Dr Ahmed El Rayis

Ahmed is a strategic business development leader with more than 12 years of experience translating scientific innovation into impactful collaborations. At Medicines Discovery Catapult, he is responsible for driving commercial across London, Northern England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Southern Europe, with a focus on oncology, CNS, and immunology.

Ahmed specialises in building multi-stakeholder collaborations that accelerate therapeutic discovery and development, working with biotech and medtech companies, global pharma, academic spinouts, and charities. He guides partners through project scoping, funding routes, and strategic positioning to ensure high-value, translational outcomes.

Matthew Freer

Matt is a Business Development Manager at Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC), where he supports biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in translating innovative science into effective drug discovery programmes.

With a PhD in Mucosal cell biology and experience spanning tissue engineering, immunology, neurobiology and translational research, he combines scientific expertise with a strong understanding of commercial strategy and collaborative partnerships.

Before joining Medicines Discovery Catapult, Matt held scientific, commercial and leadership roles across biotechnology, contract research and patient focused organisations, supporting the development and growth of innovative life science programmes.