The IIB was launched in 2006 and is co-located in the research complex of the School of Biological Sciences on the city campus of the University of Auckland. The IIB provides laboratory/office space for co-located companies thereby giving them access to state-of-the-art equipment centres, specialist facilities and services, and world-class technology expertise. The IIB also operates the Master in Bioscience Enterprise programme training business-savvy scientists who understand the value chain from discovery to product and market. Together with regular networking forums and customised industry workshops, the IIB is providing fundamental services promoting the growth of the life sciences industry.

Quick facts:

• Currently 8 companies are co-located in the IIB (approx. 45 industry staff) including Comvita, Vialactia (Fonterra), DairyNZ, LIC, AgResearch, Bayer NZ, CoDa Therapeutics, Innate Immunotherapeutics.
• Full co-location capacity is a steady-state of 12 companies – approx. 60 industry staff.
• The IIB co-locates start-ups and research divisions/subsidiaries of mature companies. We help companies grow their R&D by sharing our facilities, hi-tech equipment and expertise. Companies pay a co-location fee and get access to all infrastructure and services. This opens new opportunities, saves capital spent on brick and mortar, and reduces risk.
• There is no time limit.
• The IIB is contracted to operate the Master in Bioscience Enterprise programme. This is a two-year programme for life science graduates where they learn skills in finance and accounting, IP law, marketing, commercialisation, product development, and carry out a business research project during a 6-month internship in a company.
• We monitor MBioEnt graduates (over 100 to date) through their employment progression – snap shot June 2013: food/agritech 20%, pharma 20%, medtech 9%, tech transfer 8%, public agencies 7%, legal/financial 5%. NZ 75%, overseas 25%.
• The IIB runs monthly networking functions for industry, academics, graduate students – average attendance 100. They are advertised as the ‘Bioscience Enterprise Forums’.
• The IIB carries out international best practice research and has reports available on how to design and operate innovation parks; strategies to attract foreign companies; strategies to establish academic-multinational company partnerships. The reports can be downloaded from the IIB website www.biotech.co.nz