Events > Healthcare, Life Sciences and Chemicals

 

 

UK Life Sciences

The UK is a global leader in life sciences and healthcare innovation, spanning the NHS, academia, industry and policy.

Through our life sciences heritage, we have built a strong foundation in which we continue to push the boundaries of scientific discovery. This is made possible by the unique collaborative ecosystem we have built, one that allows partnerships to grow and flourish, to deliver world-leading innovation.

UK Genomics Spotlight 2024 from DBT 

The UK has world leading capabilities in genomics, from the NHS Genomic Medicine Service which is the first national healthcare system in the world to offer Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) as part of routine care, to world leading institutions and research cohorts, to the ever-expanding innovation of UK small businesses.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has produced the Genomics Spotlight 2024 to showcase this expertise in the UK and the latest developments that make the UK a hub for genomics business and investment. This document, while not comprehensive, showcases UK capabilities in genomics, with the aim to promote this sector to markets around the world, to promote UK plc and the healthcare institutions in place. With world-class businesses ready for export and world-leading research cohorts and structures in place, the UK has a lot to offer.

DBT has worked closely with the NHS, including NHS England and all 3 of the devolved nations, as well as encouraging input from several key public and private organisations and companies in the UK. With thanks to all organisations that have inputted and helped show the excellent opportunities for UK genomics.

 

Department for Business and Trade (DBT) 

 

“Achieving Net Zero Healthcare Brochure” 

The UK is proud to lead the way in the global transition to net zero emissions, and since 1990 the UK has almost halved our greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Department for Business and Trade (DBT) One Health Brochure 

“UK Global Innovations: Adopting a One Health Approach to Promote Future Sustainability” 

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), One Health is not a new concept, but a cross-disciplinary approach that recognises the close connection between humans, animal and plant health and our shared environment – and one that has become more important in recent years.

Today, One Health is more important than ever to improve the global response to infectious outbreaks such as COVID-19, growing antibiotic resistance (AMR), increased risks of diseases – vector borne and, in our food, water contamination and other global health challenges from climate change. It calls for new and better ideas to tackle the root causes and create real, long-term solutions. 

This new brochure, developed with partners in industry and public sector, presents why the UK is emerging as a global leader in One Health and showcases over 100+ innovative UK organisations with solutions in global challenges of…

  1. Providing sustainable nutrition to a growing and ageing population 
  2. Tackling infectious disease, antimicrobial resistance and preventing pandemics
  3. Sustainability in health system and wider environment

Examine what we’ve done; Adopt what feels right for you; Collaborate with us

 

 

 

Looking to buy from the UK?

Check out the case studies in this booklet, contact your local UK embassy, High Commission or Consulate, or contact lifescience@trade.gov.uk to discuss your needs to matchmake with the UK opportunity.


Looking to invest in the UK?

The DIT network provides a global reach in 170 countries. Staff work to ensure global businesses can invest successfully in the UK, whether directly creating a UK entity, or indirectly investing capital in a UK business or development.      Get in contact to start your investment journey.

Collaboration

The past year has demonstrated all that can be achieved by the life sciences sector globally and nowhere has this been more evident than in the UK.

From the discovery of dexamethasone, to the procurement and distribution of life saving vaccinations, both in the UK and around the world, the UK's life sciences sector has stepped up to the challenges presented by the pandemic, demonstrating how the UK can act as a global centre for innovation and a great place for life sciences companies, big and small, to do business.

Key to this success is the UK's strong foundation and the collaboration this enables between scientists, business, regulators and the NHS.   

These organisations in the UK worked together with Government to rapidly move from vaccine research into production, to stand up diagnostic testing capability at scale through the Lighthouse Labs, and to run fast and innovative clinical trials which have helped to deliver answers and options for the world in covid vaccines and therapeutics.

UK Government has a track record of working in partnership with industry, in delivering a long-term life sciences vision. We want to partner globally and share our knowledge and innovations.


If you are already working in the UK, or if you are starting on your international journey, we would like to work with you to find opportunities in this buoyant sector.

"The UK is a top global hub for life sciences and the leading destination in Europe for life sciences inward investment, home to a large, diverse and fast-growing industry, with more than 6,300 companies turning over £80bn a year and more than 250,000 people working in the sector across the UK."

UK solutions to pandemic response and resilience

 UK success stories in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic go beyond our scientists unmasking the C-19 virus and rapidly translating this into lifesaving interventions.  The UK will continue to be a fertile ground for amazing UK innovations and the companies and organisations who produce them. The UK is a prime destination for R&D and to grow your business and connect with new markets.

