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UK biotech company wins competition for space in Fairfax County BioAccelerator Fairfax information security
company headed for UK incubator A
British biotechnology company that makes products for monitoring the human
immune system has won the UK-to-US side of the “Touchdown” Transatlantic
Business Plan Competition and will take space in the Fairfax County
BioAccelerator. At
the same time, a Fairfax County-based information
security infrastructure consultancy and services firm won the US-to-UK side of
the competition and will take space in a university-affiliated incubator near
London. The
Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) and UK Trade &
Investment (UKTI), the economic development arm of the British Government,
organised the competition, which is now in its third year. It attracted seven UK
biotechnology companies looking to expand to the US and eight companies from
Fairfax County eyeing the UK and European markets. ProImmune
Ltd, from Oxford in Great Britain will take a place in the Fairfax County
BioAccelerator this year and receive customized business development services to
help it expand in the U.S. market. The package is valued around £40,000. 4FrontSecurity
from Reston, Virginia, will take office space at the Royal Holloway Enterprise
Centre, part of the Surrey Enterprise Hub at Royal Holloway College, and receive
business development services and administrative support. Dr.
Nikolai Schwabe, CEO of ProImmune, said: "We are naturally very pleased at
the opportunity, since we will be able to establish a physical presence in the
U.S. sooner than we expected. Entering the U.S. market will more than double the
potential revenue for ProImmune, and this move heralds an exciting new growth
phase for us." 4Front
Security CEO and Co-Founder Chris Parker said he was excited to move into the UK
and European markets sooner than he planned. “The UK and Europe present many
opportunities for us to sell our information security services, and the help we
receive to do that will be invaluable.”
Sir
Stephen Brown, Chief Executive UK Trade & Investment will award prizes to
ProImmune and 4Front Security at an event at HSBC’s London headquarters on
January 28. Fairfax
County, the technology gateway to the US east coast, is home of more than 4,800
technology companies, including 36 U.K. firms that have chosen it as their North
American base. Gerald
L. Gordon, Ph.D, President and CEO of the FCEDA, said: “We are delighted to be
able to help these companies expand into new markets sooner through the
competition. ProImmune will find a great network of bioscience companies,
federal agencies and organizations in Fairfax County to help its expansion
plans, and 4Front Security is well-positioned to market its products to
financial institutions and the UK government.” Joining
with FCEDA and UK Trade & Investment this year as competition organizers
were the UK Science Park Association, UK Business Incubation, BritishAmerican
Business Inc., British Trade International, and the Bio Industries
Association. “Touchdown” sponsors in the UK are FCEDA, Cyril Leonard, HSBC,
Penningtons, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Taylor Wessing, and the South East England
Development Agency. Note
to Editors: For
more information please contact Michael Ryan, FCEDA, London Office at tel: 0800
085 0969 or e-mail: mick_ryan@dial.pipex.com Or Ross
Clarke/David Wallen, LIVEpr, at 020 7630 1100 or e-mail: FCEDA@livepr.net See
also www.fairfaxcountyeda.co.uk BACKGROUND
INFORMATION: ProImmune
Ltd is a private
biotechnology company headquartered in Oxford that specialises in providing
quality research reagents for monitoring the condition of the immune system.
ProImmune has a wide range of customers from leading pharmaceutical,
biotechnology, clinical and academic sectors throughout the world. The company,
founded in November 1999 has been profitable since its inception , based on
product sales. In addition ProImmune has secured R&D funding from several
DTI Smart, EUREKA and EU Framework VI project grants. ProImmune has applied for
several patents covering its core technology. The company has recently opened
offices in Paris, France. For more information on ProImmune, visit www.proimmune.com. 4FrontSecurity,
Inc. is a privately held information security infrastructure consultancy and
services firm, with collective experience deploying and managing secure IT
infrastructures in diverse industries across North America, Europe, Middle East
and Africa. Our 4FrontSecurity IMS Software and our extensive Security
Professional Services provide integrated, cost-effective solutions that are
tailored to individual customer needs across a variety of industries, including
financial
services, power & energy, telecommunications and technology, manufacturing,
health care and life sciences, professional services firms, and government. Our
headquarters are located near Washington, D.C. in the heart of the Information
Technology corridor in Reston, Virginia, 10 minutes from Washington Dulles
International Airport. Fairfax
County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) The
Fairfax County Economic Development Authority provides a wide array of services
and information designed to promote Fairfax County, Virginia, as a leading
technology hub and a world-class centre of commerce and trade. Domestic
and international marketing staffs work with U.S. and foreign companies
interested in expanding or relocating operations. A market research and real
estate division help clients learn more about office space opportunities. The
FCEDA also runs a capital attraction program to link entrepreneurs and start-up
firms with venture capitalists and angel investors. Another program assists
small, minority- and women-owned businesses. The FCEDA has marketing offices in
London, Frankfurt and Tokyo. For more information call 001-703-790-0600. www.FairfaxCountyEDA.org UK
Trade & Investment UK
Trade & Investment (www.tradepartners.gov.uk) is the British Government's
worldwide economic development agency, helping US companies set up in the UK or
expand from a British base swiftly and smoothly. UK Trade & Investment's
