Giants of the Science and Biotechnology World Gather for a Unique Conference

• Conference is between 17th and 19th September
• https://conferences.biocentury.com/grand-rounds-europe

Hundreds of global academic innovators, pharmaceutical industry leaders, emerging biotechnology companies and life science investors are converging on Cambridge this week for the inaugural BioCentury Grand Rounds Europe conference – a prestigious event bringing together some of the world’s best scientists in a bid to tackle some of the most stubborn problems in medical science. This is the first time BioCentury Grand Rounds has been held in Europe and in a major vote of confidence for the city and for Britain, the organisers have asked Cambridge to host.

From Wednesday 17th to Friday 19th September the best of industry and academia will be exploring questions that could hold the key to developing revolutionary new drugs for the future. Discussions will include why we age, why certain drugs affect men and women differently, and how we can deepen our understanding of the brain.

The better scientists understand the mechanics of a disease, the better their chances of developing new treatments. Our lack of knowledge on exactly how the brain works, for instance, is a major barrier to understanding the mechanics of dementia and mental illness.

Delegates will also be looking at the role that AI and quantum computers could play in developing new drugs. For example, a team led by the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre is designing a ‘virtual sick child’ to test ‘virtual drugs’ in ‘virtual clinical trials’, a process that would be much cheaper, quicker and safer, because you wouldn’t need to test on humans.

New life sciences businesses will also be presenting their latest high-tech ideas – and in a sign of its significance, the whole event is being opened by two of the biggest names in UK science, Lord Patrick Vallance and Dame Kate Bingham – the leaders who helped steer the country through the recent Covid pandemic.

BioCentury is well known in the sector for creating global moments in time when industry and academia collaborate to try to unblock the bottlenecks holding back drug development.  A coalition of eight Cambridge organisations has teamed up with BioCentury to act as regional hosts for the event. They are the Babraham Research Campus, the Wellcome Genome Campus, AstraZeneca, Cambridge Innovation Capital, One Nucleus, Innovate Cambridge, O2h and Cambridge University Health Partners.
Steve Rees, Senior Vice President, Discovery Sciences, AstraZeneca “AstraZeneca is honoured to be among those hosting the inaugural BioCentury Grand Rounds in Cambridge – a city renowned for life sciences and collaboration. Partnership between industry and academia is at the heart of this conference and central to our mission as we transform the future of healthcare. We are proud to help foster connections that drive progress for patients and society.”

Jo Parfrey, Chair of the Board, Babraham Research Campus Ltd
"We are delighted to support this conference, which provides an excellent opportunity to showcase Cambridge’s strengths in world-class research and pioneering innovation, including the exciting companies based at the Babraham Research Campus.”
Simone Fishburn, Editor in Chief, BioCentury “The rich scientific substrate of Cambridge, the wealth and depth of biomedical innovation and the growing footprint of UK biotech on the global stage make this a unique time and opportunity to bring academic and industry thought leaders to Cambridge to solve some of the biggest challenges in translational medicine.
BioCentury is delighted to continue its decades-long tradition of fostering drug development with a forum for in-depth discussion and debate, and for creating the relationships that enable ideas to turn into transformational therapies for patients.”

Anne Horgan, Partner, Cambridge Innovation Capital
“We are delighted to host the inaugural BioCentury Grand Rounds Europe here, in Cambridge. This event exemplifies everything CIC stands for – global collaboration, multidisciplinary excellence, and partnership across academia, biotech and venture. It perfectly reflects our ethos of bringing diverse perspectives together to tackle challenges in translating science into medicines and accelerating breakthrough innovation.”

Kristin-Anne Rutter, Executive Director of Cambridge University Health Partners
“It’s no coincidence that with the whole of Europe to choose from, BioCentury asked Cambridge to host such an important global event. For me, this is the most innovative and collaborative place in the world, and our talented people and organisations are itching to find new partners to help them discover, demonstrate and then deliver the next generation of aQordable, accessible and world-changing medical treatments to improve all of our lives, all across this country and all across the world. I honestly can’t wait to see the creative sparks fly over the three days.”

Kathryn Chapman, Executive Director, Innovate Cambridge
“This week Cambridge takes centre stage, as BioCentury Grand Rounds and Cambridge Tech Week bring global investors, business leaders, and academic scientists to the city. It’s a chance to showcase our ‘can-do’ spirit and proven ability to turn ground-breaking discoveries into world-changing businesses, alongside like-minded collaborators from around the world. This week will be the catalyst for many more discoveries and businesses that will strengthen our economy and improve 
lives worldwide.”

Prashant Shah, co-founder and co-CEO, o2h group
“Cambridge has a unique low ego free culture for entrepreneurship, innovation and impact. The city is alive and buzzing and is one of the most vibrant ecosystems in the world. We are delighted that Biocentury Grand Rounds is coming to Cambridge and this community-driven endeavour will showcase the best of its places, people, and companies.”

Tony Jones, CEO of One Nucleus
“One Nucleus is delighted to be part of the collaboration bringing the BioCentury Grand Rounds conference to Cambridge since aligning with such a global brand is an accurate reflection of the role the region, which has seen approaching $500M raised in the past year, plays in bioinnovation not just within the UK but world-wide."

