Resources

I will watch the General Election this Thursday with great interest, like the rest of the country, and update you on the new ministers and members of Parliament next week. You can access the policy backgrounds of the main parties and view our webinar on what the campaign has taught us about what our sector should expect from the new parliament and government.

With fewer than twenty days to go and the manifestoes of the main parties now published, the BIA policy team pick apart what each party is pledging for the life science sector.

UK General Election and what it might mean for the industry, including Labour's pledges on Brexit and business taxes. Upcoming events including the Cambridge Wide Open Day and the Life Science Leadership Summit. UK tech companies pitching at the London Stock Exchange and Amber Therapeutics securing $100 million in funding.

MSD Merck acquire UK biotech EyeBio for $1.3 billion upfront, ASCO and BIO conference week and the UK General election campaign produces little news for the life science sector.

The UK General Election has been called for Thursday, 4 July. In practical terms, this means the end of the legislative pathway for many proposals as Parliament shuts down. Keep reading for updates on our general election webinars and UK events at BIO 2024.

The UK general election has been called for Thursday, 4 July. In practical terms, this means the end of the legislative pathway for many proposals as Parliament shuts down. It also means the policy-making function of the civil service machine slows to a crawl and with it the cancellation of planned formal meetings of government and industry, like the Life Science Council in June. Keep reading for updates on our general election webinars and UK events at BIO 2024.

The UK's engineering biology scene was out in force at a Number 10 Downing Street reception last week. It was great to celebrate the developments in our community network together with ministers and investors.

In this blog, Dr Martin Turner, Associate Director, Policy, Public Affairs & Investor Relations at BIA takes a closer look at the impact of the Spring Budget on UK life sciences, examines key announcements and invites you to join our webinar tomorrow for a deeper dive into the implications.

​​​​Herbie Lambden, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Executive at the BIA, provides a rundown of the BIA Committee Summit, which took place in Westminster on 21 February.

There are 3.5 million people in the UK living with a rare disease, and Rare Disease Day provides a crucial opportunity to draw attention to the inequities faced by patients and their families. In this blog, Emily Klein, Policy and Public Affairs Executive, reflects on the BIA’s recent parliamentary reception held ahead of Rare Disease Day 2024.  

This Thursday marks Rare Disease Day, and as it is a leap year it is taking place on the rarest day of all – 29 February. There are 3.5 million people in the UK living with a rare condition and one in 17 people will be affected by a rare condition at some point in their lives.

Fantastic news that new BIA Board member Ros Deegan, CEO of OMass Therapeutics has been appointed by the Prime Minister to serve on his prestigious Business Council alongside some of the biggest names from across UK business. Read on for Labour’s plan for the life sciences sector and our latest award.

Last week, we published our annual report looking at the state of financing in our sector. The headline figures are that UK biotechs secured £1.8 billion in equity financings in 2023. Keep reading for an update on the Labour Business Conference, and new EuropaBio report on the impact of planned EU legislation on innovation.

The Department of Health and Social Care has published details of the 2024 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, while The British Academy opens funding support for Horizon programme applications. We also have an exclusive interview with Larry the Downing Street Cat, shedding light on his surprising life as a scientist.

London Life Sciences Week last week had an amazing buzz. I think there were more Americans in life science over for one week than I’ve ever experienced – centred on the Jefferies Healthcare Conference. At the same time, London was also full of Europeans at events like the Scrip Awards, where Jeremy Levin received the Lifetime Achievement Award and gave an impactful speech. The connectivity was immense - with a massive range of events that were really vibrant, diverse and inclusive.