Influencing and shaping our sector | BIA update: July to October 2021

The BioIndustry Association (BIA)’s ongoing engagement enables our members’ voices to be heard at the highest levels. This quarterly update gives an overview of key policy developments and the BIA’s continued engagement with policymakers, regulatory authorities and wider stakeholders on behalf of the UK life sciences sector, from July to October 2021.

There’s no such thing as a quiet summer for the BIA. In Q3, seminal reports on the UK’s genomics sector and the public’s attitude to rare disease medicines were published, as was the latest investment update, showing the sector continues to attract record sums. We also launched a report highlighting the importance of continuing government fiscal support for the sector ahead of the Spending Review due on 27 October.

The Life Sciences Scale-Up Taskforce, announced as part of the Life Sciences Vision in Q2, was established to increase UK investors’ participation in the sector and had its first meeting with the Secretary of State for Business.  The team delivered a triumphant Parliament Day, in which over 30 BIA members participated in 24 influencing meetings, including with two ministers and 13 MPs. Rounding off the summer, Steve Bates appeared on the main stage at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester to talk about the success of scaling-up COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing in the UK. Read on for more details on these activities and much more that the BIA delivered in Q3.