CEO blog: life sciences as an Innovation Nation at home and abroad; private-public sector collaboration; TechBio

Dear colleagues,

Last week in Japan I was with UK companies and our government building bio-bridges with a priority global partner. This was based on our companies’ strengths in translating science into products and services that others around the world need. It was enabled by ensuring that strategic trade, trade association and regulatory bridges are strong, giving our companies an ‘away advantage’. This advantage was clear, for today’s assets and in the areas of quantum and engineering biology that will form their next wave.

BioJapan shows what is possible when the UK arrives as one connected life sciences community, bringing together expertise spanning clinical trials, technology and TechBio from across the country. Clarity and coherence are vital in a highly competitive world.

At home on Friday, Andy Burnham and Gordon Brown described their vision of an innovation nation – one that is science driven, scalable and serving the world from here. The BIA community and mission embodies this vision, turning brilliant UK science into impact for patients and our economy.

This was demonstrated by the PM launching a multimillion pound private-public platform for dementia R&D to help bring SME-derived biomarkers and breakthrough medicines through trials into use in the NHS. The alliance of private and public sectors is vital for companies seeking not only funding and proof of concept but adoption of their new medicines for rare and more widespread diseases.

The active engagement of the public sector is vital to give our companies a ‘home advantage’ – in spinout funding, access to national R&D assets, scale up funding and fiscal incentives to founders and funders alike. This remains our focus on behalf of our hundreds of members right across the nation and was the thrust of our submission to the Chancellor ahead of this year’s budget.

That joint commitment to practical collaboration at home and abroad runs through this update. For example, Government has responded to the National AI Commission’s 44 recommendations that we and our members engaged in on the use of AI in healthcare. Today, we publish our TechBio report and tomorrow we bring together the national TechBio community at Canary Wharf, to ensure Government hears about their success and their needs for growth. Our TechBio Boost programme is also open for applications.

Meanwhile, our teams have been engaging across the political spectrum and party conferences and planning for a busy autumn season running up to London Life Sciences Week and bioProcessUK. Part of that is our AGM, when the results of the Board elections will be announced. If you are a BIA member, please get your vote in today.

UK biotech news and opportunities in this update

• £48 million private–public co-investment in dementia
• Response to the National AI Commission on AI in healthcare
• TechBio report
• Apply for TechBio Boost 2027
• UK–Japan biotech partnerships at BioJapan 2026
• Tickets and exhibitor opportunities for bioProcessUK
• Green, Conservative and Labour conferences
• BIA Board elections deadline

Industry-Government backed £48 million dementia platform

We welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment on Friday at the Innovation Nation Summit to make dementia research a national priority – recognising the joint role of the industry, NHS and universities to apply our science, through SMEs and pharma to drive their adoption to patients who need it. System change needs system involvement. The BARBARA Alliance is an iconic UK platform by which can happen, for the million and more suffering directly from dementia, or caring for them. This model is one we are also promoting in rare diseases.

Response to the National AI Commission on AI in healthcare

Government has accepted all 44 recommendations from the National AI Commission into AI in Healthcare. BIA contributed to the commission through our representative Dr Michalis Papadakis, CEO and co-founder of Brainomix, bringing sector experience into a year-long review.

AI is already reshaping healthcare, from drug discovery to diagnosis. A regulatory system that develops alongside innovation can give businesses greater certainty, support responsible adoption and build trust through transparency and predictability. This response is an important step towards securing the UK’s leadership in AI-enabled healthcare.

Scale-up support for UK TechBio companies

Today we publish TechBio: Making the advantage count, our annual report on the UK's TechBio sector, ahead of TechBio UK tomorrow.

Great companies are building critical UK mass – Isomorphic Labs, IMU Biosciences and Relation Therapeutics are showing what UK-originated science can do with solid investment and pharma partnerships.

The UK has real advantages, from national health data to world-class science and a growing group of standout companies, but we must provide the environment where these companies can access UK R&D assets, data and capital to scale.

Applications open for TechBio Boost 2027

The next generation of TechBio leaders needs the right network around it. That is why the BIA and KQ Labs are bringing back TechBio Boost for 2027, with applications now open to companies across the UK.

The programme is designed for growth-stage TechBio companies at Seed or Series A. The new cohort will join an established community of founders and experts who understand the opportunities and pressures that come with scaling.

BioJapan 2026: strengthening UK–Japan biotech partnerships

The past week in Japan was about strengthening the bilateral relationships that help UK companies enter priority global markets, attract investment and reach patients. Those connections create a genuine away advantage for businesses ready to build internationally.

There were three sessions across the week. Firstly, a Japan–UK partnership even, courtesy of MedCity, LINK-J and UK in Japan that showcased the strength and depth from trials to TechBio, from right across the UK.

Then came BioJapan, which is delivered by our partner the Japanese Biotech Association and where the delegation was deep in partnering conversations for three days with Japanese R&D and distribution firms.

Alongside MedCity – with whom we deliver London Life Sciences week in November – and our great Embassy team we provided a clear and coherent UK message, which is critical in a crowded and competitive market. The large delegation of UK firms was strongly supported by our ambassador-designate and our Science Minister Chris McDonald MP, which spent over an hour in the pavilion, even interviewing all the UK delegates online.

Finally, there was a strategic UK-Japan Summit on dual-use technologies that the UK and Japan can both benefit from. This first session of many to come identified the UK’s strengths, in addition to its potential to grow through collaboration and understanding of each community’s needs, either in technology or market access.

bioProcessUK: tickets and exhibitor opportunities

There is still time to join us at bioProcessUK, with a limited number of tickets and exhibitor stands available.

The conference brings the bioprocessing community together to build business relationships, exchange insight and explore the technologies shaping the sector. High-profile speakers will share their perspectives on the developments that matter now and the capabilities we will need next.

Life sciences policy at the Green and Conservative party conferences

The Green Party conference underlined the value of sustained engagement between politics and our sector. Proposals affecting patents, intellectual property, animal research, NHS data, genetically modified foods and novel medicines would have significant implications for the UK’s ability to support a thriving life sciences industry.

And At the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, we met parliamentarians and councillors to keep life sciences firmly in the conversation about growth, health and investment.

BIA members will be able to read more from both conferences soon.

Labour Party conference: what its growth agenda means for UK life sciences

BIA members can now read our exclusive digest of the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, where our policy team followed the debate on growth, industrial strategy and NHS reform.

Lewis Miles, Emily Klein and Sid Subramaniam represented BIA, meeting stakeholders and bringing members’ priorities into the discussion.

The message for life sciences was encouraging: our sector remains central to Government’s ambitions for national growth and a modern NHS.

Drug Diaries podcast: how UK life sciences companies can scale

I joined Kaushik Trivedi on the Drug Diaries podcast to discuss what UK life sciences companies need to stay, scale and succeed here.

The central point was clear: scientific excellence creates its greatest value when strong companies can form around it, grow in the UK and deliver better outcomes for patients.

Thank you to Kaushik for an open and thoughtful conversation.

BIA Board elections: voting deadline and member representation

Firstly, BIA Board elections close at 5pm this Thursday, so I encourage eligible members to cast their votes before the deadline.

Five places are being elected this year: four for Corporate members and one for Associate and Network members. Board members must serve today’s membership while preparing the BIA for what comes next. This election is an important opportunity for members to shape that representation.