MARCH  2019
OBN Launch New Purchasing Platform
We are delighted to announce the launch of our new online Purchasing Platform. The aim of this Purchasing Platform is to enable  users to have a better overview and control of spend and so save time and money.   

The Purchasing Platform, sponsored by  Fisher Scientific and provided by  ELCOM , is a cloud-based procurement solution which allows members to place orders directly with OBN's preferred suppliers online. Fisher Scientific Punch-out is now available and provides a direct link to the Fisher Scientific website via the Purchasing Platform, allowing for live availability of stock and prices.

The new Purchasing Platform will offer various benefits to OBN Members, including:  
  • Greater control of spend
  • All suppliers in one place
  • Guided buying experience
  • Increased compliance
  • Great ROI and spend under management
  • Lower transaction costs
  • Reduced purchasing costs
  • Comprehensive spend analysis
  • Opportunities to expand capabilities and grow with the organisation 
Lee Pratley, Head of Purchasing and Membership at  OBN, commented  "Having joined OBN in 2013 I have enjoyed working with Members and Suppliers in growing the value of the Purchasing Consortium. Over the last five years we have been able to increase user companies from 30 to over 100 attracting other providers, increasing our buying power and driving down costs. The Purchasing Platform will provide Members the ability to track and manage their spend more efficiently, supporting them in their growth and expansion capabilities."

Lee Pratley added: "I would like to thank Fisher Scientific who have been sponsors of the Purchasing Consortium for the last four years and have supported OBN in the launch of this new Platform provided by ELCOM."

Louise Sutton, Industry Director,  Fisher Scientific said  "'Fisher Scientific looks forward to working with OBN Members new and old to help improve online ordering efficiency and give access to our full webshop within the ELCOM purchasing platform. The key benefits of companies being able to see the full discounts on offer from Fisher Scientific along with real time stock and further product information should benefit all users."

The Platform will be free for Full Members, Supporters and Sponsors to access for the first year; from 1 February 2020 there will be an increase to Full Membership fees to support this.

If you have any questions then please contact Lee Pratley[email protected] or call him on 01235 420 876.

Utility Team - Understanding Energy
Understanding energy is at the heart of everything we do at  Utility Team. As in science, where introducing energy to reactants helps turn them into products. Utility Team can provide the most appropriate energy options to support product formation  for your business, with optimal energy suppliers giving you the best outcome for your company.

We are one of the UK's leading utilities and energy consultants, working with both SMEs and large  businesses. We handle our customer's businesses as if they were our own, prudently and with integrity, ensuring the best combination of price and provision for that organisation.

Although saving our customers money is a substantial part of what we do, our service is also paramount. We make the arduous and unappealing task of arranging utilities an easy and quick one, many of our customers consolidate lots of bills from different sites into one to make it even simpler. Comparing costs from our established and extensive portfolio of suppliers to get the best contract available for that customer. In fact, we provide a host of services on top of this which support your utility needs from water supply to bill validation to telecommunications.

Encouraging energy efficiency and supporting green energy is another key principle of ours. The environment is more precious than any commodity we have and is something we all need to look after. As such we ensure we help the companies we work with tackle climate change and rising energy costs by increasing energy efficiency. An example of this is our Revolving Green Fund (RGF), which is an exclusive initiative enabling businesses  to receive interest free funds for any energy cost savings technologies or initiatives.

At Utility Team we pride ourselves on business acumen and professionalism. We have recently received recognition three times over in this respect. We have connected and established our place with Cornwall Insights, a nationally recognised energy industry expert and research organisation. Being ranked 1st for services offered and 25th out of 110 companies within the energy industry overall (within industry and commercial) which is an impressive feat for any energy procurement company.  UK government certification for protecting sensitive client data; Cyber Essentials, has also been obtained. This certification means we can effectively protect our customer data, staving off potential theft of this critical information and corruption of  customer accounts, providing an extremely safe environment for each and every one of our clients.

Furthermore, we have also successfully obtained the difficult to gain ISO certification in both ISO 9001:2015 and 14001:2015. Our quality management systems (covered in the ISO 9001:2015 certification) demonstrates our dedication to excellent customer service. This ensures consistent and reliable practices, resulting in our customers receiving an extremely high level of service at all times. Additionally, we are dedicated to ensuring our environmental management systems are monitored effectively (highlighted by the ISO 14001:2015 certification). This demonstrates our dedication to the environment and energy efficiency, further emphasising our values, knowledge and experience surrounding green energy.

We are proud sponsors of the upcoming BioTrinity event and have partnered with OBN to offer all OBN Members our energy services as a preferred supplier. 

We take the effort out of energy and make it simple, doing the hard work so you don't have to. Contact us today to discuss your options: [email protected] / 02476 997901.
                                                                                                                                       
The European Life Sciences Market - 
continued growth despite the uncertainties of Brexit? 
Earlier this month, Horton International (UK) launched its  2019 European Life Science Repor t,  following
their annual survey among the movers and shakers within the European Life Science sector. Their report last year reflected a general feeling of optimism, suggesting that people thought the sector was in good shape and investment would continue to be healthy; by most measures it is reasonable to conclude that 2018 was, indeed, a good year for the industry across Europe.

