Commercialisation director revealed for Edinburgh BioQuarter
Edinburgh BioQuarter has announced the appointment of a key business leader to establish Edinburgh as one of the world’s leading hubs for commercialisation of life sciences research.
Dr Michael Capaldi, scientist and life sciences entrepreneur, has been named as director of commercialisation for the Edinburgh BioQuarter – Scotland’s flagship project for the life sciences sector.
Dr Capaldi has a strong scientific and commercial background with over 26 years experience in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries within the UK, Europe and the United States of America.
He will lead team of up to 15 professionals to progress an ambitious £12m commercialisation project that will bridge the gap between industry demands and the world class research being carried out in Scotland.
Dr Capaldi will manage industry relationships with global pharmaceutical and biotech companies as well as leading efforts to generate new spinout companies from the University of Edinburgh’s College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, based within the Edinburgh BioQuarter. This will in turn translate research into therapies for patients.
Rhona Allison, senior director of Scottish Enterprise, commented: “The commercialisation programme is an essential element of the Edinburgh BioQuarter strategy and one which demands an extremely high calibre of professionals.
“Dr Capaldi will join our recently appointed chair of the commercialisation programme, Professor Simon Best, and accelerate progress at the BioQuarter by helping to convert our outstanding research into winning commercial ventures.”
Professor Sir John Savill, Head of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, said: "Michael Capaldi brings a great strength of knowledge to Edinburgh BioQuarter, encompassing commercial and management expertise as well as a scientific background. His experience in the Life Sciences sector and his strong track record in raising capital from private and public markets to fund early stage biotechnology companies will be of enormous benefit in driving commercialisation opportunities forward."
Dr Capaldi, said: “I’m delighted to be back in Scotland after an absence of 10 years and particularly looking forwards to re-engaging with the Scottish Life Science sector. Scotland is one of Europe’s leading centres for biomedical research, with the University of Edinburgh’s College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine consistently at the leading edge. This, combined with Scottish Enterprise’s long-term commitment to the sector means that Edinburgh BioQuarter is ideally positioned to become a major contributor to Scotland’s growing economy.”
Dr Capaldi biography:
Senior Managerial positions:
Chief executive officer post with Hunter-Fleming Ltd, Scancell Ltd & Synaptica Ltd
Senior management posts with Core Group plc, Amersham International plc
Post-Docs:
Senior Research Officer, Paediatrics & Neonatal Medicine
Royal Postgraduate Medical School (RPMS), Hammersmith Hospital, London.
Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Biophysics
Member of the Biopharmaceutical Sector Advisory Group for UK Trade and Investment
Edinburgh BioQuarter is a partnership between Scottish Enterprise, the University of Edinburgh, NHS Lothian and Alexandria Real Estates Equities Inc – the world leading life sciences property specialist.
It will position Scotland as one of the world’s top ten hubs for life sciences research and development and will generate £250 million of investment on site over the next 15 years creating 6,500 new jobs.
It combines the University of Edinburgh’s renowned medical school, the Royal Edinburgh Infirmary and a science campus with 1.5 million square feet of academic and commercial accommodation that will act as a magnet for some of the world’s leading life sciences academics, students and clinicians.
The first building to be built on the science campus is the University of Edinburgh’s Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine, which is due for completion in 2010.