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Biotechnology

Biotechnology includes... the manufacture of basic pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical preparations and research and development in natural sciences and engineering.

This page offers a wealth of information and resources to help you investigate working in this sector or to help you read up to impress in applications and interviews.

Contents include:

Overview

The South West is a major centre of biomedical research with internationally recognised expertise and approximately 12,000 people in 336 companies.

The sector has seen a rapid expansion, increasing by 48% between 1998 and 2004. The main drivers for this expansion have been through research and development activities, forged through links with regional universities and specialist research park facilities. This is a fast changing, innovative sector that forges partnerships and collaborations between many partners.

Biomedical research activities are centred on Higher Education Institutions at Bath, Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth, the Health Protection Agency and the Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down in Wiltshire. More details on the research specialisms of each institution can be found here.

The sector is primarily supported through a hub for the Lifesciences and Biotechnology Knowledge Economy of the South West known as BioApproaches SW

In addition the NHS provides a support service for NHS staff who wish to develop innovative idea and inventions to improve patient care called NHS Innovations South West.

Types and locations of work

The following key facts about the Biomedical sector were drawn from the Annual Business Inquiry - a survey that collects employment and financial information from businesses.

The Annual Business Inquiry data shows both the number of businesses in the sector and the number of employees.

In 2007, there were 336 Biomedical businesses in the South West of which:

The majority of these businesses (310) had fewer than 100 employees
The sector employed some 11,900 employees (0.5% of the South West workforce).

The main sub-sectors in terms of employee numbers were:

Research in the natural sciences and engineering (7,900 employees).
The manufacture of pharmaceutical preparations (3,500 employees).

The main sub-sectors in terms of number of businesses were:

Research in the natural sciences and engineering (294 businesses).
The manufacture of pharmaceutical preparations (36 businesses).
The manufacture of pharmaceutical products.

The top three Local Authority Areas (LAs), in terms of numbers of Biomedical businesses located within them, included: Devon (51 businesses); Gloucestershire (45 businesses); and, Wiltshire (39 businesses). Summaries of the key industry facts for these LAs are shown below:

Devon: 96% of businesses (49) had less than 100 employees. The main industry in this LA was research in the natural sciences and engineering (44 businesses).
Gloucestershire: 93% of Biomedical businesses (42) within this LA had less than 100 employees. The main Biomedical industry in this sub region was also research in the natural sciences and engineering (39 businesses).
Wiltshire: 90% of businesses (35) had less than 100 employees. Research in the natural sciences and engineering was also the main industry within this LA (31 businesses).

Major employers

Click here to view the major biotechnology employers in the South West.

(Simply tick the 'Biomedical and Healthcare' box under 'Industry sector' and hit 'search'. This will bring up many of the major biotechnology employers in the region)

Job Roles in this Sector

Explore job roles in biotechnology.

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Skills shortages and skills gaps

The biomedical sector falls within a broader bioscience sector. Information on skills shortages and skills gaps is available for the bioscience sector from the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies (SEMTA).

Skills gaps or shortages provide opportunities for graduates to fill! Talk to your tutor or careers service about how you can develop skills that are in short supply to give yourself the edge in the job market.

The Bioscience sector is characterised by a declining pool of graduates with bioscience related degrees. Furthermore, only a small number of these graduates then progress to either a career in a bioscience industry or on to a relevant higher degree qualification. This means that, supply is not matching the demand, and consequently there are not enough cutting edge researchers, good bench scientists, or skilled technicians required for the development of bioscience.

The SEMTA Labour Market Survey (2006) of businesses in England found that:

39% of companies in the Pharmaceutical and Bioscience sectors experienced Hard to Fill vacancies
22% experienced Skills Shortages Vacancies
29% experienced skills gaps in the current workforce.

The main areas of skills shortages and hard to fill vacancies covered a wide range of general scientific skills: