Avigen Awarded £300K Grant to Accelerate Cell Therapy R&D Innovation
London, UK – 11 February 2026 – Avigen Ltd (“the Company”), a privately held Contract Research Organisation developing advanced preclinical immunotherapy R&D services using its proprietary microfluidic platform, today announced its participation in the DeepTech Catalyst Biotech Incubator (DTC Bio) programme, formerly known as the Biotechnology Business Incubation Centre (Bio BIC).
The DTC Bio programme is delivered through a collaboration between the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and is designed to support high-potential UK biotech companies in translating cutting-edge research into real-world impact. The programme provides targeted R&D funding, access to specialist facilities, expert technical support, and business mentoring to accelerate innovation and route to market. As part of the programme, Avigen will receive support worth up to £90,000, including research funding, access to specialist facilities, expert technical advice and business mentoring.
These start-ups are using biotechnology to tackle problems that matter to all of us, from health to sustainability. However, turning a promising idea into a successful business is full of challenges, which is why support for start-ups is so important.
Paul Vernon, Executive Director of Business and Innovation at STFC
Avigen’s participation in the DTC Bio programme marks an important step in the Company’s mission to improve the predictive power of cancer immunotherapy development. Avigen works with drug developers to help predict which immunotherapy treatments are most likely to be effective by measuring avidity, the functional binding strength between living immune and tumour cells, a key determinant of therapeutic efficacy that is not captured by conventional preclinical assays.
Being part of the DeepTech Catalyst Biotech Incubator allows us to strengthen the scientific foundations of our platform while moving into scale-up. The programme brings together expertise across science and business, helping us accelerate development and prepare Avigen for the next stage.
Tobias Gamper, Founder and CEO at Avigen
The DeepTech Catalyst is one of the UK’s most established business incubation networks, supporting early-stage science and technology companies and helping bridge the gap between scientific discovery and commercial impact.
Since 2011, companies supported through the DeepTech Catalyst have collectively raised more than £300 million in private investment, created around 1,100 high-skilled jobs, achieved a 95% survival rate, and generated an estimated £25 in economic return for every £1 invested, demonstrating the programme’s strong track record in building successful UK deep-tech companies.
By providing targeted R&D funding, access to world class facilities across UKRI campuses, and specialist technical, commercial and IP guidance, we aim to help founders de risk their technologies and accelerate their route to market.
Dr Karen Lewis, Executive Director, Capability and Innovation at BBSRC
The programme will support Avigen’s continued development as it works to scale its technology, strengthen industry partnerships, and deliver more predictive, physiologically relevant insights to immunotherapy developers in the UK and internationally.
About Avigen
Avigen is a Contract Research Organisation and biotech company developing a cutting-edge microfluidic platform to accelerate and streamline the discovery and translation of immunotherapies. Avigen’s platform offers holistic insights into cellular interactions at unparalleled throughput, enabling a confident prediction of therapeutic potential to facilitate the rapid validation of immune cell constructs. Avigen is committed to enabling biotech and pharmaceutical companies to unlock the full potential of cellular immunotherapies and bring the next generation of treatments to patients.
Find out more at: https://www.avigen.bio
About the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
The UKRI Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) funds and supports research in particle and nuclear physics, astronomy, gravitational research and astrophysics, and space science. It also operates a network of five national laboratories as well as supporting UK research at a number of international research facilities including CERN, FERMILAB and the ESO telescopes in Chile. STFC is keeping the UK at the forefront of international science and has a broad science portfolio and works with the academic and industrial communities to share its expertise.
Find out more at: https://www.ukri.org/councils/stfc
About the The UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
The UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is the UK’s major public funder of bioscience research and innovation. Our aim is to further scientific knowledge, promote economic growth, wealth and job creation and improve quality of life in the UK and beyond.
BBSRC invested £461 million in world-class bioscience in 2023. We support research and training in universities and strategically supported institutes. BBSRC research, and the people we fund, are helping society address major challenges including food security, green energy and healthier, longer lives. Our investments underpin important UK economic sectors such as agriculture, food, industrial biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.
Find out more at: https://www.ukri.org/councils/bbsrc/
Contacts
For more information or media enquiries email Avigen at info@avigen.bio.