invaluable assistance from UK Trade & Investment ( UKTI) when planning its move. " UKTI was instrumental in quickly getting us up to speed on the UK market," recalls Gallardo. " Its advisers gave us information on the local markets for dermatological and respiratory products and also put us in touch with government contacts who helped answer questions on local regulations. From beginning to end, setting up in the UK was a smooth process." For more information, visit: www. almirall. com The UK's research environment is also world class, with the country ranked as the best performer in the G8 lead-ing economies per unit of R& D spend. UK researchers are responsible for 9% of the world's scientific papers, producing 16 research papers per US$ 1m of research funding, compared to 9.2 in the USA and 3.6 in Japan. It is therefore no surprise that UK scientists have won over 70 Nobel Prizes. As a result, the UK is recognised across the world as a hotbed of activity throughout the life- sciences market - something which has attracted high levels of foreign direct investment. Recent examples include US pharma-ceuticals giant Pfizer's announcement that it is grow-ing its presence in Cambridge, focused on Regenerative Medicine Research, and United Therapeutics' decision to expand its European headquarters in Surrey, a move likely to generate significant job creation over the next few years. Given the UK's world- beating infrastructure, investor-friendly regulatory and IP environment and its potential as a springboard to mainland Europe and beyond, such high- quality investment looks set to continue long into the future. Xiangxue Pharmaceuticals In 2007, Chinese pharmaceutical company Xiangxue set up a research centre in Cambridge to investigate traditional Eastern medicines. " We looked to the UK because of its reputation as a leader in pharmaceutical research," states Frank Wu, CEO of XiangCam, Xiangxue's UK branch. " We wanted to take advantage of its world- class research institutions, and Cambridge, with its top- rate facili-ties, seemed the natural location." Before establishing its operations in the UK, Xiangxue worked closely with UK Trade & Investment ( UKTI), which provided the company with information about the local bio- medical research community, invited it to networking events and pointed the firm in the direc-tion of technology and legal specialists. " Without the help we got from organisations like UKTI, we would not have been as successful," says Wu. " We can turn to them for assistance at any time." Life- Sciences UKTI

UKINNOVATION UK95 The ofice for Life sciences The establishment of the Office for Life Sciences ( OLS) in January 2009, led by Lord Drayson, Minister for Science and Innovation, clearly signals the importance that the UK places on the life- sciences industry. The Office for Life Sciences has worked in partnership with industry to agree a set of actions, published 14 July 2009 in the Life Sci-ence Blueprint. The Blueprint actions form a package of measures that has the potential to transform the UK life-sciences industry, by ensuring that the industry realises its potential as a major driver of economic growth, and of improved health and well being. Key Blueprint actions include: » Creating an Innovation Pass that will give patients faster access to cutting- edge medicines » A UK Innovation Investment Fund to invest in technology- based businesses with high- growth potential. The UK government will invest £ 150m alongside private- sector investment on an equal basis » Measures to ensure that the NHS leads the way in the uptake of groundbreaking and cost- effective medicines and technologies » £ 18 million in investment by the Technology Strategy Board to capitalise fully on the UK's leading global position in regenerative medicine. For more details of the Blueprint visit: www. bis. gov. uk/ innovation/ business_ support/ ols To contact the OLS team e- mail: ols@ bis. gsi. gov. uk Life- Sciences UKTI