Tuesday, 3 March 2015
AstraZeneca and the Cambridge Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge today announced an agreement to deliver a new “Accelerate Cambridge Life Sciences” programme at the business school which will identify, train and mentor start-up ventures in the life sciences.
The partnership underlines the commitment of both AstraZeneca and Cambridge Judge Business School to scientific enterprise and innovation in the Cambridge area where AstraZeneca is building a new global R&D centre and corporate headquarters, and where Cambridge Judge Business School plans to expand its historic building space. It also reinforces AstraZeneca’s long-term commitment to supporting bioscience research in the UK.
Christoph Loch, director of Cambridge Judge Business School, said: “Inspiring and promoting entrepreneurship form a central part of the Cambridge Judge mission. This agreement with AstraZeneca will help a new generation of life science ventures benefit from the rich and varied expertise that Cambridge provides. We are really proud to organise and host the new Accelerate Cambridge Life Sciences programme.”
Menelas Pangalos, Executive Vice President of Innovative Medicines & Early Development at AstraZeneca commented: “We are proud to be the first life science partner for the Judge Business School’s Cambridge Accelerate Programme. Having access to support and guidance from experienced AstraZeneca employees will not only be invaluable for the participants as they develop their new ventures, but will also be great for our people who will gain exposure to early stage innovation and entrepreneurial thinking outside AstraZeneca.”
NOTES FOR EDITORS
The collaboration will begin with a Launch Workshop at Cambridge Judge on Thursday 19 March examining regulatory, commercial and strategic issues relating to pharmaceutical innovation and development. A Life Sciences Start-up Weekend on 20-22 March attended by biotech entrepreneurs and venture capitalists will include pitches by start-ups. Mentoring will be offered to the most promising ventures. The weekly Accelerate Course, due to begin in April, will cover topics ranging from recruiting team members to making the transition from scientist to CEO. For more course information contact accelerate@jbs.cam.ac.uk
About Cambridge Judge Business School
Cambridge Judge Business School leverages the power of academia for real world impact to transform individuals, organisations and society. Since 1990, Cambridge Judge has forged a reputation as a centre of rigorous thinking and high-impact transformative education, situated within one of the world's most prestigious research universities, and in the heart of the Cambridge Cluster, the most successful technology entrepreneurship cluster in Europe. For more information please visit: www.jbs.cam.ac.uk
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, inflammation, autoimmune, oncology, infection and neuroscience diseases. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. For more information please visit: www.astrazeneca.com.
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