5 Innovation at Vascutek

Japan Matters public lectures in 2013/14

Friday 7 February 2014 from 2.30 pm to 4 pm
‘Key to Innovation at Vascutek’
Mr Tim Ashton, Vice President (Innovation), Vascutek
Room M201, George Moore Building, Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcadeen Road, Glasgow G4 0BA

The lecture was free and open to the public.   It was followed by light refreshment.

This Japan Matters public lecture was organised in co-operation with Glasgow Caledonian University and with grant from the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation.

Vascutek has been awarded ‘Business Innovation of the Year’ for the second year running at the 2013 Scottish Business Awards. The company, which has been owned by the Japanese company Terumo since 2002, is a world leader in the design and manufacture of products that address the needs of vascular and cardiovascular clinicians throughout the world.  These devices are made from knitted and woven polyester fabric or expanded PTFE.

Tim Ashton is Vice President (Innovation) of Vascutek Ltd., a manufacturer of vascular and endovascular prostheses. Vascutek employs over 500 people with around forty involved in R&D.  He has worked in various roles within R&D since joining the company in 1984 to develop a resorbable graft sealant based on cross-linked gelatin.  After graduating in zoology from Oxford University, he worked for four years at Oxford Polytechnic.  He was also involved in a project to grow eels in warm power station effluent.

He has kindly allowed us to have his PowerPoint on this homepage.

Innovation at Vascutek