- Sir outlines findings
of independent sector-led review into £64 billion life
sciences industry at University of Birmingham
- the review will inform the basis of government work
with the sector towards a Sector Deal in the coming
months
- Business Secretary and Health Secretary
will also announce
details of £160 million of funding to support the
sector including the NHS
Industry proposals to help the UK’s life sciences sector
become an international benchmark for success will be
unveiled by Professor Sir during a speech at
the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Translational
Medicine later today (30 August 2017).
Attended by Business Secretary and Health Secretary
, Sir will outline the
industry’s vision for how government can work alongside
the sector to boost businesses large and small across the
£64 billion life sciences sector.
In the government’s
Industrial Strategy green paper, launched in January,
life sciences was one of five of the UK’s leading sectors
tasked with working with stakeholders across the industry
to identify opportunities for how government can support
the industry.
The industry-led Life Sciences Industrial Strategy
follows Sir ’s comprehensive
cross-sector review into the long-term future of the
industry and brings together input and recommendations
from a broad range of stakeholders, including global
companies such as AstraZeneca, Johnson and Johnson, MSD,
GSK and healthcare groups, SMEs and
charities.
The report’s recommendations will be considered carefully
by the government and used to work towards a sector deal
between government and the global life sciences sector.
Sir is expected to say:
The vision for the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy is
an ambitious one and sets out proposals for how the UK
can continue to capitalise on its strengths in the
sector, both to encourage economic growth and to
improve health outcomes for patients.
We have created a strategy which capitalises on our
strong science base to further build the industry into
a globally-unique and internationally competitive life
sciences eco-system, supported by collaboration across
industry, government, the NHS, academia, and research
funders to deliver health and wealth.
I look forward to working with government to consider
the strategy’s recommendations, including those that
can be taken forward as part of an ambitious sector
deal.
From a cross-section of industry and trade association
members of the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy Board:
We welcome the publication of the Life Sciences
Industrial Strategy, led by Sir . The Strategy and
Board demonstrate the breadth and vibrancy of the life
sciences ecosystem in the UK, the importance of
collaboration across the sector, the critical role of
the NHS in delivering the development and use of new
medical technologies, and the contribution of our
sector to the UK economy.
The Strategy provides a holistic and collaborative
framework to realise the many exciting opportunities in
the future of life sciences in the UK and is a positive
first step to cementing the success of our sector.
This should provide the springboard for any sector deal
for the life sciences sector, including the NHS and
other stakeholders; this will be vital to ensuring that
the recommendations set out in this Strategy are fully
implemented.
As the UK leaves the EU, collaboration with, and
support from government is more important than ever to
maintaining the UK’s position as a global life sciences
ecosystem.
The Life Sciences Industrial Strategy, a report to the
government from the life sciences sector, is organised
under 5 key themes – science, growth, NHS, data, and
skills – with proposals to build on the UK’s strengths in
each area. These include:
- Science – Reinforcing the UK science offer by
sustaining and increasing funding for basic science to
match our international competition and by further
improving UK clinical trial capabilities
- Growth – Improving growth and infrastructure across
the country, through a tax environment that supports
growth and by attracting substantial investment to
manufacture and export high value life science products
of the future
- NHS – Encouraging NHS collaboration by recommending
the Accelerated Access Review be adopted with national
routes to market streamlined and clarified, including for
digital products
- Data – Making better use of data and other evidence
by establishing 2 to 5 regional innovation hubs that
would provide data across regions of 3 to 5 million
people.
- Skills – Ensuring the UK has the talent and skills to
underpin future life sciences success by delivering a
reinforced skills action plan across the NHS, commercial
and third sectors
The Strategy also recommends the establishment of the
Healthcare Advanced Research Program (HARP), a
programme through which industries, charities and the NHS
can collaborate on ambitious and long-term UK-based
projects to transform healthcare and take advantage of
the medical trends of the next 20 years.
Health Secretary is expected to say:
The UK has always been at the forefront of scientific
excellence. From the discovery of antibiotics to our
world-leading 100,000 Genomes project, we have a proud
history of medical breakthrough and innovation.
