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| 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | Events |
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Investors identify growth opportunities in materials
6th May 2004
On 6 May more than 120 venture capitalists, business angels, start-up companies and industry players gathered at a FirstCapital breakfast seminar on advanced materials and nanotechnology to discuss trends and opportunities in the sector. Advanced materials is one area where the UK is leading the world. According to Venturesource, almost 30% of global venture capital investment in this sector this year has been invested in the UK and Ireland.
Two thriving firms are Apa-Tech, a spin out from Queen Mary University, which develops advanced bone graft materials for orthopedic surgery and Oxonica, a spin out from Oxford University, which develops applications for nanomaterials. This indicates a vibrant growth opportunity as the government's efforts to encourage commercialisation of university research are starting to bear fruit.
Hazel Moore, chairman of FirstCapital, said "Materials science is an exciting, high growth area where small companies excel, bringing together multidisciplinary teams of people free from the constraints of a larger organisations, to cross fertilise ideas and generate new products. We expect many attractive investment opportunities for venture capital investment to emerge over the coming years."
Professor David Bott, Technical Director, ICI said "There are lots of areas of materials science which are moving very fast, and the dialogue between markets and scientists is increasing. The trick is finding the right solution to a problem, to match the capability to the need."
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