Medical and health

A distinctly healthy outlook
A growing number of business people are in Cornwall for health reasons, which doesn't necessarily mean they're here for the balmy climate and open-air lifestyle (though these certainly help!)

For companies in the healthcare, medical & pharmaceutical sector, Cornwall presents an increasingly attractive profile as a base for R&D activities. In fact, the county is already home to a significant cluster of businesses engaged in development and production of pharmaceuticals and advanced healthcare equipment. They're drawn here by a number of factors.

Cornwall's relatively stable population offers a good basis for clinical trials, particularly as the county has a well-developed and responsive GP network. Clinical trials here tend to be characterised by ease of recruitment and high response rates.

The county's first-rate education system means that there's no shortage of suitably qualified personnel. Plus the attractions of the Cornish lifestyle mean it's easy to recruit expertise from outside the county if necessary. For example Tripos Receptor Research has had no difficulty in persuading over 100 scientists to relocate to its new, cutting-edge research facility at Bude.

What's more, three major new initiatives are creating an exceptionally supportive environment for health-related businesses to thrive: The Peninsula Medical School, the Knowledge Spa, and the Cornwall Medi-Park.

The Peninsula Medical School
This is a medical school with a difference. Welcoming its first intake of students in 2002, Tony Blair hailed its "pioneering new approach to medical education - one that's founded on clinical skills training and contact with patients from day one."

Not only will the School give a further boost to Cornwall's already excellent healthcare provision, its infusion of research expertise and state-of-the-art facilities look set to play a big part in the ongoing expansion of the medical business sector.

The Peninsula Medical School is based on three campuses, at Plymouth, Exeter and Truro. Its Cornish campus forms part of the 'Knowledge Spa', an innovative development aimed at fostering a partnership between the county's health-related knowledge base and business profits.

The Knowledge Spa
As well as facilities for research and development, lifelong learning and health promotion, the Knowledge Spa includes a business 'pre-incubation' facility. This gives vital support to inventors and innovators in the medical field, enabling them to develop their ideas into viable commercial products.

The Knowledge Spa opened in September 2004 in a new £14m complex at the Royal Cornwall Hospital site that also houses the Cornwall campus of the Peninsula Medical School. An independent economic impact study predicts that it will boost Cornwall's economic turnover by £30m within five to ten years of opening.

The Cornwall Medi-Park
Businesses growing on the back of leading-edge medical research and successful product development need room to expand. The Cornwall Medi-Park, a health-focused science park at the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust site in Truro, will give them the best possible opportunity to do just that.

Companies locating to the Cornwall Medi-Park's high-quality premises will be exceptionally well placed to take advantage of the synergies and cross-fertilisation that result from bringing together a critical mass of research skills, business acumen and supportive infrastructure.