Introducing York Biotech Campus
We are very excited to announce that we have rebranded to become ‘York Biotech Campus’ (previously the National Agri-Food Innovation Campus – NAFIC). The rebrand represents our evolution from an agri-tech site to all-encompassing biotech and includes a new name, visual marque, and website to tie together our campus under a unique and vibrant identity.
We have repositioned ourselves to better reflect our success as a centre for biotech within the region having attracted a wide range of leading science organisations to the site over our 20-year history, including Labskin and Covance, who joined anchor occupier, Fera Science Limited.
Our new identity demonstrates the scale of the site’s work over the past 20 years, as it has played an integral role in pioneering science innovation. Most recently, York Biotech Campus has performed a key role in the fight against COVID-19, with a number of our occupiers involved in research efforts to fight the virus. This includes Abingdon Health, which is working as part of a nation-wide consortium to develop effective at-home antibody tests.
Further notable work includes; Fera Science Limited’s research in 2013, which revealed the presence of horsemeat in commercially available meat products; the development of an entirely artificial skin for testing purposes by Labskin; and the collaborative work between CHAP (Centre for Crop Health and Protection) and Fera to create Europe’s first E-Flows mesocosm.
To champion our foundations in Yorkshire and celebrate our role in supporting innovation in bioscience, the new brand design incorporates a molecular White Rose to illustrate both sides of the campus’s story.
Liz Cashon, innovation campus manager at York Biotech Campus said: “As an organisation at the front and centre of such a vital industry, this new brand is a fantastic reflection of the innovation fostered on campus, as well as our home in Yorkshire. The new direction of the campus has been met with positive responses from our tenants as the all-encompassing use of ‘biotech’ provides a unifying identity for everyone onsite.
“At York Biotech Campus we are gearing for growth, not only for our site, but for the rapid expansion of the biotech industry as we see it today, as, now more than ever, we are seeing innovative organisations growing out of the region to contribute vital research to the life science economy. We want businesses in the region to be able to respond to these ever-evolving challenges at the rate necessary, so have therefore created a unique environment onsite with them in mind.
“Repositioning our brand signifies our transformation as a science park, as well as our long-term commitment to supporting biotechnology in Yorkshire and beyond. We will strive to lead the UK’s scientific property sector and foster future ground-breaking innovation.”
David Kerfoot, chairman at York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership said: “The work and research which is being undertaken at York Biotech Campus is not only vital to addressing international scientific challenges but is also a key contributor towards developing York as a hub of innovation. Therefore, this repositioning of the site comes as an effective aid to this venture. We are pleased to see the ecosystem which has been built on campus go from strength to strength and we look forward to seeing how it develops moving forward.”