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Peter Mountford, President and Chief Executive Officer, Stem Cell Sciences plc, United Kingdom
1) Briefly tell us what it is about your company/project that makes it so special?
Our company is a truly international alliance of collaborating academic and commercial scientists supported by a network of strategic investors ranging from financiers, medical research funding charities and government organizations, universities, media representatives, patients and clinicians. We share a common belief and objective that genuine medical benefit of the stem cell opportunity will flow most quickly to those who collaborate openly and are willing to share the benefits. No cheats and no free rides.
2) What country best facilitates starting a tech company? What single thing can a government do to encourage Technology Pioneers?
Starting is not the issue, it is supporting and growing that opportunity that is the key. In my experience to date, Scotland has provided a sophisticated understanding of the challenges a business such as Stem Cell Sciences has to manage, and is backing its belief in wealth creation through innovation.
3) What makes an innovator?
An inquisitive mind and desire to do new things faster and better.
4) How does your company directly contribute to improving the state of the world?
Our company is increasing the speed by which long term biomedical opportunities are converted into healthcare benefits by building on old fashioned principles of trust between partners and agreed objectives. We try to avoid short term opportunists and, most importantly, we try to fairly balance the distribution of benefit amongst all strategic investors.
5) What value do you hope to gain from being a Technology Pioneer?
New ideas and access to like minded people.
6) What do you think the role of technology should be in society?
Technology should aim to improve the quality of human life with out cost to the environment in which we live. We should be striving to reduce the cost we already impose on our environment. In the specific case of the biomedical industry and stem cell opportunity we can do this by reducing the need for animal testing, through cell-based assays, and the need to use human embryos in research. This can be achieved through the sharing of fundamental resources such as cell lines established from the already donated embryos.
7) What is the right balance in society between scientific interest and ethical concerns?
Ethics are of fundamental importance to all society and the protection of our living environment. Science must progress within the boundaries of the ongoing ethical debate and principles determined by the society of the day. Governments should determine what is permissible and the perspectives of individuals and institutions should be considered and respected as a fundamental right.
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