Medical devices & technologies
Kent is a leading UK region for Medical Devices:
A strong existing cluster of almost 50 companies - world leading companies have located Medical Devices operations in Kent as well as indigenous companies including Abbott Diagnostics, Micro Medical Ltd, Genzyme, Smiths Medical and Bedfont Scientific.
Strong heritage of Medical Devices Manufacturing & R&D - Evident through the number of Research groups in the Universities and broader research network in Kent affiliated to R&D and Life Sciences disciplines.
Recent expansion in Kents Medical Devices cluster despite strong competition - In 2005, Abbott announced a £39 million investment in Dartford, Kent, called Abbott Diagnostics, expanding its diagnostics operation against stiff competition form other locations in the UK and throughout Europe.
University of Kent in Canterbury has over 5,200 biology and medicine students with over 1,100 qualifying per annum. This wider pool greatly enhances the talent pool who may be interested in working in this field.
When evaluated independently, Kent benchmarks favourably with other UK and European locations from a cost / quality perspective.
