BIA update – 23 February 2026
With Rare Disease Day coming up next weekend, we at BIA are taking time to reflect on our important advocacy and thought leadership in this space, but also on what we hope to achieve in terms of boosting our influence collectively alongside our Charity Partner of the Year, Muscular Dystrophy UK. If you’re looking for some motivation to get you moving in 2026 check out our charity challenges – BIA teams will be out in force!
TechBio is back in the frame this week with the opening of Genomics’ flagship London office on Wednesday, we are also reflecting on another successful TechBio Boost cohort. And ongoing is our firm stand on increases to business rate changes, putting on the pressure to ensure life sciences business aren’t adversely affected.
Jane Wall
Managing Director, BIA
Rare Disease Day
It’s Rare Disease Day on Saturday, and we are taking the opportunity to reflect on our work in this space in conjunction with our partnership with Muscular Dystrophy UK. We will share a blog on Thursday, so keep an eye out for that.
With equity as the central theme of this year’s Rare Disease Day, our recent parliamentary reception provided an opportunity to reflect on the persistent inequities faced by the rare disease community and the urgent action needed to address these barriers.
Through RDIG, BIA continues to work closely with partners across the rare disease ecosystem to progress the solutions in our report – From innovation to impact: unlocking patient access to innovative rare disease medicines. We champion a collaborative system that supports innovation and improves access to treatment, delivering better outcomes for all those affected by rare conditions.
Sign up to fundraise for Muscular Dystrophy UK!
On that note, I’d like to invite our members to join us at a range of fun initiatives throughout the year to fundraise for Muscular Dystrophy UK. Members can join us at the Bidwells Oxford and Cambridge 10K on 10 May and 5 October, respectively, and Pedal Paddle Peak in the Lake District and Jurassic Coast on 4 July and 26 September, respectively.
The initiatives form part of our partnership with Muscular Dystrophy UK (MDUK), which supports over 110,000 people living with muscle-wasting and weakening conditions. Taking part is your chance to show your support for the MDUK community and help fund vital research, services and advocacy that make a real difference to patients and families across the UK. Sign up solo or grab your colleagues and form a team. There will be a strong BIA contingent, so come and enjoy some friendly competition...
TechBio update and OFH SME Early Adopter Scheme
Earlier this month, Ethan Almond, Content & Communications Executive at BIA, reflected on the successes of the 2025 TechBio Boost cohort. He noted the TechBio sector’s potential to both transform our sector and provide precision diagnosis and care to patients is well recognised, and the vital role TechBio Boost is playing in scaling companies in this space.
TechBio Boost, developed and managed by BIA and KQ Labs and supported by London & Partners’ Grow London Early Stage programme, takes on founders and entrepreneurs working at the intersection of biology, data and cutting-edge computation – guiding and connecting them to people and organisations that will be crucial to their success. 2025 brought together the second diverse cohort of companies building from Seed stage towards Series A, giving them the support they need to scale their businesses.
Meanwhile, we’ve been stressing affordability for SMEs to Our Future Health, so we’re pleased to see the launch of the SME Early Adopter Scheme, offering a 50% discount on first-year access fees. The programme provides access to rich data from more than 2 million consented adults across the UK, supporting research spanning biomarker discovery, drug development, prognostic modelling, precision medicine, pharmacogenomics, deep phenotyping, foundational model development and much more. To learn more or apply, please contact Katharine Macfarlane. Applications close on 31 March.
Opening of Genomics’ flagship office in London
Great to see more commitment to building companies and investing here in the UK and I am looking forward to seeing many of you on Wednesday at the opening of Genomics’ flagship London office. The new office marks an important milestone for the business in its expansion and reflects a long-term commitment to the UK’s life sciences ecosystem.
BIA leans into global interest in UK biotech
As international trade dynamics shift and traditional markets face new complexities, the UK’s role as a stable, high-quality partner for global biotech has never been more vital. No wonder that in the past year, interest in our ecosystem from international partners has markedly accelerated. Our Head of Biosolutions & International Policy, Linda Bedenik, told us what this looks like and what BIA does to champion UK biotech abroad.
Linda highlights that the surge in interest from 16 different countries isn't just about our science, it's about the UK being a reliable anchor for international collaboration. The UK’s life sciences and biotech sector has long been recognised for its scientific excellence, vibrant innovation and dynamic startup culture around the globe. We now also embody stability, have strong political commitment to the sector and have a leading global life sciences investment gathering. From Winnipeg to Saskatchewan, Singapore to Tokyo, Beijing to Delhi, Seoul to Taipei, and all the way back to our European neighbours in France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Denmark, BIA’s international relationships and collaborations continue to expand.
Consultation response on business rate changes
Finally, BIA continues to fight for you. We have recently raised concerns about the impact of business rate changes on raising costs for life science businesses. Whilst this is variable across the sector, we will continue to monitor the consequences.
Our response focused on how the current changes to business rates are disproportionately affecting life science companies, particularly those with R&D facilities recently converted from general retail/office space. These increased rates risk undermining welcome investment, regeneration and growth, and run counter to the Government’s ambition to promote investment in life sciences through the Industrial Strategy and ensure companies start, scale and stay here.
The UK life sciences sector is critical to the government’s growth mission, driving economic growth through new industries, high-value jobs and cutting-edge technologies. While early Government decisions have provided important support and confidence, confidence in the UK as a destination for life science investment remains fragile due to the broader commercial environment and rising costs on businesses. In this context, changes to business rates risk undermining welcome investment, regeneration and growth, and run counter to the government’s ambition to promote investment in life sciences through the Industrial Strategy and ensure companies start, scale and stay here.
BIA policy superstar takes centre-stage
This spring, LIFELINE – the powerful new musical tackling the global threat of antimicrobial resistance – comes to London’s Southwark Playhouse (28 March-2 May 2026) – and our very own Maddy Anderson will be taking to the stage in the show's chorus during the week of 20 April. This is a shining example of science, storytelling and sector advocacy coming together. Get your tickets now!
Following successful runs in Edinburgh and New York, plus a historic performance at the UN, the show brings the AMR crisis to life through the story of a junior doctor fighting to save her childhood sweetheart from a drug-resistant infection.
If you’re active in the AMR space and willing to share your expertise, insights or company perspective as part of the wider PR around the show, get in touch with Maddy.
