BIA influencing activity, April – July: Strategic technologies

Influencing the government and policymakers to the benefit of the bioscience sector is one of the BIA’s core activities. In this blog, we take a closer look at our influencing activity in the second quarter of 2018 in the exciting policy area of strategic technologies. These new and emerging areas of bioscience will change the way R&D is conducted, boost productivity, solve environmental problems, and deliver the life-saving treatments of the future.


BIA promotes the launch of new Industrial Biotech Strategy in Parliament 

In June, the Industrial Biotechnology Leadership Forum (IBLF) launched “A National Industrial Biotechnology Strategy to 2030” in Parliament, promoted in partnership with the BIA. The Strategy aims to ensure that the UK becomes a leader in the global shift towards clean growth by fostering the development of industrial biotech SMEs. 
The BIA organised the launch at a breakfast roundtable in Parliament, which was hosted by Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner. The breakfast brought together stakeholders in both industry and academia, civil servants, and MPs to discuss the potential of the UK industrial biotech sector and how its challenges may be overcome. A summary of the Strategy and the breakfast roundtable is available on the blog.   

 

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Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner hosted the Parliamentary breakfast that launched the Industrial Biotechnology Strategy

BIA continues to oppose the incorporation of Digital Sequence Information into the Nagoya Protocol 

In July, an intergovernmental advisory body of the Convention on Biological Diversity met to discuss several issues under the Convention, including the possible incorporation of Digital Sequence Information (DSI) into the Nagoya Protocol. Ahead of the meeting, the BIA engaged on both national and international levels to continue to highlight the immensely negative effects the incorporation of DSI into the Nagoya Protocol would have for public health and the life science sector. 


We submitted a position paper developed by our colleagues at EuropaBio to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), attended a DEFRA stakeholder meeting, and organised for the International Council of Biotechnology Associations (ICBA) to sign a joint statement coordinated by the International Chamber of Commerce. The BIA will continue to work with the UK government and international colleagues to oppose the incorporation of DSI into the Nagoya Protocol. 

BIA responds to Health Select Committee’s inquiry on AMR

The BIA also responded to the Health and Social Care Select Committee’s inquiry into how the government is responding to the challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In our submission, we highlighted that progress has been made on improving the knowledge and understanding of AMR. However, not enough progress has been made to create a vibrant market for novel antibiotics so that biotech investors actively seek out opportunities in this area, which needs to be addressed in the updated government strategy. We also emphasised that BIA SME member companies working within the AMR space are well positioned to give compelling oral evidence of innovation.   

AMR in international focus at BIO in Boston

In June, the BIA went to BIO 2018 in Boston to promote UK bioscience. We co-hosted a UK Innovation Reception with AstraZeneca and the Department for International Trade, where Trade and Export Minister Baroness Fairhead represented the UK government. BIA CEO Steve Bates spoke at several AMR events, where he highlighted that the UK’s small biotech companies have a vital role to play in the global fight to curb AMR.  He also highlighted the importance of R&D partnerships in overcoming the challenges faced in bringing products to patients.


AMR was also high on the agenda at the meeting of the International Council for Biotech Associations (ICBA), which met in Boston the day before the official opening of BIO. The group agreed on the global importance of working together to ensure the right policies are in place to tackle AMR and enable industry to play their part. ICBA issued a statement on AMR that coincided not only with BIO, but also the G7 Summit, which took place in Canada the same week.


Our work on AMR is lead by the BIA AMR working group. We also have several advisory committees that drive our activity in specific strategic technologies:

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