CEO Update|Monday 13 January

I’m in San Francisco this week for the global healthcare event of the year – the 38^th Annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference and its associated satellite events.

If you need a few last-minute tips on how to get the most from the conference, do watch my webinar here. We have also created a new section on our website to keep our members up-to-date with global events, which includes a summary of the different sessions the BIA will be attending and supporting at JP Morgan this week.

For those of you not heading to San Francisco, the event is always well covered on Twitter so you can keep up with any developments. Follow the hashtag #JPM20 and the Biotech Showcase #BTS20, or for general updates check the BIA Twitter account @BIA_UK.

It’s only mid-January and 2020 has got off to a terrific start. On Monday we welcomed the highly anticipated report by The Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMC) network on Complex Innovative Design (CID) cancer trials. The report makes ten recommendations, which aim to improve the conduct, quality and acceptability of oncology CID trials to speed up the process by which effective treatments can reach cancer patients. You can read the report here.

It was encouraging to see that Biotechnology and Healthcare was the top performing investment company sector of the last decade, according to data from the Association of Investment Companies (AIC). The sector produced a return of 491% in the last ten years compared to a return of 198% for the average investment company over the same period. You can see other sectors that made the top ten here. I look forward to the launch of our annual biotech finance report later this month in collaboration with Informa Pharma Intelligence, which will look at the amount of capital raised by UK biotech companies last year.

Good news for Babraham Research Campus, LifeArc has announced the extension of its support to the Accelerate@Babraham initiative. LifeArc has provided £10,000 in the form of an award for the most progressed venture currently participating in the StartUPCompetition@Babraham 2019/20 programme. The initiative supports early stage life science ventures within the Babraham community at pre-seed to seed stage.

We are nearing the deadline for applications to PULSE, our Programme for Up and coming Life Sciences Entrepreneurs. This is a great opportunity for budding entrepreneurs to gain practical advice, support and feedback from leading entrepreneurs. If you know anyone who might be interested, do encourage them to apply here before the 31 January deadline.

It is the time of year to dust off your glad rags for our Gala Dinner later this month. We have a few individual tickets left, so come along to network and celebrate the launch of our Charity Partnership of the Year. We will be holding a silent charity auction during the event, with proceeds going to Versus Arthritis. You can find our auction items and donation options here. Please note, bidding will open at the live event on 23 January for event attendees only.

If you are interested in finding out how you can increase your presence in China, come along to our afternoon event before the Gala Dinner, where you can find out how to build relationships in Asia, learning from other biotech companies which have already taken the step. Just last week we heard the excellent news that BIA member Shield Therapeutics entered an exclusive license agreement for its lead product Feraccru®/Accrufer with Beijing Aosaikang Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.