World-leading laboratory services and support on your doorstep
May 23, 2023
As a start-up or SME working at the cutting-edge of new research and technologies, accessing the equipment and services needed to develop one’s product can be a challenge. However, our eyes were opened during the recent University of Oxford Laboratory Services Showcase to the incredible array of world-leading equipment and expertise right on the doorstep of our Wood Centre for Innovation in Headington.
Organised by the BioEscalator, Oxford University Innovation and the University of Oxford, and sponsored by The Oxford Trust, the Laboratory Services Showcase, held on Thursday 18th May at the BioEscalator on Old Road Campus in Headington, provided the opportunity for companies, including those in our centres, to learn more about the University of Oxford’s available laboratory services.
A concentration of leading facilities
We heard from 24 different facilities in various departments of the university, as they gave two-minute introductory flash talks. Services covered multiple aspects of gene-, protein- and cellular technologies. This included mass spectrometry; nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; crystallography; cryo-electron microscopy; various high resolution bio-imaging services – incorporating light microscopy, electron microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, confocal microscopy, and multi-photon excitation microscopy; cell sorting and flow cytometry; genome engineering with CRISPR/Cas9 or CRISPR/Cas12a; engineered mammalian cell lines; high throughput screening; surface plasmon resonance and much more.
For a short summary of the services presented, please browse through the presentations of the day here.
Various levels of service, support and training
Facilities offer various levels of service and support, from hands-on collaboration to simple use of laboratory equipment. Through the Oxford University Innovation network, you may find a collaborator to work with from start to finish, including project conceptualisation, sample preparation, and analysis. You may also access the services of trained technicians who could run your experiments using their equipment, or you may prefer a ‘self-service’ option limited to access to use of equipment. Training in equipment use and ongoing support is also provided. All facilities offer access to industry as well as academia.
How to access services
Oxford University Innovation supports the University’s technology transfer but they also offer consulting services and support to researchers, companies and external partners to utilise the expertise and technical services within the University of Oxford. They have close to 2,500 academic consultants registered with their consulting services, who offer their expertise and provide advice to companies, individuals and organisations worldwide.
As a first port of call, companies wishing to access expertise or laboratory services from University of Oxford should contact Oxford University Innovation’s Emma Packard at [email protected]. The Oxford University Innovation consultancy team will identify appropriate departments who have the expertise and availability to provide the support. Furthermore, they will assist with contracting processes.
For more information on their consultancy services, visit their website.
With such facilities and network of expertise on our doorstep, the Wood Centre for Innovation is ideally located for biotech and life science start-ups to thrive.
