About Bayer Plc
Bayer is a global innovation focused life science company specialising in animal and human healthcare and crop science, with a focus on addressing the unmet challenges of the future.
Bayer has a strong heritage in the UK beginning in 1875 and currently employs around 1,000 people, with around £1bn sales and a UK R&D investment of around £50m annually.
As the second fastest growing pharma company in 2016 and eighth largest pharma company in the UK, and a major investor in UK life sciences, we care passionately about developing healthcare solutions that benefit UK patients and the NHS.
What do young people think about scientists?
News
Bayer, a global enterprise in the life sciences field, has opened its first UK-based Baylab in Reading which aims to offer hands-on science experiences to thousands of children and young people each year, thanks to the expert support of the Royal Institution (Ri).
The science laboratory offers the opportunity for school groups to use state-of-the-art equipment to experiment and develop innovative problem-solving skills. It complements the key stage 2–5 curriculum, enabling students to make their own unique discoveries.
The Ri has worked with Bayer to provide its most popular laboratory-based workshops for enjoyment by Baylab participants.Many of the activities are inspired by the Ri's Young Scientist Centres in London and Preston. These workshops will encourage young Baylab scientists to extract their own DNA, characterise the proteins of an enzyme and even experiment with forensic science. The inspirational workshops have been designed to help give students insight into how science is used in everyday life.
Gail Cardew Professor of Science, Culture and Society and Director of Science and Education at the Ri, said: “We welcome the launch of the Baylab facility and look forward to working alongside this exciting project, which will see thousands of students benefit from increased access to state-of-the-art science equipment and hands-on learning.’’
Similar to Ri education programmes, Baylab aims to inspire young people to pursue opportunities in science and strengthen the UK STEM talent pool. The experiments have been developed to support teachers by filling the hands-on science gap that many schools experience due to time and cost constraints, and a lack of adequate facilities and equipment.
Alexander Moscho, CEO of Bayer UK and Ireland said: “At Bayer we are well aware that sound scientific expertise is essential for meeting the challenges of the future. That’s why the company is increasingly gearing its strategy towards the promotion and strengthening of science education as well as our own research activities. Baylab will help students discover the magic of science and how they can apply their knowledge to real world scenarios. It will work alongside our other initiatives including our award-winning apprenticeship programme and graduate scheme to encourage more young people to pursue a career in life science.”
To find out more about the Baylab and its aims, please visit the Bayer website.