Nexxus Scotland

Pharmalinks - Capabilities and Credentials 

Based within a major centre for biomedical research activity, PharmaLinks consists of researchers from the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde with interests relating to all elements within the drug discovery and development process. This provides the pharmaceutical industry with access to more than 1,000 investigators. PharmaLinks' scientific/clinical collaborative networks further enhance this critical mass, resulting in one of the largest concentration of biomedical researchers in Europe.

PharmaLinks has been established to facilitate and manage interactive collaborations with the pharmaceutical industry. The PharmaLinks team ensures that collaborative projects are well managed and deliver results on time and within budget.

Capabilities

The breadth of expertise and depth of focus within the two universities is formidable. The University of Glasgow's strengths in the molecular and cellular biosciences and clinical medicine are complemented by the University of Strathclyde's expertise in pharmacy, pharmacology and the Strathclyde Institute for Drug Research (SIDR). Strong working ties exist between university scientists, the medical faculty and the major hospitals, resulting in fundamental research being driven by knowledge of medical needs. This strong network of experienced professionals means that clinical trials can form an integral part of research programmes. PharmaLinks can therefore effectively facilitate the full process from drug discovery through to drug delivery, tailored to the specific requirements of clients.

The combined research capability of PharmaLinks delivers the pharmaceutical industry with fast, interdisciplinary solutions to time-consuming, critical research problems. In medical and pharmaceutical investigation, PharmaLinks offers an extensive range of excellent resources for outsourcing a wide scope of pharmaceutical research, which would be difficult for any single group to undertake. The larger critical mass for interdisciplinary collaborative research enables a more flexible, rapid and total response to industry needs.

Credentials

The Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde have enjoyed a long history of working together due to their proximity and common areas of interest. This working relationship has been strengthened by formal recognition of each other as the preferred partner in research. The ‘Synergy' partnership creates one of the UK's largest knowledge bases with a combined research funding portfolio in the order of £100M per annum.

• In the biomedical fields, research income exceeds £44 million per annum.
• Overall number of researchers in the biomedical field across both universities is in excess of 1000.
• 70% of the biomedical research departments are rated 4 and above in the UK Government Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), demonstrating recognition of the research excellence of the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde.
• The University of Glasgow's Medical School, one of the largest in Europe, is an integral element of PharmaLinks.
• Access to clinicians from hospitals throughout the West of Scotland.