Resources

BIA welcomed the focus on life sciences SMEs, engineering biology, and the measures designed to help high-growth companies scale and remain rooted in the UK.

A major funding boost, support for scale-ups, and regulatory reform—this week’s update explores how the Government’s new Industrial Strategy backs our sector. Plus, Draig Therapeutics launches with $140 million, the UK shines at BIO in Boston, and Syncona sets its sights on future growth.

Draig Therapeutics (“Draig”), a clinical-stage company aiming to transform the treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases, today launches from stealth having raised a total of $140 million (£107 million) in the last nine months.

The UK’s Minster of State for Science, Research, and Innovation, Lord Patrick Vallance, London & Partners’ CEO, Laura Citron OBE, and Steve Bates OBE, CEO of the UK Bioindustry Association (BIA), are formally launching London Life Sciences Week on the UK stand at the BIO International Convention on Tuesday, 17 June 2025.

A new residential development in North Cambridge is offering science and technology businesses a ready-made solution to one of the city’s most pressing challenges: housing professional staff within easy reach of major employment hubs.

From a multi-billion-pound boost to R&D and life sciences manufacturing, to scaling innovative businesses through the British Business Bank, the Review signals significant investment.

Steve Bates OBE, CEO of the UK BioIndustry Association, responded to the government's Spending Review.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves will announce a transformative £86 billion in the Spending Review to turbo-charge our fastest growing sectors, from tech and life sciences, to advanced manufacturing and defence, as part of the government’s plan to invest in Britain’s renewal through our Modern Industrial Strategy.

Positive news ahead of Spending Review (join our webinar this Friday), latest on getting pensions investment into UK life sciences and more!

Pension capital is unlocked in time for BIA's Parliament Day this Wednesday.

The Mansion House Accord signed on 13 May and the publication of the Government’s Pensions Investment Review mark the latest developments in the BIA’s campaign to unlock pension funds for life sciences. Here, our Director of Policy and External Affairs, Dr Martin Turner, reflects on how we got to this point and what must happen next.

The proposals outlined in the report are a major step towards realising BIA’s long-held goal of increasing investment from UK pension funds into UK life sciences.

We are heading to Boston this June for the BIO International Convention 2025 – one of the world’s largest and most influential gatherings in the life sciences calendar. 

Cellestial Health, a pioneering pharmaceutical development spin-out from the University of Cambridge, has closed a £515,000 pre-seed equity funding round to accelerate the development of novel therapeutics targeting astrocytes, an often-overlooked cell type in the brain, with the first indication of Parkinson’s disease.

BIA publishes its 10-year Vision for the UK life science sector, the culmination of 18 months of research and engagement with members and the broader life science ecosystem.

We are calling on the UK government to mandate pension funds to invest in high-growth UK sectors, as new data from its latest report shows British pension schemes are still missing from the biggest biotech deals.