BIGT Chairman's Foreword

In January 2003, Lord Sainsbury, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Science and Innovation, and Lord Hunt, then a Minister at the Department of Health, launched the Bioscience Innovation and Growth Team (BIGT), in partnership with the BioIndustry Association. Its mandate was to formulate a strategic approach to the future of the UK’s bioscience industry. The terms of reference were:

• To identify and clarify the issues that are critical to the future competitiveness of the UK biosciences sector (focusing on healthcare)
• To identify any barriers that could significantly affect the future competitiveness of the UK biosciences sector, and to make recommendations on what action should be taken to overcome these barriers.

I agreed to chair the Steering Group in view of this sectorÍs huge importance for Britain's future. At the first meeting of the Steering Group, we decided to establish four working groups - on the NHS/Industry interface, European Markets and Regulation, Business Finance and Bioprocessing.

Leading figures from the bioscience industry, financial institutions, universities, research bodies and Government responded quickly, and over 70 generously agreed to assist with the project. I would like to pay tribute to their generosity with that which is most precious to most of them - their time.

I believe that this report identifies a number of issues, which, if addressed, would make a tangible difference to the environment for developing bioscience business in the UK, yet without distorting markets or creating false expectations. The recommendations are not exhaustive and could have included small amendments to many regulations and practices. Rather we focus attention on the substantial items, where progress would deliver a step change for the better.

This report is not a Government report, approved by Ministers and stating official policy. Rather it is a report to Government and indeed to industry and the financial and research communities as well. Many of the recommendations will need industry input as well as Government support to succeed. Government may not feel able to implement all the recommendations immediately, but I have certainly been encouraged by the Government's commitment to bioscience at the highest level, and by the constructive input of civil servants into the BIGT's deliberations.

How will we know whether we have been successful?

The acid test for me is not whether each and every recommendation has been exactly implemented in full, but rather whether the bioscience industry thrives in the UK. If the sector grows in line with the best of its overseas rivals, shows increased employment, increased profitability, an increased pipeline of new therapies and resilience in the face of intensifying international competition, I will count this a success.

We should never forget also that most bioscience companies are in the business of improving human health - preventing, diagnosing and curing disease. I have always been impressed with the genuine passion for improving human health that I encounter in the leaders of our industry. I believe that a strong bioscience industry in the UK is a vital ingredient in building a world-class health service, and the ultimate test of BIGT's success will be found in hospitals and surgeries up and down the land.

Sir David Cooksey
Chairman
Advent Venture Partners
Chairman of the Bioscience Innovation and Growth Team