A major research company that submits evidence on the performance of new drugs is moving from a Council-supported unit after significant expansion.
From humble beginnings of just two staff members in 2000, the Cardiff Research Consortium now employs 13 people and has been purchased by Capita. For the last nine years it has grown in strength while based at the Cardiff MediCentre, a bio-science “business incubator” on the University Hospital of Wales campus.
The Cardiff MediCentre is a joint venture between Cardiff Council, Cardiff University, the Welsh Assembly Government and Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust.
CRC is the only company in Wales that deals directly with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence by submitting evidence on the effectiveness of new drugs. It collects data from patients and clinical trials and has presented research on new treatments for leukaemia, other cancers and obesity.
The MediCentre is the home of medical innovation in Cardiff and provides support to bioscience companies that base themselves there. CRC Managing Director Phil McEwan said it has given his company invaluable aid: “It isn’t easy starting up a company and the help we have had from the MediCentre over the last nine years has really taken a lot of the headaches away. As well as a grant we were given in 2000, the council and its partners have always been incredibly helpful.”
“When you’re working in bioscience it is essential to have good contacts”, said Phil. “Being based on the UHW campus has given us unrivalled access to clinicians and other experts. When you’re trying to assess if the benefits of a new drug translate to a patient’s quality of life, there’s no better place to be located and to really establish yourselves globally.”
As well as its prime location, the MediCentre also exists to provide new companies in the field with competitive rents, access to focused business support packages, a good working atmosphere, free car parking and excellent security measures,
Councillor Mark Stephens, Chair of Cardiff Medicentre said: “It is really heartening to see another first-rate company obtain this sort of success. It may be sad to see CRC leave the MediCentre but it is testament to the centre’s achievements that we have another company gaining this kind of reputation and finding global success in the field of bioscience.
“What we offer at the MediCentre is the chance to bring the innovative and practical application of medical research efficiently to the market-place. CRC is a shining example of what can be achieved and I wish them all the best for the future.”
