Chemistry World Entrepreneur of the Year

The 2014 Chemistry World Entrepreneur of the Year is Tom Brown, professor of nucleic acid chemistry at the University of Oxford. 

The £4000 annual award, announced today in Chemistry World, recognises an outstanding individual contribution to the commercialisation of chemical research. 

Brown's group designs new types of chemically-modified DNA that can be used to diagnose infectious diseases, genetic diseases and cancer. He also works on forensic applications that can be used in rapid human identification.  He is the co-founder of three biotech companies: Oswel, ATDBio and Primer Design.

Brown believes start-ups like his can often struggle to get off the ground because of the lack of obvious intellectual property. Yet he thinks this can sometimes be an advantage: "A drug molecule has to be patented, but if your company is process-based, it is different," he says. "As soon as you file a patent, you publicise what you are doing, and without a lot of money, it's impossible to police." 

It is far more important is to focus on optimising the process itself, he believes, and nurturing the talented people who are able to deliver a service based on that technology that is differentiated from the competition. 

Brown says the UK must be commercially successful and innovative if it is to remain at the forefront of science, technology and medicine. "This means this connection between research and commerce has to be there, while ensuring that pure research remains," he believes. 

"That's a delicate balancing act - there's always a tension, and of course there need to be checks and balances in place. There also has to be an understanding that not everyone should have to work on high impact projects; there must also be significant funding for fundamental chemistry. But I firmly believe it's better to fight with that balance than not connect research with commerce."

Brown says it is clear there is now a strong desire in government to help small companies succeed, and there is a lot of support available for small companies involved in R&D. "We decided to take advantage of this by opening the Oxford lab," he says. "It isn't designed to make money directly - it's designed to bring in new ideas that will be profitable in ten or 20 years' time, backed by the income-generating engine in Southampton. 

"We do things differently, we go into new areas, and wherever possible we take advantage of EU and government initiatives. Of course, it's also good for networking, as you are in contact with other companies and academics." 

So with three successful spin-outs under his belt already, does Brown have the appetite for a fourth? He claims not - at least at the moment. "You never know when an enthusiastic postdoc with a great idea will show up in your office asking for advice," he says. "I would always want to support them if they - and their idea - had promise. But with the two companies I'm involved with already, plus my new move to Oxford, I think that's enough for now!"