Is the UK a favorable environment for, say, stem cell research?
Johnson: Absolutely. We have been surprised at the reaction to stem cell research in the U.S. There is no such issue in the UK. A number of bio- clusters have been established at British universities, most notably Oxford, Cambridge, York and Glasgow. The regional development agencies are now actively supporting spinouts from these universities. The UK does not possess the active venture capital industry that the U.S. enjoys, so raising money can be more difficult. Nevertheless, there are significant opportunities for private funding through these academic bio-clusters. At Oxford, for example, some 25 million has been raised from private sources for a new chemistry facility, and the university’s chemistry department is to look for commercial spinout opportunities for investment by the initial contributors to the project. There are very significant opportunities that link private funding with academia in the UK. Editor: Does the government make it possible for employees to move freely, e
