Start-up could transform science and save taxpayers millions | Lapstep

"Labstep has developed a record-keeping tool for scientists that will mean less research is wasted and more discoveries are brought to market

Around half of all scientific research is wasted due to a lack of the right recording tools, says Labstep founder Jake Schofield. The platform lets scientists record, track and share their research in an easy-to-use way, which could end up saving taxpayers millions. The platform came about following Schofield and his co-founder’s personal frustrations around the process when they were carrying out research. Over half of all research results published can’t be reproduced or validated, he told BusinessCloud, and despite the experiments taking place in multi-million-pound research environments, the vast majority are still recorded on pen and paper. “A colossal amount of money is spent on research each year – billions,” he said. “In some cases over half of the output is wasted because it can’t be reproduced. "A huge amount of time, effort and money is wasted because the results can’t be validated so they’re effectively worthless. “It will have a drastic effect on the scientific community if we can improve the statistics around this. There will be knock-on effects for the world at large. “If we can make even a small percentage change it will have a big effect on the drugs and discoveries coming to market and a positive effect for the public.”..."