CEO Update Monday 19 November 2018

Brexit continues to dominate the headlines and last week we welcomed the progress on Brexit discussions as we saw initial agreement between the EU and UK on a withdrawal agreement and the political agreement on the outline of a future relationship. The BIA will now monitor and inform its members of the political debate that will ensue in the finely balanced UK parliament. There is significant detail to digest and we are engaging with members and others to understand the implications of the deal for the life sciences sector.

We are planning to produce a detailed briefing on this following the meeting taking place this weekend in Brussels (November 25^th) where the deal, and the final text, is expected to be agreed. Our next member webinar on Friday 30th will discuss the political context of the deal and the next steps, as well as providing a forum for member questions and discussion on the agreements themselves. The withdrawal agreement builds on previous draft withdrawal documents. It includes detail on people, goods on the market, medicines regulation, intellectual property, state aid rules, the Irish border and access to EU databases. 

Because the draft Political Declaration has missed an opportunity to prioritise patients across Europe and the UK we have teamed up with others to seek last minute changes to this text.  It is vital that patients are included in the final Political Declaration. All sides need to ensure public health and patient safety are not negatively affected by Brexit – both day one post-Brexit and in the future. There remains a long way to go for certainty on Brexit for life sciences businesses but the initial agreement on the deal is a key step on that journey.

Last week I had the pleasure of leading a delegation of BIA member companies to China for the BioCentury conference in Shanghai.  I also visited Hong Kong to meet with key stakeholders to talk about opening up finance and collaboration with the UK. This was a really productive visit and I will be working with the wider BIA team to keep momentum going to build on the links we have established. For more information on the BIA’s work with China you can read the China Biotech Special Interest Group page on ourwebsite.

Looking to this week, today we are launching Shaping the future - What areas of science are most important to UK bioindustry? With the formation of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in April 2018 and the reorganisation of the UK’s science funding system, the BIA’s Science and Innovation Advisory Committee (SIAC) led a ‘Shaping the future’ workstream throughout 2018 to identify those areas of science that are most critical to the ongoing success of our industry. This paper summarises the conclusions and recommendations reached throughout the workstream. As a member-driven paper, it represents a snapshot of expert views from across the whole sector. As we move into the 2019 Spending Review and the UK’s new science funding system takes shape, this will contribute to the BIA’s engagement activities with the UKRI and other funding bodies. There will be wider discussion of this and hard copies made available at the Bioprocess UK conference kicking off tomorrow night. I hope that all of you attending the BioprocessUK conference have a fantastic time - I’m sad not to be coming as I will be attending the Life Sciences Council meeting – a key touch point with government. I will be meeting with the new Health Secretary, Matt Hancock and other senior ministers to discuss Sector Deal  two, which we expect to see released before Christmas.

Turning to data, Health Data Research UK (HDRUK) is leading the delivery of the Digital Innovation Hub Programme – a UK-wide initiative to enable the safe and responsible use of health-related data at scale for research and innovation. With BIA input, HDRUK is organising a half-day industry workshop on November 27. The aim of the workshop is to gain input from industry experts in shaping the design and specification of a UK-wide infrastructure with a single common framework. Several BIA members have already signed up – please register your interest here.

Finally Gala Dinner tables are selling out - do book your table here.