Babraham Research Campus Ltd appoints Kathryn Chapman as Director of Science & Entrepreneurship

Cambridge, UK, 21^st November 2022:  Babraham Research Campus Ltd, which is responsible for the development and management of the Babraham Research Campus is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Kathryn Chapman to the newly created role of Director, Science & Entrepreneurship.

Kathryn is a highly experienced bioscience professional with 10 years research experience in academia and industry and over 15 years’ experience in strategic roles at the NC3Rs, UKRI and the University of Cambridge.

Further to a research career concentrated on disease modelling and target discovery at the University of Manchester, Harvard Medical School, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and GlaxoSmithKline, Kathryn’s focus shifted to initiating and directing various initiatives which fed her passion for creating synergy and impact between academic/business and business to business partnerships.

Prior to joining the Babraham Research Campus, Kathryn established and led the Milner Therapeutics Institute at the University of Cambridge, providing strategic oversight and management of the Institute and all associated outreach and collaboration activities. Earlier this year, Kathryn received an award from CEO Today for outstanding leadership, vision and entrepreneurship.

Kathryn’s role as Director, Science & Entrepreneurship at the Babraham Research Campus is to help ensure that the Campus is one of the best places in the world to start, nurture, scale and grow a bioscience business as part of the Campus vision. Her focus will be to identify and deliver the support that companies need across all stages of their journey to thrive, strengthening the collaborative culture of the Campus and maximising its impact on healthcare, economy and society across the Cambridge region and the UK. A foundational element of which is the Accelerate@Babraham bio-incubator programme, created out of a desire to support and nurture great science and inform and empower new life sciences innovators and entrepreneurs. Following a review of the key features of the programme, under Kathryn’s leadership Accelerate@Babraham will relaunch at the beginning of 2023.

Kathryn Chapman commented of her appointment: “My passion is to unite life science discoveries with real-world challenges, ultimately bringing solutions to patients. This role brings a huge opportunity to ignite this on the Babraham Research Campus, which has a rich history of converting innovative research into commercial reality. The exceptional research, talent and entrepreneurship at our fingertips means we have everything we need to grow the Campus and maintain its position as one of the best places in the world to start, scale and grow a bioscience company. It’s an incredibly exciting time to join the team.”

Derek Jones, CEO, Babraham Research Campus Ltd, added “I am thrilled to welcome Kathryn to the team. Her exceptional experience and passion for uniting and connecting people across the Cambridge bioscience ecosystem and skill in identifying innovative opportunities across disciplines, funding schemes, investors, incubator and accelerator programmes will be invaluable as we continue to drive the development of the Campus forward.

“Our Campus ecosystem has evolved to support the scientific discoveries of tomorrow by nurturing and supporting people, companies and ideas at every stage of the development cycle. We do this, not only by providing the appropriate buildings and facilities, but also by creating the community and connections required to fuel innovation and discovery. Kathryn’s energy and leadership will enable us to continue to develop impactful science and entrepreneurship activities that will make a positive, tangible difference not only to those on Campus but also beyond.”

Simon Cook, Institute Director, Babraham Institute said: “I am delighted to welcome Kathryn to her new role for work that reflects our shared passion for people, innovation and benefit. The Campus embodies the ethos of research for public benefit, supporting discovery from fundamental research through to entrepreneurship and commercial success. As the academic heart of the Campus, we look forward to working closely with Kathryn to maximise the benefit of the innovation taking place at the Institute and collaboratively across Campus in a huge range of exciting endeavours. Having worked with Kathryn in her previous role at the Milner I know we are lucky to have her experience, energy and enthusiasm!"

An integrated and integral part of the Cambridge ecosystem, the Babraham Research Campus is unique in its co-location of world-leading academic research at the Babraham Institute alongside 60+ biotech companies spanning start-up to scale-up. In addition, the first-class conference facilities available within the Cambridge Building - enabling interaction and connection - brings together a breadth of expertise not found elsewhere. These factors, in combination with the energy and pay-it-forward mindset of the researchers, entrepreneurs and CEOs based on Campus has created an ecosystem of know-how and altruism which makes it a fantastic place to create, build and grow a bioscience business. 

Dr Kathryn Chapman, Director Science & Entrepreneurship, Babraham Research Campus