This year's report again, suggests that the majority of people anticipate that 2019 will be a good year for the sector. Having said that, however, there were a number of respondents who felt uncertain about the future, mainly driven by Brexit. This was reflected in the survey results, with the confidence indicator (marks out of 10) falling from 7.4 in the previous year to 7.0 this year.  For more information please click  here.
Specialist Insurers PIA Commercial 
Established in 1992, PIA Commercial works closely with their clients to provide a tailored range of specialist insurance products for both individuals and businesses.

PIA Commercial are a specialist Insurance Broker to the Life Science sector with a strong track record of working closely with individuals and companies to provide competitive Insurance premiums and specialist personal support with the day to day Insurance issues that face individuals and companies.

Most commercial insurance brokers arrange all forms of cover for a wide range of businesses who work in various industries. Since PIA Commercial only arrange specific, specialist insurance cover for companies involved in the healthcare, life sciences and biotechnology industries; they can solely focus on obtaining the best level of protection for their clients.

Please contact PIA Commercial at [email protected] with any queries or to receive a personalised quote.
Or visit their brand new updated website at https://www.piacommercial.com/ to view their extensive range of personalised insurance plans for businesses and individuals in the life science, biotechnology and healthcare industries.

Keep up to date with their business news and industry insights by following them on Linkedin,  PIA Commercial  
What is EIT Health?
EIT Health is a leading health initiative backed by the EU set up to help tackle challenges of increasing chronic diseases and multi-morbidity as well as providing projects in education and innovation. EIT Health funds start-ups in the health industry and connects the finest mentors with innovators to drive growth, investment, cross border expansion and commercialisation of ideas.
 
In the last three years, EIT Health has supported the growth of projects at various stages, from Seed and Series A through their Accelerator programmes and bootcamps, to scaling up projects and international expansion via programmes like GoGlobal.
 
EIT Health provides excellent funding opportunities and grants like their Catapult or Headstart competitions, which they are always looking for projects interested in growth. If interested, you can find out more on their website: https://www.eithealth.eu
or speak to your regional CLC Business Creation Manager to see how you can get involved either as a start-up, mentor or investor.
 
Contacts for UK-Ireland:
Rosemary Gallagher ( [email protected])
For more about our Accelerator programmes visit: https://www.eithealth.eu/accelerator , education: https://www.eithealth.eu/en_US/campus or innovation: https://www.eithealth.eu/en_US/innovation_projects 



2019 marks a significant year for  BioTrinity as we move to a new c entral London venue, etc. venues Bishopsgate, next to Liverpool Street Station, which allows us to deliver a more streamlined conference programme all on one floor.
 
Key features of the packed two-days includes:
  • Over 2000 partnering meetings powered by partneringOne
  • Company showcase presentations in our BioLaunchPad® space
  • New-look and targeted exhibition area
  • Panel discussions addressing 'What's Happening' in Neurodegenerative Disease, Oncology, Mental Health, Diabetes, Cell and Gene Therapy and Autoimmune Disease
  • Keynotes addressing how to obtain commercial value from 'Healthy Ageing'
  • Networking with up to 900 delegates from more than 450 companies, including 150 international investors and 75 representatives from global Big Pharma
For an update on the sponsors, speakers, showcasing companies and delegates please visit  www.biotrinity.com

OBN Upcoming Events

      ' How to Grow your Start-Up'
        Tuesday 12 March 
       17:30 - 21:00
       Oxford BioEscalator


      ' How the Drug Discovery Industry Works'
       Thursday 14 March 
       12:00 - 17:00
       Oxford 


       Networking Drinks
       Thursday 21 March 
       18:00 - 20:00
                                                             Oxford Science Park

New Members
Welcome to our new Members! 
      
 
D esign investment products that help investors look after their financial well being.

 
An independent consultancy who help with grant funding, R&D taxation, and project management.

An IT hardware and software company providing specialist cloud business solutions. 
   
 
Process the development and commercialisation of monocolonal antibody biotherapeutics.
 
Specialise in the production of complex proteins, antigens and biochemicals.
 
An AI software platform and technical services vendor.

Focus on countering the spread of antimicrobial resistance to managing bacterial infection.

To review our full list of members,  click here.
Conference Discounts
Go to the OBN website
and login  to view the details of  discounts  you can receive as an OBN Member to attend a wide range of events.
Member News

Jobs
Need accommodation for BioEurope 2019?

If you are attending BioEurope this year, 25 March - 27 March, and need to book your accommodation then please consider the hotel rates below which are kindly being offered by one of our Members,  EFR Travel.

Suggested hotels - room per night including tax:
 
From EUR152.00 

From EUR169.00 

Motel One Wien-Prater                      
From EUR 85.00
 
From EUR109.00 

From EUR139.00 

To contact  EFR Travel please email  [email protected] or call 02084217090.

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