Viewpoint

Independence will leave Scotland better-placed to support its universities and enable the country to attract more private R&D funding, says Professor Bryan MacGregor, Vice Principal and Head of the College of Physical Sciences at Aberdeen University

As the 18 September referendum looms closer, Jim Gallacher, emeritus professor at Glasgow Caledonian University, calls for a ‘No’ vote against Scottish independence, saying universities and research will be stronger if Scotland remains part of the UK

Investment from angels is on the rise, but they need help to invest wisely. It’s time to professionalise angel investing, says Herwig Rollett, co-founder of the Business Angel Institute in Vienna

Cell therapies hold the promise of more effective treatments for a range of diseases, but they face a long and expensive route to market. The key is to reduce risk and attract investors, says Keith Thompson, head of the UK Cell Therapy Catapult

The uncertainty sparked by the US ruling that the BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast cancer genes are not patentable is holding back the development of diagnostics and therapies, says patent lawyer Adrian Tombling

Pharmaceutical R&D functions at its best in small, agile and innovative SMEs. Replacing state subsidies and grant funding for research with start-up and development capital, would bring productivity improvements, says Mark Bloomfield, CEO of French biotech Polyplus Transfection

Horizon 2020 is not only the EU’s biggest, broadest and most ambitious R&D initiative ever, it is the first to prioritise innovation. Now, company culture must respond, boosting the quality, pace and scale of innovation, says Joachim von Heimburg

Poland must break down the silos between academics and industry, to build the trust and infrastructures needed to underpin multilateral collaborations, and enable Polish medical researchers to capitalise on pharma’s thirst for external innovation

The EU-funded BASTION project aims to build relationships between science and industry and promote the translation of cancer research into new treatments. But a number of obstacles must be removed before true collaboration can flourish

The EU-funded BASTION project aims to build relationships between science and industry and promote the translation of cancer research into new treatments. A number of obstacles must be removed before true collaboration can flourish