 

 

The UK solution set covers three areas of pandemic preparedness:

  • Infection Prevention and Control - diagnostics testing and genomic sequencing and surveillance

  • Disease Prevention and Management - research & development, manufacturing and clinical trials

  • Supporting Healthcare Systems - digital health ventilators, cold chain and health system strengthening

Heritage

  • Our talent and science is world class and we had already invested in creating national platforms for innovation, including expert infrastructure for research and manufacturing, and a high performing national clinical research network all ready to work with business.
     
  • The UK is also a foundry for start-ups; more than one third of all biotech companies formed in Europe since 2012 are based in the UK.
     
  • And we host many expert services and supply chain companies working all the way along the value chain, to help your business go further, faster.

Innovation

  • In cell and gene therapies, we’ve grown the largest cluster in Europe.
     
  • This includes companies such as Oxford BioMedica which, in addition to being Novartis’ production partner for lentiviral vectors for CAR-T, applied this same expertise when the pandemic hit to support the production of the Oxford and AstraZeneca vaccine.
     
  • AI for drug discovery, is achieving great success. Benevolent AI, first identified the potential of Eli Lilly’s baricitinib as a treatment for covid.
     
  • Exscientia, which recently closed $525m in fresh financing, has already discovered 7 promising drug candidates and shaved 2-6 years off the industry standard timelines, advancing 2 of these candidates into the clinic.
     
  • The UK is also applying AI in the healthcare setting, such as running a national AI lab and AI award, which will support and accelerate technologies from feasibility through to evaluation in the NHS, including UK companies such as Kheiron Medical, and global companies such as iRhythm and Healthy.io.
     
  • In clinical trials, we recently launched a new Clinical Research Vision - from high throughput patient recruitment centres, to digital clinical trial recruitment and innovative trial designs.
     
  • We are also making the NHS an active partner to industry in innovation developing and pulling through innovation. Examples include the NHS working with Novartis to trial and pull through a novel cholesterol treatment, inclisiran, and trialling at scale early detection technology such as GRAIL’s Galleri test for cancer.
     

Future

  • UK Biobank is a ‘household name’, and was a ready resource when covid hit, undertaking four major initiatives – a serology study, a repeat imaging study, a coronavirus self-test antibody study and health data linkage.
     
  • Our groundbreaking 100,000 genomes project has led to the introduction of the world’s first national genomic medicine service, which is applying whole genome sequencing in routine clinical care.
     
  • Our Future Health will be the UK’s largest every health research programme. It will recruit up to 5 million adults to be followed over time, building up a detailed picture of health, including genetic data, to transform the prevention, detection and treatment of conditions such as dementia, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. It will also enable breakthrough research and intervention studies.
     
  • UK industry is equally buoyant, and on track for a record breaking year for biotech finance. And more patient capital is going into the sector, such as the recently announced UK-UAE Strategic Investment Partnership which will apply £1bn to fund life sciences in the UK.
     
  • This year we have hosted the G7 and will host COP26, leading from the front, with a big emphasis on climate and sustainability. The life sciences industry can step up and help be this change, as can innovation in industrial biotechnology.
     

UK Biotech offers an array of exciting investment opportunities in drug discovery, vaccine development & advanced analytics.

$1.4bn

raised by UK Biotechs in 2018:
almost 40% of the total funds raised by European life sciences companies.

Life Sciences Vision

The Life Sciences Vision outlines government and the life science sector’s ambitions for the sector over the next decade and plans to stimulate a thriving UK life sciences sector. How can we address some of the UK’s most significant healthcare challenges, including cancer, dementia and obesity.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/life-sciences-vision

 

Investment into UK biotech has also grown at unprecedented levels, totalling nearly £20bn in 2020 across mergers & acquisitions, public listings, venture capital and private equity. That figure is set to grow even further into 2021, with over £10bn of investment already reported from private funding rounds and stock market flotations in just the first three months of the year.

We are a destination for international talent and offer tax benefits to innovators, from R&D tax credits and a ‘patent box’, to a new super deduction making it more attractive than ever to invest in plants and machinery.

UK Genomics Spotlight: Leading Innovations 2022

 

The UK's Life Sciences heritage underpins its globally recognised strength in genomics. A science that has played an expanding role in the NHS over the last seventy years. Now is the time to focus on a future, where the UK pushes the boundaries of discovery.

 

DIT in partnership with ABHi, BIA, Genomics England and NHS England, presents the 'UK Genomics Spotlight'. A showcase of 50+ UK genomics organisations, covering the UK's national strengths:

 

  • Whole genome sequencing, software bioinformatics
  • Diagnostic and reagents
  • Training & education
  • Clinical services
  • Therapeutics, cell & gene therapy