An Evening with Sir David Cooksey – Highlights from the 2018 BIA Annual Lecture

On Thursday the 3^rd of May, delegates from across the sector gathered at the Francis Crick Institute in Kings Cross for the 2018 BIA Annual Lecture. They’d come to meet and hear from one of the titans of UK bioscience – Sir David Cooksey, whose illustrious career has shaped the sector into what it is today. Over the course of the evening, Sir David shared his insight and experiences with the audience in a fireside chat with BIA CEO Steve Bates and SR One Partner Matthew Foy.  

Sir David has had a career like no other. From founding Advent Venture Partners, to being a director of the Bank of England, to serving as the Governor of the Wellcome Trust, his life has criss-crossed the highest levels of multiple sectors, and it has left him with a unique insight that he was kindly willing to share with us.

In 2003, the government appointed Sir David as Chair of the UK Biotechnology Innovation and Growth Team, during which time he produced ‘Bioscience 2015’ – a seminal report for the sector which led to the formation of NIHR. Three years later, Sir David published The Cooksey review of UK health research funding, another crucial document that proposed new institutional arrangements for the funding of health research. His review led to the formation of OSCHR, the ring fencing of the MRC and NIHR budgets and it proposed a more streamlined regulatory environment to provide early access to new medicines. HM Treasury increased its funding of medical research substantially in response to the report.

Much of the strength of the UK’s research infrastructure can also be traced back to Sir David. As Governor of the Wellcome Trust in 1998, he persuaded the Government to join Wellcome in funding the Joint Infrastructure Fund to improve the research facilities in our universities. Part of these funds were used to construct Diamond Light Source synchrotron accelerator at Harwell. He chaired Diamond from inception in 2002 until full operation in 2008 delivering it on time and on budget. Diamond is now a key tool for drug discovery.

Another jewel in the UK bioscience sector’s crown (and fittingly, the venue for the lecture), the Francis Crick Institute, has its roots in Sir David’s work. The Cooksey Review was a major stimulus to the creation of the Crick, which is now the largest biomedical research institute under one roof in Europe. It is a unique joint venture between the MRC, Cancer Research (UK), the Wellcome Trust and Imperial, Kings and University Colleges giving it extraordinary access to London’s clinical infrastructure. Sir David was chairman of the Crick from inception until successful delivery, retiring from the chair in August 2017.

It’s fair to say that the impact of Sir David’s work in building UK bioscience into its present form has been gigantic. Many of the current strengths of the sector stem directly from his vision, direction, and leadership over the decades. It was a pleasure to listen to his experiences, which enlightened us all and left us with a renewed appreciation of the long term political and strategic insight that went in to developing the world leading life sciences sector that we now have available to us.

For more information on the BIA’s policy work, please visit our website’s policy page and read through our latest quarterly report.