Oxford and Riyadh — two cities separated by 3,500 miles and very different cultures, but possessing a common bond — biotechnology. Oxford can trace its history back to medieval times, and Riyadh goes back a long way too. But it was only in 1823 that it was chosen as the capital city.

The oldest building is the Al Masmak fort, built in 1865, which played a major part in the recapture of the city from the Al Rashid family by King Abdulaziz bin Saud in 1902.

Riyadh mirrors Oxford in being a university centre, with King Saud University ranked first among Arab universities.

Wherever you look there are forests, not of trees but tower cranes, as work continues around the clock to build yet more campuses. These includes facilities for women, reflecting their changing role in society, and the importance placed on their impact on the economy.

By night, Oxford relaxes, but Riyadh is a vibrant metropolis that never sleeps.

Commercialisation of biotechnology came to Oxford in the late 1980s, mushrooming in the 20th century’s last decade. As 2010 dawns, there are more than 400 biotechs in the county and more than 1,000 support firms, a super-cluster to surpass that of Cambridge.

Oxfordshire BiotechNet and Oxford Innovation were children of the 1990s. Oxford BiotechNet built and managed the first biotech incubator in the cluster, the Oxford BioBusiness Centre.

Thanks to careful market investigation of the bioentrepeneur’s needs and a well-conceived business model, the centre enjoyed great success and an international reputation. While I was managing director, we won a global award, Best Science Based Incubator.

The centre is now closed, but Oxfordshire BiotechNet lives on as a growing network of biotech specialist consultants.

Oxford Innovation is also the UK’s leading operator of innovation centres. It manages a network of centres across the country that provide flexible office and lab space for more than 400 high-growth technology companies, a number of which have floated on the Alternative Investment Market.

The company also delivers a range of business support programmes and three investment networks that raise funding for start-up and growing companies throughout the UK.

It has become one of the premier business incubation companies with unrivalled experience in the UK and abroad.

Saudi Arabia’s National Science and Technology Innovation Plan is part of a far-reaching government policy to create a knowledge-based economy and increase non-oil exports.

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology is the Saudi Ministry of Science, and is charged with the creation of five incubators under the BADIR banner to support and encourage Saudi scientists to commercialise their ideas.

In Arabic, Badir means to innovate. Badir for Biotechnology is the second in the series. The ICT incubator was established two years ago, and advanced manufacturing, nanotech and energy will follow.

Against strong contenders from Germany, Switzerland and Australia, the Oxford Innovation team of Dr David Kingham, Barry Wheatley and myself won the bid to build and run Badir for Biotechnology. It is a great feather in the Oxford cap.

Since July last year, we have been working with chief executive Professor Sultan Al Mubarak to complete and equip the incubator itself, identify suitable projects to commercialise and devise the best way forward.

We quickly discovered that Saudi science — and Saudi scientists — can match the best the world has to offer.

Initial fears we might struggle to find suitable projects have been supplanted by the need to filter a wealth of ideas into a shortlist.

Those chosen will be given free space in 25,000 sq ft of purpose-built, fully-equipped, state-of-the-art laboratories and offices in Riyadh city centre.

The facilities will be complemented by assistance with forming businesses, business advice and training, routes to finance, protecting intellectual property rights and identifying partners and customers for budding entrepreneurs.

All the support is based on tried and tested Oxford Innovation methodologies, adapted to local circumstances.

Strong links have already been forged with national institutions such as the government-owned Saudi Credit and Savings Bank, and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority. The Credit Bank will offer substantial soft loans to approved projects.

In terms of commercialisation, the kingdom is where Oxford stood 20 years ago. Our role is to import the accumulated wealth of knowledge and experience from the Oxford cluster and fast-track these new businesses.

We are all hugely excited by the incubator, which will open its doors in early 2010. Professor Al Mubarak shares that excitement.

He said: “The incubator is an important step towards creating a world-class cluster of biotechnology businesses that will bring great benefits to many areas of Saudi society.”

o Contact: www.badirbio.com