Cranleigh Scientific

CBI Director General Speaks Out about the Future of Pharma in the UK

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:49:00 +0000

For those of you who didn’t catch Channel 4 News on Monday night, there was an interesting piece on the future of the UK’s Pharma industry. Director General of the CBI (Confederation of British Industry), John Cridland, spoke out about his concern for the UK Pharma sector in light of the 2,400 jobs to be lost from Pfizer in Sandwich. While visiting Eli Lilly’s Surrey facility, Mr Cridland stated that he thinks “the Government has taken the sector a little bit for granted.” In spite of the Government claiming that the Pfizer closure was an isolated case, Mr Cridland pointed out that there have been several thousand additional job losses from Pharma in the UK over the last three years.

Aside from the shift within the sector away from large campuses run by the multinationals to smaller start-up organisations, the suggestion was that there are additional factors specific to the UK which impede investment in the sector. For example, the Patent Box proposal (see my earlier blog), while a step in the right direction, favours domestic domiciled companies, but does less to encourage the foreign investment we will need to keep the sector buoyant.

Graduates - What Do They Earn, Where Do They Work?

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:36:36 +0000

Recent graduates often ask us for information about how buoyant the job market is in their sector; is now a good time to look for work, or is it best to keep studying for a Masters or a PhD? You can keep yourself informed simply by keeping an eye on current job vacancies, but another good starting point to inform yourself of current graduate salaries and in particular what people are earning in your sector.

A good source of information is http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk ; don’t let the title put you off, it’s not just for undergraduates or younger, there’s plenty of information on the site about how graduate jobs and salaries are trending. The careers section has some statistics on how much graduates are earning and where they end up after their degree.

It’s reassuring to note the increasing gap between graduate and non-graduate employees for those careers at the top of the list. Graduate chemical engineers, for example, now earn nearly twice as much as non-graduates. Only two years ago, a degree in that subject would only earn you an extra 20% over non-graduate employees. Those higher paid (and higher in demand) roles also enjoy the highest pay rises; there’s been a 13% increase in average salaries for chemical engineers, whilst those working in the biological sciences have seen their salaries increase by only 6%.

Government Announcement on Lower Tax Rate for Patent Income Welcome News for UK’s Science Sector

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:27:47 +0000

The recent announcement that Pfizer will be closing its Sandwich facility, leading to 2,400 jobs losses, has certainly dampened the mood within the pharmaceuticals market, but it’s not all doom and gloom out there.

Recent proposals relating to tax on patent income are already having a positive impact on future scientific research and innovation in the UK and increasing graduate opportunities in the science sector.

Government ministers announced at the end of last year that a new “patent box” regime will be introduced in the UK; from 2013, businesses will pay a new lower rate of 10% corporate tax on patent IP income.

The current rate of corporate tax can be discouraging for many research-oriented organisations who therefore chose to locate their IP abroad, where tax rates are lower.

Following the announcement, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) stated that it would be investing £500million on a new biopharma facility, thus creating potentially 1000 new science graduate jobs. In reference to the government’s proposals, Andrew Witty, Chief Executive of GSK, commented, “I guarantee you that if this hadn’t happened, there would be no GSK pharma facility being built in Britain.”

Osborne unveils massive cuts to tackle UK debt

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:59:25 +0100

Chancellor George Osborne has today revealed how the Government plans to make major savings to tackle the UK’s debt.

In the much-anticipated Spending Review, Osborne revealed cuts unequalled in scale since the Second World War.

Every Government department came under scrutiny as the Coalition set its sights on clearing £83billion of debt from the UK’s balance sheets within four years.

In particular for Science & Renewable Energy the following key pints are noteworthy:

Science

Science budget frozen
NHS Budget protected

Energy and Climate Change
5% annual budget cut
£200million funding for wind power development
£1billion for green investment bank

Green Energy v Energy Security

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:48:00 +0100

Recent comments from Greg Barker, Climate Change Minister, seem encouraging in stating that the UK is open for business in supporting new emerging green technologies by way of long term government policy. These are very early days for the new coalition government, but how confident can we be based on past performance of Government that our targets are not only achieved but exceeded?

UK’s 2020 Renewable Energy Targets

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:10:46 +0100

Last week the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) produced the UK`s National Renewable Action Plan to the European Commission (July 1^st).

