£1.3 billion industry-government investment in UK economy and new partnership driving early disease detection

• Life-saving early disease detection technology to be developed by new partnership between government and industry using artificial intelligence (AI) to develop the next generation of treatments, including a first-of-its-kind national health programme 
• The second Life Sciences Sector Deal, with industry investment from 10 companies, will support healthcare innovation and back businesses to create high-paid, high-quality jobs as part of the Government’s modern Industrial Strategy
• The deal signals a vote of confidence in UK industry, with global biopharmaceutical company UCB investing around £1 billion in research and development, including in a new state-of-the-art facility

Tens of thousands of lives could be saved by pioneering research to detect deadly diseases before symptoms even appear, thanks to a new collaboration between the Government and the Life Sciences Industry. The Deal will also announce that global biopharmaceutical company UCB is investing £1 billion in research and development, including in a new state-of-the-art facility, continuing the UK’s reputation as a world leading base for global life sciences research and industry.  

The programme, backed by up to £79m of government funding, will study five million healthy people to develop new diagnostic tests using AI and is part of the Government's Life Science's Sector Deal 2, announced today by Businesses Secretary Greg Clark and Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

The deal, which brings together 10 companies and is backed by wide range of organisations from across the sector, includes more than £1.3 billion of investment between the public and private sectors. It ensures the UK remains in pole position in the treatments of today, while creating the industries and treatments of the future such as genomics and AI-powered diagnosis. 

Business Secretary Greg Clark said:

“From the first vaccine to the discovery of DNA, the UK has always been at the forefront of medical endeavour and healthcareinnovations. That is why we are building on our unique strengths by placing life sciences at the centre of our modern Industrial Strategy, backed by the biggest increase in public research and development investment in UK history.

“This is our modern Industrial Strategy in action as we work hand in hand with industry to ensure the UK remains the go-to destination for launching new businesses, new discoveries and treatments to benefit health around the world.

“The announcement of UCB’s investment in new research and development is a clear vote of confidence in UK life sciences research base and business.”

The programme – Accelerating Detection of Disease – will be led by Professor Sir John Bell and brings together the NHS, industry and leading charities including Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation and Alzheimer’s Research UK. It will be the largest ever study of its kind collecting such a range of data from healthy volunteers over years. This will help deliver the Early Diagnosis Mission — a key part of the Industrial Strategy’s AI and Data Grand Challenge. Businesses will be able to access this funding through UKRI managed competitions.

Researchers will study how the group’s health changes, identifying common characteristics to understand how and why diseases develop. The ambition is to empower everyone to understand their risk of developing diseases and take steps to remain healthy for longer. The project will attract investment from global life science companies seeking to develop new diagnostic tools and treatments.

It is estimated that if late stage diagnosis were halved across bowel, ovary, prostate and lung cancer, over 55,500 more people would be diagnosed at an early stage, potentially resulting in 22,500 fewer deaths per year within five years of diagnosis. 

In a meeting with industry leaders at No10, the Business Secretary announced that as part of the Sector Deal a new £150 to 200 million research and development facility of global biopharmaceutical company UCB will be built in the UK as part of a total investment of around £1 billion over the next 5 years. The transition to this state-of-the-art facility will support around 650 jobs and further boost the UK’s reputation for developing world-leading medical treatments and technologies. 

Jean-Christophe Tellier, Chief Executive Officer at UCB, said:

“At UCB, we are proud of our heritage in the UK and I am very pleased to announce our planned investment to support the construction of a major R&D hub in the UK, which will enable us to build upon our numerous active collaborations with UK universities, biotechs and medical research charities, and continue our successful track record of bringing innovative medicines discovered in the UK to patients globally.

“Access to world class talent remains vital to R&D and we therefore look forward to working closely with Government to support the full implementation of Sir John Bell’s Life Sciences Industrial Strategy, and importantly, to ensure that patients in the UK have quicker access to the innovative medicines researched and developed here.”

Professor Sir John Bell said:

“This Sector Deal is another major step forward for the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy in the UK.  It has been hugely enabled by Government and will initiate new projects that will be a magnet for further investment.

“Together, industry, charities, Government and the NHS can tackle some of the major challenges to healthcare systems, including ageing and early diagnostics and, in doing so, can grow the economy and demonstrate what a modern Industrial Strategy looks like in action.”

Other new announcements as part of the Life Sciences Sector Deal include:

• A further £30 million investment in the UK by healthcare company Roche, including a £20m investment over three years in a precision cancer research partnership with the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester. This will use cutting-edge genomic technology and big data to accelerate the next generation of digital clinical trials for rare cancers, making the UK a leading global hub for rare cancer trials, potentially benefiting nearly 5,000 patients annually
• Measures to further strengthen the UK environment for clinical research, including through IQVIA investing £24 million facilitated by the National Institute for Health Research in a Prime Site for clinical trials across the North of England, and IQVIA and Genomics England announcing a new £20mn partnership to enable more efficient drug research and support accelerated discovery of personalised medicines for NHS patients

• Over £80m of investment in the UK from five rapidly growing cell and gene therapy companies. The majority of this investment will be in cutting-edge manufacturing facilities, building on the government investment in advanced therapies manufacturing made in last years’ Sector Deal. Autolus have planned to invest a further £50m to expand its UK presence, including a new global headquarters with laboratories in White City. Oxford BioMedica, Cobra Biologics, and Roslin CT are planning investments of £19m, £8m, and £4m respectively to scale up their UK cell and gene therapy manufacturing facilities. Bellicum, an inward investor, has committed to its first European investment in the UK with £2m and 20 jobs initially. 

