CEO Update - 23 October 2023
Annual General Meeting
The BIA’s Annual General Meeting will take place tomorrow, Tuesday 24 October 2023 at 4.30 - 5.15 pm via Zoom. In addition to approving the accounts for 2022 and giving an update on the activity of the Association, the results of the election for new Board members will be shared. The formal Notice of the meeting has been sent to the primary contact of each member company and I hope many of you will be able to join us. As a company limited by guarantee, owned by our members, and overseen by our non-remunerated volunteer Board, this is an important part of our Association’s governance and your attendance and engagement are really appreciated.
New TechBio report
Our new report TechBio 2023: UK driving the AI revolution is out now. As well as explaining the big picture and highlighting some of this year's emerging stars and talent in the sector, it provides data on financing, partnering activity and how the UK sits in the global ecosystem (spoiler alert second only to the US). It also lays out how, by working together as a community, we’ve enabled SMEs to gain a seat at a table where access to UK health data is discussed and decided – the key policy agenda for the future of this sector. Do take a look – share widely and give us feedback on what is a key publication for us this quarter. Many thanks to Citeline for partnering with us on this publication.
Fantastic TechBio UK Conference
TechBio UK was a fantastic event and I'd like to thank all participants, speakers, supporters and attendees. It was a real mix of start-ups, investors and established players mixing and mingling.
The buzz around the coffee cart and across the day proved to me the vitality of this fast-growing community of future stars.
MI5 China warning
"If you're working today at the cutting edge of technology then geopolitics is interested in you, even if you're not interested in geopolitics," the head of MI5 Ken McCallum said last week. The Security Service has gone public to warn tens of thousands of UK companies, especially SMEs, about Chinese agents seeking to gain access to sensitive technology. Mr McCallum said that MI5 had now seen suspected Chinese agents approach over 20,000 people in the UK over professional networking sites like LinkedIn, in order to try to cultivate them to provide sensitive information, which is double the previously reported figure. The full story is well worth your time.
MSD break ground on London Discovery Centre
I was really sorry that COVID kept me away from celebrating progress on the development of MSD’s new Discovery Research Centre in London early last week. This exciting $1.32 billion development will take shape over the next couple of years and is a really exciting addition to the UK discovery ecosystem. Those of you who know me well will know that I always say the most magical discovery journeys start at Platform 9¾ at Kings Cross Station and this can be just as true for the next generation of therapies as a trip to Hogwarts – both examples of UK excellence that sell well around the globe.
Pandemic treaty developments
Here's a summary of two developments in negotiations for a new pandemic treaty. Firstly a negotiating draft of the World Health Organization’s Pandemic Accord or Treaty has been circulated to member states. The IFPMA were clear in their view that 'if adopted in their current form, the proposals would effectively guarantee failure in meeting the 100 Days Mission target set out by the G7 in 2021'.
Also published was an important document from the US government that is expected to set the tone of the global debate in the coming months. The 497-page tome makes no recommendations and mostly restates arguments from both sides. While it acknowledges the challenges of defining COVID therapeutics, how difficult it is to manufacture biologics and keep quality and highlights the role SMEs play, it also doubles down on the idea that something needs to be done to address inequitable access to therapeutics and doesn't unequivocally state that waiving IP isn’t part of a solution.
With the ground now set, months of negotiation will ensue in Geneva, and we will make sure that the UK representatives are fully versed with the facts and practical solutions that can make the biggest difference in helping ensure the globe is best placed to face the challenge of the next pandemic.
New £30 million AMR initiative
Innovate UK, LifeArc, and Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) have joined forces to create PACE (Pathways to Antimicrobial Clinical Efficacy), a £30 million initiative supporting early-stage innovation against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to save lives. PACE has announced its first funding call with up to £10 million available to support innovators developing new antimicrobials. Read full story
Q3 Influencing report published
Our latest quarterly report provides an overview of our engagements with policymakers. It is a great summary of all the work we’ve been doing on your behalf – including panels at party conferences, a stellar lineup for our Future of UK Regulation conference and an mRNA Revolution explainer report to chart a path for the UK to become a world leader in this field. I hope you enjoy the read.
Steve Bates OBE
CEO, BioIndustry Association
