BIA update – 19 January 2026

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. Meanwhile, UK biotech is making front-page news once again, with the first patient to receive Autolus’ CAR-T therapy featured on BBC News – truly inspiring to see transformational technology coming to life. Literal ‘sci-fi’ biotech is also coming into its own as the Artemis II Astronauts prepare to take AVATAR around the Moon: organ-on-a-chip technology to study how deep space affects the human body. There are many implications for this research – it will be fascinating to follow. 

Very much back on planet Earth, we are aware that the business rate hikes in the recent Budget may have impacted some members disproportionately. Please do get in touch with Lewis Miles as we feed into the government call for evidence. 

And we are incredibly proud today to be launching She Steers: NEDs in Biotech, a specialist Non-Executive Director (NED) board programme created for women across life sciences and biotech. As with most great things, it started with a coffee and a chat and has developed into a fantastic collaboration.

Jane Wall
Managing Director, BIA

Women in Biotech NED programme launch – Apply now! 

The BIA’s Women in biotech leadership report revealed that for female CEOs external stakeholder bias from investors and funders and board bias were the most prevalent challenges faced. In parallel, sector reports from PIR and others show female representation in NED roles is declining. It’s widely accepted and proven that diverse boards are important for the long-term success of companies, and going backwards is not an option. 

So we are very pleased today to be launching She Steers: NEDs in Biotech - a specialist Non-Executive Director (NED) board programme created for women across life sciences and biotech. The scheme, running 26 March 2026 – 4 June 2026, is designed for women who are ready to step into their first NED role or to strengthen their effectiveness and impact as an existing NED. If you are C-suite and want to join an amazing cohort of women taking positive steps to get on biotech boards, please take a look and apply by 18 February. 

She Steers is a collaboration between Murray Edwards College (University of Cambridge), AstraZeneca, the BioIndustry Association (BIA) and Deloitte – a massive thank you to Hanadi Jabado and the amazing teams at Murray Edwards and Deloitte, Caroline Austin at AstraZeneca and Kate Barclay and Sam Care from the BIA for bringing this together for launch. 

Call for feedback on business rates hike 

The BIA is working on our response to a government call for evidence on Business Rates and Investment, which seeks to understand how business rates influence investment decisions. For this submission, the BIA requires your help. 

We are aware that the rise in business rates following the Autumn Budget has significantly impacted some of our members, and we are seeking to build an evidence base to support an argument against these raises.

If you have been impacted by the changes, please email Lewis Miles by 23 January. 

MHRA sets out ambitions for 2026 

MHRA started the year on the front foot by highlighting progress in clinical trial turnaround and their 2026 ambitions focused on patients benefitting sooner as the UK boosts its clinical trials offering. The regulator is now setting out the next phase of reforms for 2026, aimed at helping patients access new cutting-edge treatments more quickly and boosting the UK’s competitiveness for global clinical research.  

Data from the MHRA shows clinical trial applications received rose by 9% between January and November 2025 compared with the same period in 2024. Growth was strongest in early and innovative research, where speed and expert regulatory support can make or break decisions on where companies invest. Changes coming this year – including a fast-track route – should help companies get studies up and running more quickly. 

British Industrial Competitive Scheme consultation response 

We were pleased to work with ABPI on the submission of a consultation in response to the British Industrial Competitive Scheme. The scheme aims to reduce electricity costs for manufacturing frontier industries within the Industrial Strategy’s growth sectors, which includes life sciences, and manufacturing foundational industries which provide important inputs to the frontier industries, that meet a certain threshold of electricity intensity. 

Reducing energy costs for life science manufacturing companies is critical in ensuring global competitiveness for the sector. Our response highlighted that the scheme must cover all innovative modalities, be accessible for SMEs and be agnostic to the end use. 

UK innovation makes headlines 

One of the most-read stories on BBC News last week was the first leukaemia patient to receive the CAR-T therapy manufactured by BIA members Autolus, originally a spin-out company from University College London. 

This breakthrough in UK cell and gene therapy was a wonderful way to finish 2025, and its first patient at the beginning of 2026 is a great positive start to the year. 

More great press coverage in the Times’ ‘Great minds turning science into multimillion dollar companies', featuring eight companies led by women and showcasing incredible sector leadership in particular highlighting Ruth McKernan - neuroscientist, entrepreneur, investor and ex-Chair of the BIA Board, who co-founded three of the companies featured. 

The article included BIA members Alchemab led by Jane Osbourn (another former Chair of BIA), AstronauTx led by Jane Rhodes and Draig Therapeutics – all co-founded by Ruth and named as Sunday Times 100 Tech Ones to Watch companies this year. 

It was also fantastic to see such strong representation from our community in the Sunday Times 100 Tech 2026 list. Huge congratulations to our member companies Autifony Therapeutics, Quell Therapeutics, Biomodal, Touchlight, Genomics PLC, and C4X Discovery for their well-deserved inclusion, a true testament to the innovation driving our sector forward.

Women in Biotech, 5 March 

A perfect segue to flagging Women in Biotech (or BIG WiB) in Cambridge on 5 March. The tickets are flying out of the door and I’m really pleased to confirm that amongst others, you will hear from Ruth McKernan, Jane Rhodes, CEO of AstronauTx and also Melanie Ivarsson, who made the headlines herself last week, being named as the new CEO of the Health Data Research Service (HDRS).  

PULSE – deadline extended until next Monday!

The deadline for PULSE, our free three-day leadership and entrepreneurship training programme for up-and-coming life sciences entrepreneurs, has been extended to this Monday, 26 January 2026. If someone you know has a transformative idea for a biotech start-up that would benefit from meeting and learning from previous start-up CEOs and investors, there is still time to submit an application.

The programme, running 16-18 March in collaboration with the Francis Crick Institute, has supported nearly 200 aspiring entrepreneurs since 2018. Be sure to read the latest PULSE report, which shines a spotlight on two innovative spinouts and PULSE alumni – Marra Bio and ConsoneAI, both of which have successfully secured funding to advance their groundbreaking research.