BIA update - 29 September 2025

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. 

Celebrating UK leadership in mRNA innovation 

Last week saw another major moment for UK life sciences with the official opening of the new Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre in Oxfordshire.

Jane Wall
Managing Director, BIA

Science Minister Lord Vallance, Health Secretary The Rt. Hon. Wes Streeting MP and Public Health Minister Ashley Dalton MP joined Moderna to mark a truly transformative step for the UK’s pandemic preparedness. The presence of Lawrence Tallon, Chief Executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), underscored the vital role the agency is playing in enabling innovation in this space. 

As a proud BIA member, Moderna’s new facility, part of an over £1 billion R&D investment programme, will support around 150 highly skilled jobs and enable groundbreaking research.

As Darius Hughes, UK General Manager at Moderna, said:

With the facility now open and operational, we’re proud to be the first company to have established a UK-based mRNA manufacturing capability to support NHS seasonal vaccination programmes.

We were also delighted to kick off the RNA Vaccines and Therapeutics Conference last week, where Abby Clark, Manufacturing Programme Manager, delivered a presentation based on our recently updated mRNA Revolution explainer. We heard from incredible speakers, including Frank DeRosa (Sanofi), Pieter Cullis (The University of British Columbia), Hamilton Bennett (Moderna), and Parker Moss (RNA Readiness + Response (R3) Global), heralding the government-backed UK RNA Biofoundry at CPI’s RNA Centre of Excellence in Darlington. 

Engaging with government at Labour Party Conference

The BIA policy and public affairs team have landed in Liverpool for the Labour Party Conference! We’re here to champion the needs of the UK’s life sciences sector - speaking with MPs, policymakers, and partners about how to scale world-leading innovation, unlock investment, and ensure the sector drives growth and better health outcomes across the UK. 

The team has already had the opportunity to say hello to the Chancellor and met with Small Businesses Minister, Blair McDougal MP and Treasury Select Committee Chair, Dane Meg Hillier MP. We were also pleased to join the BIA annual supporters, HSBC Innovation Banking, for their opening bash with Startup Coalition.  

Our government affairs network is meeting for drinks tonight at the Botanist on the docks for anyone who wants to come, and our panel event, ‘Scaling up not shipping out’, is tomorrow at 5:30pm. Do come along!  

Our push for Global Talent Visa reform 

In light of the headlines from the US revealing Donald Trump’s plans to significantly increase the cost of H-1B visas last week, we wrote to the Chancellor to remind her of some simple reforms to the Global Talent Visa recently proposed by the BIA. While the scheme aims to attract exceptional individuals, our members report that its criteria are often skewed towards academia, making it complex and costly for innovative life sciences businesses and entrepreneurs.

These reforms, including expanding fast-track endorsement and improving guidance, would have a negligible cost to the Exchequer but a major impact on strengthening the UK's position as a world-leading life sciences hub and attracting top international talent. 

Tech Prosperity Deal and Regulation of AI in Healthcare 

The BIA welcomed the news that the UK and US governments have signed a new Technology Prosperity Deal. This historic pact places life sciences at the very top of the agenda, aiming to boost advances in drug discovery and create new jobs through transatlantic collaboration. 

The deal establishes joint flagship research programmes between key science agencies, including the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). They will collaborate on AI-enabled science in key priority areas, working together on the development of models and datasets for mutual priorities such as AI for biotechnology and precision medicine for cancer, rare and chronic diseases. 

The BIA has been firmly at the intersection of AI, data and biology for a number of years, and we're proud to see a formal agreement that recognises our sector's potential to leverage AI and data to transform healthcare and drug discovery.  

Make sure you join us for TechBio UK on 16 October at King's Cross for the latest innovation, supportive community and the chance to discuss both the challenges and the opportunities in the space where tech meets bio.

We were also excited to see the announcement last week of a National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare, to be chaired by Professor Alastair Denniston. The appropriate and expert use of AI in healthcare will be transformational in both prevention and diagnosis, helping to create space for the adoption of innovation. Professor Denniston has spoken at our Future of UK life sciences regulation conference, and we look forward to hearing more from the Commission on progress. 

DHSC and NHS England collaborate to drive clinical trials and adopt innovation 

Following recent sector discussions, it's great to see a new spirit of alignment and collaboration with government. Last week, the new joint executive team was announced, bringing policy and delivery together across the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England. This is a welcome step, signalling an intention for more joined-up thinking and shared objectives -  essential for ensuring that the UK's clinical trials environment is fit for the future, and that the NHS becomes a true adopter of innovation. 

Women in Biotech in Oxford 

This week, we are hosting our Women in Biotech event in Oxford, focusing on the critical and growing field of women’s health. A recent report by SVB highlights that investment in the space is reaching new heights, driven by a growing recognition of how various conditions disproportionately affect women. However, as shown by McKinsey’s "Blueprint to close the women’s health gap," a significant gap remains.

Our event this Wednesday, 1 October, will showcase incredible technologies and entrepreneurs who are delivering much-needed solutions to an underserved population. We encourage everyone to join us at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History for this important and timely discussion. 

Farewell (but not goodbye) to Steve 

BIA gathered on Friday to send Steve off to his new role as Executive Chair of the Office for Life Sciences. It was a proud moment to recognise how far the organisation has come in the past decade and to recognise that the team moving forward is stronger than ever.