Published: 12 Oct 2017 | Last Updated: 10 Aug 2023 15:41:32

The Royal Veterinary College is celebrating the success of a bid, prepared on behalf of London’s Knowledge Quarter, to conduct a Science and Innovation Audit. Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson announced today that he was instigating an Audit of science and innovation strengths in the geographical area which includes the RVC’s Camden Campus and the RVC’s business incubator, the London BioScience Innovation Centre.

The Audit will investigate the extent and ability for the Knowledge Quarter area to deliver major economic benefits for the wider UK. It will focus on five ‘smart specialisms’: Emerging Infectious Diseases, including Antimicrobial Resistance; Musculoskeletal Pathology Associated with Ageing; Dementias; Digital Archiving, Curation and Publishing; and Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence.

In addition, the Audit will map the area’s global competitive advantages, and build on identified areas of current and emergent strength which will increase UK productivity, create jobs, and drive economic growth.

Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, Jo Johnson, said: “Now in its third wave, the Science and Innovation Audits are providing valuable insight into the ground-breaking work taking place across the UK and the contributions we are making to solve challenges across the world.

“The work of the successful regions undertaking their SIA in this wave will support the development and delivery of our Industrial Strategy and allow local places to build on their strengths. This will ensure that the UK remains competitive in the global market and is best placed to continue leading scientific discoveries and taking them to market.”

Professor Stuart Reid, Principal of the RVC, said: “The RVC is delighted to have a leading role in this Science and Innovation Audit on behalf of the Knowledge Quarter. The future success of science depends on organisations working together, exploiting the synergy between our different skills sets and ensuring the outcomes have social, economic and political impact.”

The Knowledge Quarter is a partnership of 88 academic, cultural, research, scientific and media organisations within a one-mile radius comprising of King’s Cross, Bloomsbury and Euston, who all have within their purpose the creation and dissemination of knowledge. Since its launch in December 2014, it has welcomed a further 52 organisations as partners. The Knowledge Quarter fosters knowledge exchange and collaboration between staff and users of cross-disciplinary communities to exchange ideas, expertise and evidence.

Chair of the Knowledge Quarter and Chief Executive of the British Library, Roly Keating said: "We're absolutely delighted that the Knowledge Quarter has been selected as the focus for one of the Government's Science and Innovation Audits. Across its 88 member organisations, KQ already boasts a unique concentration of world-class talent and resources across science, research and culture. The Audit will provide the catalyst - and the evidence base - that will help us make an even greater contribution to UK innovation and economic growth."

Notes to Editors
For more information please contact:

• Uche Graves uche.graves@plmr.co.uk or Zoe Chadwick zoe.chadwick@plmr.co.uk 
• Press Line: 0800 368 9520

About the Royal Veterinary College

• The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is the UK's largest and longest established independent veterinary school and is a constituent College of the University of London. 
• The RVC offers undergraduate, postgraduate and CPD programmes in veterinary medicine, veterinary nursing and biological sciences, being ranked in the top 10 universities nationally for biosciences degrees. 
• It is currently the only veterinary school in the world to hold full accreditation from AVMA, EAEVE, RCVS and AVBC. 
• A research-led institution, in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF2014) the RVC maintained its position as the top HEFCE funded veterinary focused research institution. 
• The RVC also provides animal owners and the veterinary profession with access to expert veterinary care and advice through its teaching hospitals; the Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital in central London, the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals (Europe's largest small animal referral centre), the Equine Referral Hospital, and the Farm Animal Clinical Centre located at the Hertfordshire campus.