Strategies for Success – Upcoming BIA CEO and Investor Forum 2018

The BIA’s 2018 UK CEO and Investor Forum is now right around the corner, taking place in Buckinghamshire on 23-24 May. It promises to be a jam-packed two days of thought-provoking workshops, panel sessions, and networking (in the form of drinks, archery, and laser clay shooting!). But in all this whirlwind of content it’s important to remember the overarching theme of the event: how UK life science companies can rise to the challenge of thriving in a dramatically shifting landscape.

In this blog we take a quick preview of a selection of sessions that’ll be held over the two days, and how they will address this topic.

Innovation Showcase

A highlight from day one will undoubtedly be the Innovation Showcase – an introduction to five exciting young companies and their innovative technologies that we believe are huge assets to the UK biotech sector going forward. This year we’ll have the pleasure of presenting GTN, jULIEs, PetMedix, MediSieve and LIFNano Therapeutics.

• PetMedix is an early stage pharmaceutical company with global ambitions to become the leader in innovative antibody-based therapeutics for the companion animal market
• jULIEs Bioelectronics develops next-generation neuroelectronic devices that elicit therapeutic effects when interfaced with the central and peripheral nervous system. They aim to treat debilitating brain disorders, restore sensorineural and motor functions and possibly restore organ function as a whole
• LIFNano Therapeutics is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company targeting diseases involving neurodegeneration such as Multiple Sclerosis and leveraging a game-changing NanoBioMed approach
• Medsieve is the developer of a groundbreaking drug-free malaria treatment. Using a magnetic sieve to physically remove malaria infected blood cells directly from a patient’s bloodstream; MediSieve is a life-saving intervention for severe and drug-resistant malaria patients
• GTN are using their advanced generative machine learning models with cutting edge quantum physics methods to enable a leap in drug discovery

Patient Capital Review: unlocking funding for the sector

Following the outcome of the Patient Capital Review in November, which will deliver a £20bn package over the next 10 years to support investment in innovative UK companies, we’ll be holding a panel on day two on how to unlock these funds for our sector. Our panel of experts from across the world of life sciences investment and fund management will discuss the implications of the PCR’s changes to tax relief, the British Business Bank, pensions fund investment, the Enterprise Investment Scheme, and more.  Speakers include Richard Lewis of Downing, Alice Hu Wagner of the British Business Bank, Steve Bates of BIA, Dr Dan Mahony of Polar Capital, Chris Hollowood of Syncona and Sunclair Dunlop of Epidarex Capital.

Improving access for SMEs to the NHS ecosystem

A key area of opportunity for the UK life sciences sector is greater integration with, and utilisation of, the NHS – a point that has been strongly emphasised in Sir John Bell’s Life Sciences Industrial Strategy released in August 2017. Having the NHS should be an enormous advantage, but it has proved challenging to realise its potential for our industry. Real world data is an important source of evidence for marketed drug efficacy and potential patient recruitment. How can it benefit earlier stage SME biotech? This panel is drawn from NHS, clinical development and UK health data researchers. It will discuss how patient data are increasingly being made available and could benefit the biotech community. This morning panel on day two will feature Chris Molloy of the Medicines Discovery Catapult, Martin Gibson of Northwest EHealth, and Angela McFarlane of IQVIA, who will give their insight into how SMEs can better access and utilise the NHS as a strategic resource.

Tapping into China

After a resounding vote in favour of the BIA exploring opportunities for biotech with regards to Chinese collaboration and investment (see our new China Biotech Special Interest Group) at the CEO & Investor Forum last year, this year’s event will feature a panel session on day two on just that subject.  Our expert line-up will explore how to attract investment from China and access it’s high growth market, to help increase the number of UK life science companies benefiting from the second largest drug market in the world. Speakers include Dr Jian Sheng Du from the Department for International Trade, Dr David Cristina of Fosun International, Dr Tom Weaver of Congenica, Meinhard Schmidt of Oncimmune and Kevin Lin of Tuspark.

This is just a brief snapshot of what’s in store for the event, but it’s clear that whether you’re a young CEO or a seasoned entrepreneur, this will not be one to miss.

To find out more about the event, including the full programme, agenda, and how to register, please click here.

For highlights from last year’s event, please watch the video below.

CEO & Investor Forum 2017 Highlights