New collaboration presents big opportunities for UK SMEs

The recent signing of a co-promotional agreement between myM-link and Medical Device Licensing (a division of UTEK Europe, Ltd.), whereby myM-link will actively promote partnering opportunities from Medical Device Licensing's client companies directly to its member companies, is expected to present large-scale partnering opportunities to smaller companies operating in the UK life sciences market.

myM-link is a membership service for private companies in the life sciences market, which gives its members a competitive edge through networking, market intelligence and commercial opportunities.

Currently UTEK’s Medical Device Licensing platform offers companies the opportunity to promote their device, diagnostic, delivery and equipment partnering and licensing opportunities on a global scale to the biggest names in the biopharmaceutical, life science and healthcare industries worldwide utilising the service to identify innovative IP and opportunities.

This is a specialist market traditionally beyond the reach of smaller life sciences companies in the UK. The agreement between myM-link and UTEK’s Medical Device Licensing group will help to make this market accessible to the smaller UK life sciences companies – a sector that is recognised as playing a vital role in helping drive economic growth and meeting future healthcare needs.

Sue Wilde, Manager of myM-link spoke enthusiastically about the arrangement:
"Through the agreement, members of myM-link will now have access to opportunities to provide their expertise, products and services to large pharmaceutical, biotech and device manufacturing companies. This is a group that small/medium companies would traditionally have had difficulty engaging with, prior to this exciting agreement."

She continued: "This collaboration comes at a good time for SMEs in the UK, emerging from the recession and looking for new markets. myM-link is continually successful in bringing SMEs together to collaborate on the best use of each other’s technology, products or services for their mutual benefit and advancement, but now they get a chance to show the big boys what they are capable of."

"This agreement is definitely a two-way deal;" commented Mark McBride, Managing Director of UTEK Europe, Ltd, "We have recognised myM-link’s integral position as one of the UK’s foremost life sciences membership service and have chosen to partner with them so that global companies utilising our Medical Device Licensing and Pharmalicensing platforms can tap into the type of innovative thinking shown by myM-link’s member companies. We feel there is great potential within the SME community for solutions to be developed addressing issues raised by the partnering and licensing activities of our client companies."

Sue Wilde concluded:
"As the UK looks to emerge from the recession, the work done in this increasingly important sector should not be underestimated. The days of UK manufacture on the grand scale may be behind us, but perhaps now we have found a new niche."

Private companies in the life sciences market can take advantage of this opportunity by becoming a member of myM-link.