BIA responds to Life Sciences Industrial Strategy

BIA CEO and Life Sciences Industrial Strategy Board member Steve Bates said:

“It is fantastic to see the publication of a life sciences industrial strategy that can act as a springboard to an early sector deal for the life sciences industry. The BIA has long called for a revived industrial strategy to maintain and build investment into the UK and grow and scale the UK’s innovative bioscience companies. We stand ready to continue engagement with government to ensure that this strategy can pave the way for an impactful sector deal that can help deliver the BIA’s vision to establish the UK as the third global cluster for life sciences.”

 

Alongside the publication of the strategy, the government also announced a new £13m funding competition for a medicines manufacturing centre, a £66m investment in a vaccines development and manufacturing centre, a £30m investment in cell and gene therapy treatment centres, a £12m cell and gene therapy investment in Stevenage and £25m to support SMEs and boost innovation.

 

CEO Steve Bates added: “These new investments and funding competitions bring to life the calls the BIA has made, both individually and through collaborations such as the Medicines Manufacturing Industry Partnership, to grow our industry’s future. It is great to see SMEs front and centre in today’s announcements.”

 

The strategy provides a wide-ranging view on many of the issues that underpin the life sciences ecosystem, including discovery and translational science, NHS collaboration, manufacturing and skills. It also challenges the sector to engage further with the opportunities in healthcare presented by new technology through the proposed Health Advanced Research Programme (HARP).

 

The strategy will be launched today at Birmingham’s Institute of Translational Medicine by Sir John Bell, alongside Secretary of State for Health Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP and Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Rt Hon Greg Clark MP.

 

BIA Chair Jane Osbourn will represent the BIA at this launch and said: “For the sector to achieve its potential and ambition, a sea change in the levels of scale-up capital and fiscal support is required. It is great to see many of the necessary actions the BIA has called for in this strategy, from reform of Entrepreneurs Relief to making R&D tax credits work better for SMEs. These recommendations, alongside the focus of the forthcoming Patient Capital Review, provide a great foundation to take the UK’s life sciences sector to the next level.”

 

Ends

 

 

Notes to editors

 

The government press release contains the below statement from a cross-section of industry and trade association members of the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy Board said, including the BIA: 

 

“We welcome the publication of the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy, led by Sir John Bell.   The Strategy and Board demonstrate the breadth and vibrancy of the life sciences ecosystem in the UK, the importance of collaboration across the sector, the critical role of the NHS in delivering the development and use of new medical technologies, and the contribution of our sector to the UK economy.   

 

The Strategy provides a holistic and collaborative framework to realise the many exciting opportunities in the future of life sciences in the UK and is a positive first step to cementing the success of our sector. 

 

This should provide the springboard for an early Sector Deal for the life sciences sector, including the NHS and other stakeholders; this will be vital to ensuring that the recommendations set out in this Strategy are fully implemented.

 

As the UK leaves the EU, collaboration with, and support from Government is more important than ever to maintaining the UK’s position as a global life sciences ecosystem.”

 

This quote was provided by a cross-section of Life Sciences Industrial Strategy Board members (Association of British Healthcare Industries, Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, AstraZeneca, BioIndustry Association, GSK, Immunocore Ltd, Johnson & Johnson, MSD, Northern Health Science Alliance Ltd.) The full Board brought together representation from across the sector, including industry, academia and charities.