Robert Evans, Chief Executive, Wellcome Genome Campus
“We’re proud to support the inaugural BioCentury Grand Rounds in Europe and to be part of the hosting committee. Cambridge is home to a unique ecosystem of academic excellence, entrepreneurial energy, and collaborative spirit, which makes it a natural home for discovery and innovation. As the Wellcome Genome Campus continues to expand, we are bringing together world-class science, technology, talent and investment to accelerate progress in human health. The Grand Rounds will help foster important new connections and collaborations and I look forward to welcoming the global life sciences community to our fantastic city."
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AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialisation of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases, and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology.  Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca’s innovative medicines are sold in more than 125 countries and used by millions of patients worldwide. Please visit astrazeneca.com and follow the Company on 
Social Media @AstraZeneca. 

Babraham Research Campus Ltd is responsible for the management and commercial development of the Babraham Research Campus. Babraham Research Campus is distinct in its co-location of 60 bioscience companies with the Babraham Institute, a
world-renowned research organisation which receives strategic funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The aim of the Campus is to support UK bioscience through academic research, but also with facilities and capabilities for early-stage and growing commercial organisations. The Campus provides companies laboratory and oQice space, networking and collaboration opportunities, together with access to outstanding scientific facilities in an ideal geographical location at the core of the Cambridge cluster.

BioCentury Inc. is a leading provider of business intelligence for the biopharma industry, supporting companies from concept to commercialization. For more than 30 years, BioCentury has organized conferences like Grand Rounds to help investors, biopharma executives and academic innovators expand their networks and debate strategy. BioCentury podcasts, including "BioCentury 
This Week" and "The BioCentury Show," are available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. For more information, please visit BioCentury.com.

Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC) is an established venture capital firm in one of the world’s most impactful science and technology ecosystems, with a 12-year track record of identifying, supporting and exiting science-driven companies. Embedded in the UK innovation ecosystem and with privileged access to the University of Cambridge, CIC has unparalleled access to exceptional technical founders. Working closely with its investors, including major pension funds, sovereign wealth funds 
and family oQices, CIC provides access to carefully constructed portfolios grounded in scientific innovation, long-term value creation and lasting positive impact. CIC manages over£600 million of capital and invests across deep tech and life sciences, from cancer therapies, genomic diagnostics and surgical robotics, to AI, semiconductors and quantum computing.

Cambridge  University  Health  Partners  (CUHP)  is one of eight Academic Health Science Centres in England whose mission is to improve patient healthcare by bringing together the NHS, industry and academia. Together with organisations across the region, CUHP recently crafted a life sciences strategy which set out plans to grow resources in five critical areas: data, place, network, funding and talent. CUHP’s partners are the University of Cambridge, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Innovate Cambridge is a collaborative initiative launched in September 2022 and supported by founding and strategic partners Cambridge Enterprise, Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC), the University of Cambridge, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Cambridge City Council, Anglia Ruskin University and the Judge Business School. Its mission is to define and 
implement a shared, inclusive vision for the future of the Greater Cambridge innovation ecosystem over the next decade. The initiative aims to position Cambridge as a global leader in science, technology, and entrepreneurship, addressing both local and global challenges. 

o2h group has a vision of seeing new ideas in life science and technology innovation. o2h was founded in 2004, is co-located in Cambridge, UK and in Ahmedabad, India and works collaboratively to co-invest, co-create, and co-executes to bring these ideas to life. The six verticals include o2h ventures (seed funding), o2h discovery (multi-modality integrated discovery contract research), o2h incubate (rental space and support located at the proprietary Mill SciTech Park), o2h Community (ecosystem development including the Cambridge Wide Open Week and the Cambridge Stock Exchange Project), o2h technology (AI focused MVP’s and platform builds) and o2h therapeutics (collaborative research). For more information, please see – www.o2h.com.

One Nucleus is a dynamic not-for-profit Life Sciences & Healthcare membership organisation headquartered in Cambridge. We support institutions, companies and individuals in the Life Sciences sector providing local, UK-wide and international connectivity. Through providing local, UK-wide and international connectivity, One Nucleus seeks to enable our members to maximise their 
performance. This support helps them achieve, or better still exceed, the goals they have set for themselves. Biomedical and Healthcare R&D have always been impactful in driving social and economic progress. In an increasingly outsourced, collaborative and multi-disciplinary sector, bringing the best people together is key to translating great innovation into great products that markedly improve patient outcomes and drive economic development. Attracting and enabling the best people to engage 
with is at the heart of the One Nucleus team ethos and what we continually strive to deliver.

Wellcome Genome Campus, nestled in the peaceful countryside of Cambridgeshire,  is home to a growing community of world-leading institutes, innovative companies and scientific talent. More than 3,000 brilliant minds work on Campus across genomics, biodata, health data and data science, harnessing machine learning and AI to discover new science and accelerate its translation into real world solutions to improve lives for everyone. Backed by the Wellcome Trust, the Campus is world-recognised and expanding for the future. Supported by one of the largest contemporary investments in the UK’s life sciences infrastructure, the Campus is expected to grow from 125 to 440 acres over the next few years. Approved expansion plans will integrate historic buildings, parklands and wetlands, with contemporary lab, R&D, and commercial spaces, creating a beacon of possibility and global destination for innovation.