Dr Dave Tapolczay is taking over as head of the Medical Research Council's affiliated technology transfer company, MRC Technology
His task will include identifying, nurturing and aiding the commercialisation of the work of thousands of scientists spread across the UK. Tapolczay has experience in larger pharmaceutical companies and smaller biotech research laboratories as well as technology transfer groups around the UK and the USA. He was previously vice president of technology development at GSK Pharmaceuticals and ceo of StylaCats and Pharmophix. Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, chief executive of the Medical Research Council said: "Dr Tapolczay's appointment comes at a time of great focus on the application and translation of MRC research. MRC Technology commercialises and licences discoveries by MRC scientists. I'm sure Dr Tapolczay will help us to translate our scientific discoveries into new treatments and technologies as swiftly as possible. This will allow us to plough our licensing income into research. This appointment is great news for UK plc."
MRCT's work extends beyond patenting and licensing operations to enabling research in its own state-of-the-art laboratories based at the National Institute for Medical Research in north London. These will be relocated to the proposed UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation, due to open in central in 2013.
