To commemorate 10 years of trading the directors and other members of the team recorded a podcast.
Image Credit: ApconiX
When AstraZeneca announced its plans to cease research and development at Alderley Park in March 2013, it came as a great shock to most people working on the site. The announcement was part of a larger plan to establish a new global R&D Centre and corporate headquarters in Cambridge.
The Alderley Park BioHub, a life science and medical hub, was established the same year. Managed by BioCity, a leading bioscience incubator, on AstraZeneca’s behalf, it supported start-ups and SMEs in the bioscience and pharmaceutical sectors.
Ruth Roberts, Richard Knight and Michael Morton (the directors and co-founders) were 3 of the 1,600 employees offered relocation to Cambridge. And from there was born the idea of a drug safety consultancy and laboratory company that is now ApconiX, a team of over 100 scientists.
As part of the BioHub’s support was the Bootcamps for fledgling businesses. A competitive course that offered significant prizes for the winning idea. Ruth, Richard and Mike won and began trading on July 7th 2015.
Winners of the Bionow Start-up of the year award in 2017, ApconiX has gone from strength to strength, moving to bigger offices and laboratories twice and receiving Queen’s and King’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade and this year (2025), the King’s Award for Enterprise for Innovation.
10 years on it is still a fun, rewarding and thriving place to work.
Many thanks to Paul Gisby of www.talkingleaders.com who created the podcast
And there was the party, of course!
To celebrate ApconiX turning 10, the team had an afternoon and evening out. The celebrations started with the Crystal Maze and finished with dinner in Manchester.
5 teams competed at the Crystal Maze:
3+: Louisa, Nic, Sophia, Calum, Magali, Abi and led to victory by Richard collecting 12 crystals and 143 points, narrowly beating
The Inbetweeners: Guy, Hannah, Zara, Stacey, Jane, Sid and Michelle pipped to the post with 9 crystals and 142 points
Free: Emily, Katie, Louisa, Laurence and led by Mike with 7 crystals and 134 points
The Cheerleaders: Pauline, Donna, Kerry, Helen, Will and fearlessly led by Josh with 7 crystals and 128 points
Legal Drug Lords: Katie, Cynara, Claire, Jess, Scott, Haroon and valiantly led by Julie but came last with 8 crystals and 113 points.
It was great fun. “The day was absolutely brilliant – the perfect choice for a team of sociable scientists as we were able to exercise our brains, bodies (you can’t walk in the Crystal Maze) and drinking arms”.