New Executive Chair to strengthen government’s plan to unleash life sciences for a healthier, wealthier Britain

• Industry leader Steve Bates OBE appointed as Executive Chair for the Office for Life Sciences.
• Office for Life Sciences to report into Health, Science and Business departments, recognising the industry's importance to the health and growth missions in the Plan for Change.
• Appointment is immediate action on Life Sciences Sector Plan pledge to strengthen links between sector and government.

Industry leader Steve Bates OBE has today (Tuesday 22 July) been appointed as Executive Chair of the Office for Life Sciences, the cross-Government unit that champions research, innovation and the use of technology to transform health and grow the economy across the UK.

The Office for Life Sciences (OLS) will report directly into the Business Secretary in addition to the Health Secretary and Technology Secretary, recognising that driving economic growth and investment in this key sector will be a crucial part of the OLS agenda in support of the Plan for Change.

The moves show the government is taking immediate action to deliver the Life Sciences Sector Plan, the ambitious blueprint for unleashing the UK's circa £100 billion life sciences sector as a force for economic growth and bettering the nation's health, in aid of the Plan for Change. Forming one of the 8 core pillars of the modern Industrial Strategy, the Plan sets out the government's commitment to deepening its ties with the life sciences sector, and strengthening the Office for Life Sciences to do so.

It builds on the positive momentum coming from recent successes for OLS, such as the recent £1 billion investment deal with BioNTech which the Office was instrumental in delivering, and backing for groundbreaking research like that supported by Our Future Health and UK Biobank, as well as its role in the up to £600 million investment to deliver a Health Data Research Service that will be unmatched globally – bringing the power of data to bear to unlock breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

Steve Bates is a recognised industry figurehead, having led the UK BioIndustry Association as CEO since 2012. He sits on the UK Life Sciences Council, and was a founder member of the UK Government's Vaccine Taskforce. Steve was made OBE for services to innovation in 2017 and became a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2020.

Steve Bates OBE said:

The UK is great at life sciences. Great science, growth finance, world leading entrepreneurs, agile regulators, and key health data assets, all network here within a sector focused industrial strategy.

I know we can deliver global health outcomes and UK economic growth because we did so through the Vaccine Taskforce during COVID. I look forward to selling the sector's great story to the globe. It's a privilege to help life science businesses start, grow, scale and renew in the UK ecosystem to deliver economic growth, prosperity and health.

Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:

The life sciences sector plays a unique role, as a catalyst for both economic prosperity, and better health outcomes for people across the UK. Its ongoing success will be pivotal to both our Plan for Change, and our modern Industrial Strategy.

It is only right that we draw upon the nation's best talent and expertise to push this sector on to even greater heights, and to that end I am delighted that Steve will be joining us in these endeavours.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

We're turning the UK into a life sciences powerhouse and harnessing the genius of our country's greatest scientific minds.

I know that Steve will bolster this mission and help make Britain the envy of the world when it comes to medical innovation.

Under his leadership, I'm confident the Office for Life Sciences will continue to drive groundbreaking research and fulfil the Plan for Change's goal to transform healthcare for patients across the country.

Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said:

We want to make the UK a life sciences superpower. That's why we earmarked it as a priority sector in our modern Industrial Strategy, which sets out how we will back the industry to keep it at the forefront of global innovation.

This single front door for industry to engage with government will be key to achieving our life sciences mission, as will appointing talented leaders like Steve – boosting the sector to deliver on our Plan for Change to grow the economy.

The Office for Life Sciences is a Directorate of 120 civil servants, which drives policy and delivery in the Life Sciences sector, supporting the government's ambitions on economic growth and improved health that sit at the heart of the Plan for Change. Currently overseen by the Health Secretary and Technology Secretary, it will now also have more formalised links into the Department for Business and Trade to support the government's Industrial Strategy.

In his new role, Bates will act as an ambassador both domestically and internationally for the UK life sciences sector. He will work across government and the wider public sector to ensure engagement with industry around policy and investment happens productively and at pace, working closely with all 3 Secretaries of State, providing support and expert advice as required. 

The UK is already a global leader in life sciences, with the sector worth around £100 billion to the economy, and employing around 300,000 people. These moves show the government's determination to immediately deliver on its goals for the sector, as laid out in the Life Sciences Sector Plan. Developed in close coordination with the Government's 10 Year Health Plan, the Plan is a vision for doubling down on the sector's strengths – turning cutting-edge research into real-world results: new treatments, faster diagnoses, and more lives saved. It's about making sure breakthroughs happen here – and stay here – creating jobs, improving lives in every part of the country, and driving growth.

Notes to editors

Steve Bates' appointment will further strengthen our expert leadership in life sciences, working with OLS Director Rosalind Campion.