The University of Cambridge and AstraZeneca have marked a decade of collaboration, stemming from AstraZeneca's 2013 decision to relocate its global headquarters and new strategic R&D center to Cambridge. This move was driven by the city's status as Europe's largest life science cluster, offering access to leading academic, industry, and healthcare organizations, including the University of Cambridge.
Steve Rees, Senior Vice-President of Discovery Sciences at AstraZeneca's R&D department, emphasized the importance of this collaboration: "Why Cambridge? Because science advances through collaboration. Moving to this world-renowned bioscience hotspot means we have leading-edge academic and industry networks and scientific talent on our doorstep. We can see how sharing expertise and resources is driving progress for patients."
Over the past ten years, the partnership has focused on nurturing future talent. Jacqui Hall, Head of Early Careers at BioPharma R&D for AstraZeneca, highlighted their commitment: "At the heart of our partnership is a commitment to equipping researchers with a unique skillset which combines basic science with drug discovery expertise. We have supported more than 160 PhD candidates since 2015, with every student gaining industrial as well as academic experience and many spending time at both AstraZeneca and University laboratories."
Diarmuid O'Brien, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Innovation at the University of Cambridge, noted the broader impact: "Cambridge’s life sciences cluster is demonstrably successful, home to hundreds of start-ups and attracting global companies in increasing numbers. As anchor institutions, the University and AstraZeneca are critical to the ecosystem as a whole, helping to attract new investment and create new jobs."
For further details about this partnership or related initiatives, Nicola White from the Strategic Partnerships Office at the University of Cambridge or Jacqueline Hall from BioPharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca can be contacted.