Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC), the UK's national center for medicines research and development, has announced two significant strategic partnerships aimed at strengthening the country's drug discovery pipeline and accelerating the translation of academic research into commercial therapeutics.
Partnership with Francis Crick Institute Supports National Start-up Accelerator
MDC has partnered with the Francis Crick Institute to support KQ Labs, a national accelerator program for data-driven health science start-ups. The five-month annual program serves as a launchpad for up to ten companies developing science-backed solutions in drug discovery, digital health, and precision medicine.
Since its founding in 2018, KQ Labs has demonstrated remarkable success in nurturing early-stage biotechnology ventures. The program has supported 70 start-ups across seven cohorts, with alumni collectively raising over £219 million in investment to date. The accelerator helps young companies de-risk their innovations while providing expert mentoring and access to high-value industry and investor networks.
Through this partnership, MDC will contribute both expertise and funding to scale KQ Labs' national impact. The organization will leverage its national networks to extend the program's reach to promising early-stage ventures across the UK and offer specialized drug discovery and translational support to help participating companies validate their ideas and strengthen their commercial readiness.
Professor Chris Molloy, Chief Executive Officer of Medicines Discovery Catapult, emphasized the importance of supporting young biotechnology companies: "Young biotechs are the high-risk heartbeat of our sector, and they deserve industry-class translational support to make them Fit to Fund and grow. As a national Life Sciences service, that is what MDC is here for."
University of Exeter Collaboration Bridges Academic-Industry Gap
In a separate strategic partnership, MDC has joined forces with the University of Exeter to accelerate medicines research and development while creating a post-COVID blueprint for academic-Catapult collaboration. This partnership specifically targets the critical transition point where academic research must be translated into drug candidates or technologies through industrial processes.
The collaboration focuses on four key areas: identifying research that can be supported at its earliest stages, developing innovations into independently validated propositions, embedding industry-standard drug discovery knowledge at the point of ideation, and identifying new mechanisms to sustain medicine development through novel funding partnerships.
Professor Neil Gow FRS, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Impact at the University of Exeter, described the partnership's potential: "This exciting partnership offers much for both parties. It will enable our researchers to take their novel ideas beyond the stage where academic inspiration transitions into translational applications."
Addressing Structural Challenges in Drug Discovery
Both partnerships address fundamental structural issues in the UK's life sciences ecosystem. The collaborations aim to combine world-class academic research with industrial expertise, cutting-edge discovery platforms, and data technologies to ensure promising innovations are properly validated and packaged for industry adoption.
Dr. Nicola Heron, Chief Strategy Officer at Medicines Discovery Catapult, highlighted the importance of data-driven approaches: "The UK's brightest biotechs are applying groundbreaking AI, machine learning and advanced computational techniques to find new ways to treat disease, opening an exciting avenue for drug discovery innovation."
The University of Exeter partnership was initiated through the Wellcome Trust-funded 'Translational Research Exchange @ Exeter' (TREE), with joint events hosted at the university's Living Systems Institute leading to several collaborative projects involving academic staff, pre-spin out companies, and MDC industry specialists.
National Impact and Future Outlook
These partnerships represent a strategic approach to maximizing the impact of UK biomedical research while addressing critical bottlenecks in translation and commercialization. Dr. Tony Soteriou, Director for Commercialisation of Research at UKRI, noted that the University of Exeter partnership "exemplifies this spirit, unblocking one of the major bottlenecks in translation and commercialisation."
The timing of these announcements coincides with KQ Labs Demo Day, where the 2025 cohort of ten start-ups showcased their innovations to investors, corporates, and ecosystem leaders. Applications for the next KQ Labs program will open on July 1, 2025, signaling continued momentum in supporting the UK's emerging biotechnology sector.
