Resources

Chris Molloy on building on Parliament Day's momentum, TechBio's breakthrough week, the Oxford-to-Cambridge expansion, and driving global investor confidence at the Leadership Summit

Chris Molloy on Parliament Day, the EU start-up fund, MHRA rare disease regulation, Northern Ireland, women in biotech and scientific leadership

I’m pleased to share that we are part of a new Government and industry joint taskforce to drive innovation in the UK’s commercial environment for medicines, announced last week as part of government ambitions for the Life Sciences Strategy.

In this blog, Jane Wall, Managing Director at BIA, reflects on the insights from our sell-out Women in Biotech 'Big WiB' event held at Hinxton Hall, Cambridge, in the lead-up to International Women’s Day.

Despite a marginal positive shift at CEO level, overall representation of women in leadership positions have stalled across the UK biotech sector.

Rare Disease Day on Saturday was a moment to reflect on the momentum building, and to check in on the progress of the UK Rare Disease Framework.

It’s been an energising week across the UK life sciences landscape, marked by major investment, important conversations and new opportunities for our community.

In this blog, Jane Wall, Managing Director of the BioIndustry Association (BIA), reflects on a roundtable with the Milken Institute and Jill Biden.

What an incredible night! Last Thursday, we welcomed a record 780 of you to the Roundhouse for the 2026 BIA Gala Dinner. It was a powerful reminder of the strength, resilience and sheer brilliance of our community.

The BioIndustry Association (BIA) has recognised the achievements of Dr Ruth McKernan CBE, neuroscientist, entrepreneur, investor and former Chair of the BIA Board, with the inaugural Chiswell Lifetime Achievement Award.

We’re excited to launch She Steers, NEDs in Biotech, a specialist Non-Executive Director (NED) board programme created for women across life sciences and biotech.

J.P. Morgan’s healthcare conference may be wrapped up, but it has set some tangible momentum and without doubt a more buoyant mood for global life sciences going into 2026.

This week JPM kicks off in San Francisco with BIA hosting a UK Reception. A significant week for BIA too with the long-awaited announcement of our new CEO.

In this blog, Blood Cancer UK reflects on a year of partnership with BIA — from raising vital funds and forging new connections in life sciences, to amplifying the voice of people affected by blood cancer across the UK.

The UK biotech financing numbers for Q3 are out, showing validation of UK assets but a sector under strain from prolonged global headwinds. Time to double down on investment in innovation as a driver for growth and deploy Industrial Strategy plans with urgency.

The BIA moves into a new era this week, amidst news from the US on tariffs for UK pharma, UK political party conferences underway and a change in leadership at GSK. It’s full steam ahead for BIA towards a busy Autumn, ensuring that the life science sector stays at the top of the government’s priority list and that our members are represented and connected.

This is my final CEO update in Newscast after 13 years at the BIA. I take up my new role as Executive Chair of the Office for Life Sciences next Monday. Before I do, I want to thank you - my loyal readers - for engaging with my musings over the years, and for your feedback that has improved this blog and my thinking.

In the last week, we have been hit by headlines that MSD plans to close its discovery research activities in London and that AstraZeneca is pausing investment due to the UK commercial environment and specifically in response to VPAG outcomes.

In this blog, Elisa Petris, Partner at Syncona Investment Management Limited, and Emma Johnson, Senior Investment Manager – Life Sciences at the British Business Bank, write in their capacity as Co-founders of Invest in Equity. They share why they launched the initiative, the urgency of improving gender diversity in life science investment, and how a more inclusive ecosystem can drive stronger returns and better outcomes for patients.