Dr Jane Redford

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When did you start at Edinburgh Innovations (EI)?

I started in 2019.

How would you explain your job to an alien?

I work closely with academics based on the Edinburgh BioQuarter campus.  I support them to advance their ideas and research towards patient benefit, including through engagement with companies, and putting in place agreements where needed.  

What did you do before EI?

A range of roles within academia, contract research and pharmaceutical companies, helping to identify and progress novel therapies to the clinic.

What’s the best thing about working at EI/the University of Edinburgh?

Every day is different – different projects and challenges. Together with the opportunity to work with a great team within both CMVM business development and the wider EI teams – it’s great to have support!

What's your favourite project that you’ve worked on? What did the project accomplish?

There have been several projects that have provided great learning experiences - for example, a project for a collaborative clinical research study with a company led by Dr Neeraj Dhaun.  This was my first ‘experience’ of being involved in a clinical project being carried out at the University.  Also, the Bench to Bedside campaign to mark the opening of the IRR building provided a wonderful opportunity to both promote the excellent work in Inflammation and to work collaboratively across the Bioquarter business development team and with EI’s marketing team.  

What are you most proud of from your time at EI?

Being nominated at CMVM Staff Recognition Awards in the Innovation Category. It was great to see that the work we do through the BioQuarter Business Development team was acknowledged by some academics.

What does innovation mean to you? 

Innovation means being able to provide support to academics to allow the progress of their ideas and research, ultimately for patient benefit.

If you had one more hour in the day, how would you spend it?

Trying to finish the cross-stitch advent calendar project I started 4 years ago and catching up on books I should have read for book club!

What piece of advice has stuck with you?

Don’t waste time filing emails -something I really should start following!

What would you really like to work on at EI/UoE?  

Increasing academic awareness of the processes that need to be followed and due diligence to be carried out to ensure that their projects are supported appropriately.  As a consequence, our academics will hopefully come to realise that it’s not just business development being awkward through asking lots of questions!

Dr Jane Redford

Business Development Manager

• College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
• Edinburgh Neuroscience, Infection Medicine
• Edinburgh BioQuarter

Contact details

• Work: 07971 537669
• Email: Jane.Redford@ei.ed.ac.uk