headquarters in the United States is in New York City with regional offices in
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington DC;
and branch offices in Phoenix and Seattle. UK
Trade & Investment provides information on all aspects of establishing a
presence in the UK; arranges site visits; advises on local, regional and
national incentives; provides information on the availability of labour,
transport, proximity to customers and to suppliers etc; facilitates contacts
with key private and public sector companies; and saves potential and current
investors valuable management time and costs through its free and confidential
service. BritishAmerican
Business Inc (BABi) BritishAmerican
Business Inc of New York and London (BABi is the leading transatlantic business
organisation, dedicated to helping its 1,000 member companies build and expand
their international business. BABi
provides its members directly with a range of targeted business services focused
on business development, business intelligence and networking, and with access
to broader business networks in more than 60 other major cities throughout North
America and Europe. BABi
incorporates the British-American Chamber of Commerce (New York/London) and the
American Chamber of Commerce (UK), which merged in September 2000 to create a
stronger transatlantic business organisation. www.babinc.org Cyril
Leonard With an unbroken tradition of
Partnership involvement at all levels of business and proven property expertise
in depth, Cyril Leonard & Co, Real Estate Leasing & Broking,
is ideally placed to address the challenges of the 21st Century. Drawing on
strengths developed over 60 years of successful business practice, the firm
continues to offer the very best contemporary advice to private, commercial,
industrial and financial clients. www.cyrilleonard.com
HSBC Headquartered in London, HSBC
Holdings plc is one of the largest banking and financial services organisations
in the world. HSBC’s international network comprises some 8,400 offices in 81
countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the
Middle East and Africa. The Innovation & Technology
Unit co-ordinates HSBC's support in the UK for early stage technology-based
firms. Such support includes the HSBC
Chairs of Innovation at Brunel University and University of York, providing us
with an initial appraisal of technology proposals, and Technology Banking
Managers in major technology clusters throughout the UK. For further details visit
www.ukbusiness.hsbc.com or
email innovationtechnology@hsbc.com Penningtons
is a commercial law firm which provides legal services tailored to individual
requirements. We offer a partner-led service with the emphasis on team working.
Our aim is to exceed our clients’ expectations in the quality of advice we
offer, our speed of delivery, and always to add value to their business. Our principal office is in the
City of London. There are further offices throughout the UK. Penningtons also
has close links with law firms worldwide. In this way, we are able to offer
flexibility in the scope of specialist commercial and private client services we
deliver to a wide range of clients. www.penningtons.co.uk PwC is the largest firm of
accountants, tax and business advisors in the world. They have grown with their
clients many of whom started as young entrepreneurial companies and are now
household names. In order to help companies with extraordinary potential expand
their operations internationally PwC has developed their Pathfinder Service.
This is an holistic approach to helping companies set-up and grow in an overseas
jurisdiction. All of the above means that they
are very keen to support both US and UK companies wishing to go from one of
these countries to the other and thereafter grow throughout the US/Europe. They
are very pleased to be one of the main sponsors of the competition.
South
East England Development Agency (SEEDA) SEEDA
was established by the Government through the Regional Development Agency Act
1998, and came into operation on 1st April 1999 to take the strategic lead in
promoting the sustainable economic development of the region. Our
mission is to work with our partners to make the South East of England a world
class region, achieving sustainable development and enhanced quality of life as
measured by: ·
Economic Prosperity ·
Environmental Quality ·
Social Inclusion – ensuring meaningful employment for all Taylor Wessing is a
premier, full service law firm based in London with offices in Cambridge and
Brussels. Recognised as a market leader in many of its practice areas such as
technology, intellectual property, and inward investment from the US.
Constructive, commercial advice offered through a partner-led service with a
total, long-term commitment to our clients around the world - these are our
hallmarks. www.taylorwessing.com British-American
Business Association (BABA) The
British-American Business Association is the premier UK-US business and cultural
forum in the mid-Atlantic region. The British-American Business Association has
worked since 1987 to foster transatlantic trade links and strengthen UK-US
cultural ties. BABA's membership has grown to more than 200 members, and has
become the premier forum for British and American business professionals in the
mid-Atlantic area. Through a variety of programs,
BABA members exchange valuable information, establish networks, and pursue
mutual interests. www.babawashington.org
Confederation
of British Industry (CBI) The
Confederation of British Industry is the UK's leading employers' organization.
It represents companies from every sector of UK business: small and large, from
manufacturing to retailing, agriculture to construction, hi-tech to finance,
transport to consultancy. Membership of the CBI is corporate: Organisations and
companies are members, not the individuals nominated to represent them. With
direct corporate membership employing over four million and a trade association
membership representing over six million of the workforce, the CBI is the
premier organization speaking for companies in the UK.
www.cbi.org.uk Destination:
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