Today’s announcement builds on the first Life Sciences Sector Deal, published in December 2017. The Deal committed nearly £500 million of Government investment into UK life sciences, backed by more than £1 billion of private sector investment, to build on the sector’s strengths, help to secure thousands of jobs and ensure that new medicines and technologies are created in the UK.

In the last year its achievements have included:

• Kick-starting the largest whole genome sequencing project ever undertaken, helping to develop new tests and treatments for cancer and rare diseases
• Establishing a network of five centres of excellence in digital pathology and radiology to supercharge new diagnostic industries
• Implementing the Accelerated Access Review with Government, industry, the NHS and its partners working together to put NHS patients at the forefront of the latest advances in healthcare

The new Life Sciences Sector Deal further strengthens the UK’s world-leading capabilities in the likes of genomic science, Big Data assets and gene and cell therapies, ensuring we are at the forefront of new industries in areas such as genomics and AI-driven diagnostics. 

The UK remains the number one destination for life sciences inward investment in Europe, ranks number 2 globally behind the US, and has also grown a thriving domestic industry with more than 5,600 companies supporting 240,000 jobs and generating a turnover of around £70 billion per year. All of the top 25 global pharmaceutical companies, and the top 30 global medical technology companies, operate in the UK. The UK also accounts for 12% of total life sciences academic citations and 18% of the most-cited publications – the 2nd highest share above China, Germany and Canada.

The Modern Industrial Strategy

The modern Industrial Strategy, published last year, set out how the whole of the UK can build on its strengths, extend them into the future, and capitalise on new opportunities. Investing in science and research to keep us at the forefront of new technologies and the benefits they bring. Nurturing the talent of tomorrow - through more outstanding schools, world-leading universities and the technical skills that will drive our economy. And transforming the places where people live and work – the places where ideas and inspiration are born – by backing businesses and building infrastructure across every part of our country.

It has been taken forward at pace over the last year:

• Innovative ideas that bring together world-class UK science, research and innovation to develop cutting edge products and services of the future have received an extra £1.7bn making it the largest increase for 40 years (to £7bn). That includes £210m to develop new medical diagnostic tools and treatments, £90m for the food and farming industry to embrace agri-tech and £184m for 41 UK universities to train the next generation of world-class scientists and engineers.
• Six sector deals between government and industry have been published – from construction and automotive to nuclear and the creative industries, including £1.9bn of investment in life sciences and £1bn for artificial intelligence. They are not only about attracting investment and growth, but also ensuring we have the skilled, diverse workforce we need for the future.
• Plans for new technical qualifications (T-levels) and to transform the quality and quantity of apprenticeships.
• Furthered the connectivity of Britain’s towns, cities and rural areas, including the first allocations of the £190 million full-fibre challenge fund and £25 million for six 5G testbeds across the UK.
• Opened the Transforming Cities Fund with billions of pounds ready to go to projects that drive productivity by improving connections within city regions.
• Opened the Faraday Institution in Oxford to keep the UK at the forefront of global battery manufacture.
• Announced plans for a new spaceport in Sutherland
• The UK now has the fastest growing infrastructure investment across the G7, providing £31bn of additional capital spending to areas critical to improving productivity.
• Lunched the £9m Centre of Data Ethics and Innovation to act as an advisory body to Government and regulators on ethics of data and its use, including for AI.
• Launched the Patient Capital Fund, which will invest £2.5bn in our most innovative companies.

Notes to editors

• The £79m Accelerating Detection of Disease programme will be delivered by UK Research and Innovation through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.
• UCB is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative medicines and solutions to transform the lives of people living with severe diseases in immunology or neurology. The investment around £1 billion over the next five years will include £150-200 million to build a new, purpose-built state-of-the-art facility enabling cutting-edge R&D, early manufacturing and commercial operations. The transition to this new facility will support around 650 high-skilled jobs, mainly in scientific research and early manufacturing. The investment will allow UCB to continue their innovative research in areas of unmet patient need, deepen their collaborations with UK organisations, and solidify their position as a leader in UK life sciences. UCB’s new facilities will be based in or close to the wider Slough area and will be announced subject to UCB finalising their search for a suitable location and agreed contractual negotiations.
• The Ageing Society mission with the modern Industrial Strategy is to ensure that people can enjoy at least 5 extra healthy, independent years of life by 2035, while narrowing the gap between the experience of the richest and poorest.
• It is estimated that by 2033 if late stage diagnosis were reduced by 50 per cent across bowel, ovary, prostate and lung cancer, over 55,500 more people would be diagnosed at an early stage, which could result in over 22,500 fewer deaths per year within five years of diagnosis. This is calculated by Cancer Research UK based on current distribution of stage at diagnosis for cancers with a recorded stage of disease in England (obtained from Public Health England), cancer incidence projections for 2033 and estimates for 5-yr cancer survival by stage.

• Using data, artificial intelligence and innovation to transform the prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases is the first mission of the AI and Data Grand Challenge. Success in this mission is one of a number of steps towards saving lives and increasing NHS efficiency by enabling earlier diagnosis and reducing the need for costly late stage treatment. The opportunity - working with academia, the charitable sector, and industry and harnessing the power of AI and data technologies - is considerable. It should lead to a whole new industry of diagnostic and tech companies which would drive UK economic growth.
• The Accelerating Detection of Disease project also supports the Ageing Society Grand Challenge mission, which is to ensure that people can enjoy at least 5 extra healthy, independent years of life by 2035, while narrowing the gap between the experience of the richest and poorest.