INDUSTRIAL Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC), the specialist body set up to stimulate growth in the Industrial Biotechnology (IB) sector, is strengthening its team with the creation of three new roles.
Caroline Kewney and Russell Clarke both join as Senior Business Engagement managers and will support the wider development of IB networks through industry and academia partnerships, supporting business scale-up, assisting companies to build collaborations, and helping them to access funding opportunities.
The third appointment in the trio sees Debbie McCreath take up the role of Public Affairs manager. Debbie joins from the Food and Drink Federation and will lead on IBioIC’s stakeholder engagement activities, working across skills, education and policy areas.
The appointments expand the expertise of the IBioIC team as they support the sector in the delivery of the National Plan for Industrial Biotechnology, which aims to grow the IB sector to £900 million in turnover and have over 200 companies operating in IB by 2025.
Mark Bustard, IBiolC chief executive officer, said: “This new trio of appointments will strengthen IBioIC’s industrial links during the current period of economic uncertainty caused by COVID-19, and steer the industrial biotechnology community closer towards delivering the ambitious targets set out in the National Plan for Industrial Biotechnology.”
Since inception in 2014, IBioIC has overseen the doubling of industrial biotech in Scotland to over £350m and supports over 130 companies, over 50 research projects and 18 Scottish universities and research institutes.
