Gathering female biotech leaders at Women in Biotech in Edinburgh
Thoughtful digitalisation discussions at the premier meeting of women in biotech in Scotland
Jane Wall hosting a panel at Women in Biotech Edinburgh
Jane Wall
Managing Director, BIA
It was great to be back in Edinburgh to reconnect with this fabulous ecosystem – the breadth and depth of the Scottish life sciences scene gives it enviable connectivity and capability – with the added bonus of a warm welcome and a beautiful country.
We had a great crowd join us for Women in Biotech on Wednesday to network and to discuss operational and infrastructure readiness for AI – creating value through digital transformation. I was joined by Becky Street-Howard, Alix Mackay (DTG) and Fiona Dempsey (Medannex) for a panel that was both insightful and pragmatic.
It covered the challenge of interoperability of systems in biotech, the crucial disciplines of data standards and business process mapping, essential senior management and organisational buy in and the continued role of human input and oversight.
We were encouraged and inspired to think of data as an integral part of the product and to experiment with smaller problems with firm business objectives.
The data and AI potential for cell and gene therapy
Most striking was the opportunity that data interoperability and AI across that could bring in the future, in particular in fields such as cell and gene therapy, where intractable challenges of scaling manufacture and delivery are holding these transformational treatments back.
We all left spurred on to educate ourselves and experiment to unlock value, in addition to the reassurance that human judgement is still very much required – as is a strong awareness of security.
It was great also to reconnect with Scottish Enterprise and UK Gov (BIST) in Edinburgh.
So many exciting developments for the ecosystem afoot, and also opportunities to collaborate – in Scotland, in the UK more broadly, and overseas – to bring together a strong and unified UK life sciences message and to create impactful global connections.
Jane Wall visiting Scottish Enterprise and UK Gov (BIST) in Edinburgh
A reminder that this is the final week to apply for the 2027 Women in Biotech mentoring programme. Running from January to December, it offers participants the chance to build meaningful professional connections and develop leadership skills with experienced people from across the sector.
The programme is open to women at every career stage. Mentees must work for BIA member companies, while member and non-member organisations can nominate mentors. Apply now!
See you at our next Women in Biotech event in London on 8 December!