I want patients to continue to be at the front of the
queue for the best treatments available, whether that
means early access to trials, giving staff brand new
innovations and technology to work with, or being at
the heart of research to share best practice quickly
across the health and social care system. A strong and
growing life sciences sector ensures this, particularly
as we negotiate our exit from the EU.
In welcoming the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy, the
Health Secretary is also announcing £14 million funding
to support 11 medical technology research centres to
encourage collaboration between the NHS and industry in
developing and bringing new technologies to patients
through the National Institute for Health Research
(NIHR).
This will mean patients will continue to benefit from new
technologies which will help to improve diagnosis and get
them the treatment they need quickly.
Business Secretary is expected to say:
The life sciences sector is of critical importance to
the UK economy and UK health – with over 5,000
companies, nearly 235,000 employees and a turnover of
£64 billion in 2016 – and the government is committed
to continuing to help this sector go from strength to
strength.
The Life Sciences Industrial Strategy demonstrates the
world-class expertise the UK already has in this sector
and represents the industry’s vision for how we can
build on our world-leading reputation in this field.
We will be engaging with Sir in the coming
months in an effort to work towards a sector deal that
helps us seize the opportunities in this area.
Chief Executive of Innovate UK, Dr Ruth McKernan, added:
I know from my own experience that the UK is a world
leader in life sciences. These new proposals underline
our strength and will keep the nation at the cutting
edge. At Innovate UK, we look forward to playing a key
role in its delivery.
Working with the research community and exciting
companies, with equally exciting ideas, we will drive
innovation to create new jobs and deliver greater
productivity.
At the launch of the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy,
the Business Secretary will reiterate government’s
commitment to the sector, announcing the first phase of
the government’s investment in life sciences through the
Industrial Strategy, with £146 million for leading-edge
healthcare, which is expected to leverage more than £250
million of private funding from industry.
This investment, part of the government’s
flagship Industrial
Strategy Challenge Fund, will be spread over 4 years
and covers 5 major projects supporting advanced
therapies, advanced medicines and vaccines development
and manufacturing. These projects are:
- Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre: A £13
million competition to establish a new centre, in
partnership with industry, that will accelerate the
adoption of emerging and novel manufacturing technologies
- Vaccines Development and Manufacturing Centre: To
develop and manufacture vaccines for clinical trials and
prepare for emergency epidemic threats, government is
investing £66 million in a new centre of excellence
- Advanced Therapies Treatment Centre £30 million
investment in 3 new sites will help establish a network
of centres, based in hospitals, that will transform the
UK’s ability to develop and deliver cell and gene
therapies to a large number of patients
- Expanding the Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing
Centre: Enhancing the UK’s offer in the fast-moving field
of cell and gene therapy by investing £12 million in
doubling the capacity of the Cell and Gene Therapy Centre
in Stevenage
- Research and Development to support innovation at the
manufacturing centres: Through a new collaborative
scheme, the government is investing £25 million to
support SMEs working
in this sector and boost innovation
Government has increased investment in research and
development over the next 4 years by £4.7 billion to
create jobs and raise living standards through the
Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. The Business
Secretary has announced that the first £1 billion of
investment is being made in 6 key areas in 2017 to 2018,
driving progress and innovation that will create
opportunities for businesses and sectors across the UK.
Notes to editors
The NIHR Medtech
and In vitro diagnostic Co-operatives (NIHR MICs)
build expertise and capacity in the NHS to develop new
medical technologies and provide evidence on
commercially-supplied in vitro diagnostic (IVD) tests.
The NIHR MICs will
provide funding over five years for leading NHS
Organisations to act as centres of expertise; bringing
together patients, clinicians, researchers, commissioners
and industry. 11 centres across England have been
designated NIHR MICs.
The Life Sciences Industrial Strategy Board members
quoted above include the:
- Association of British Healthcare Industries
- Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry
- AstraZeneca
- BioIndustryAssociation
- GlaxoSmithKline
- Immunocore Ltd
- Johnson & Johnson
- MSD
- Northern Health Science Alliance Ltd
The full Board brings together representation from across
the sector, including industry, academia and charities.