The Plan essentially confirms that the UK will meet it’s 15% renewable energy target by 2020 on the basis that there is a system of financial supports and framework to encourage further development that is planned and foreseen over the next 10 years.

Whilst encouraging words, how realistic are these claims (particularly in view of past performance) and what really needs to be done to ensure that our commitments are met?

Cranleigh Scientific selects Oakleaf Enterprise as its charity for 2010

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:47:00 +0100

We are pleased to announce that we have selcted Oalkeaf Enterprise as our charity of choice for 2010

Oakleaf Enterprise is a Guildford based charity enabling people to return to work following a mental illness. Oakleaf provide vocational training in IT, upholstery and horticulture. These courses lead to recognised qualifications which help boost self confidence and increase employability.

By Using Oakleaf’s gardening, upholstery, printing or mailing and packing service you will be helping people with mental health needs to recover their social and emotional well-being.

Cranleigh Scientific will be donating £25.00 to Oakleaf for each permanent placement made.

For more information on Oakleaf Enterprise please visit www.oakleaf-enterprise.org or call: 01483 303 649.

What will the Con-Lib Coalition mean for UK Science?

Wed, 26 May 2010 08:02:36 +0100

With the advent of a new government promising a sea change in British politics, what will the new conservative-liberal coalition’s impact be on the UK scientific industry?

In the run up to the general election David Cameron was perhaps the most vocal of the three leaders in articulating a dedicated vision for UK science and research when he declared that his policies “form the core of our vision for vibrant science and engineering sectors, and represent a clear conservative commitment to strengthening science skills, respecting science advice, maintaining the quality of our research, and creating the conditions for high-tech economic recovery”.

The tone and emphasis of Cameron’s words fit nicely with the new image and drive towards the Conservatives wanting to be seen as the progressive main stream party on green-tech and scientific issues, and for these sectors to be one of the main driving forces behind the revival of the UK economy. This is further backed up in the Conservative manifesto where there is a strong focus on the need to produce more science and engineering graduates for the UK universities which would include a £350 million commitment to fund 25,000 new masters’ degrees in these areas.

The Conservative’s manifesto also spelt out the desire to ‘Make Britain the leading hi-tech exporter in Europe’, and building on the recommendation from Sir James Dyson’s review this would be achieved through the following:

· Encouraging the establishment of joint university business and development issues;

· Initiating a multi-year science and Research budge to provide a stable investment climate for research councils;

· Creating a better focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math’s subjects in schools;

· Research and tax credits to be improved and refocused on hi-tech companies, small businesses and new start ups.

Whilst the impact of the Liberal on the new coalition government remains to be seen, it is still noteworthy to consider the standpoint the Liberals towards Science. Whilst not as explicit in spelling out a vision for Science, Nick Clegg did comment in his speech to delegates at the Royal Society on the 18^th Jan 2010 where he noted that the Lib Dems would honour allocations to research budgets, as they grappled with the black hole in the nations finance’. Indeed he went on to echo the Tory parties line of a revival of UK science education being behind a new economic revival when he declared, ‘The challenge that faces us is the reinvention of our economy towards new principles. Science, math’s, engineering and technology must be at the heart of that project. We must balance our economy so that manufacturing and research are as valued as finance and consumer services’.

And so as the Conservative Liberal message seems to see the future of the UK economy as being bound up with science, engineering and hi-tech industries but above all ‘green’ - This is perhaps rather apt considering the blur of Conservative blue and liberal yellow that now presides of UK politics. We await to see how the rhetoric will now transcend itself into substantive policy.

What will the Con – Lib coalition mean for UK Renewables

Tue, 18 May 2010 15:50:00 +0100

The new coalition government has pledged to develop a new Green Investment Bank, encourage marine energy and promote a “huge” increase in energy from waste through anaerobic digestion. These are of course very early days in the course of this new administration but anyone interested in the issues of climate change, the creation of a low carbon economy and the need to shift to shift to renewable energy as a priority for the UK, will need to be looking very closely at whether the initial supportive statements are translated into action and firm policies.

We see the next 12 months as being critical for the sector as a whole and whether as it initially appears that this new administration is putting the green economy at the heart of Government as it seems.