Author Archives: HM Government

• Sir John Bell 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 Greg Clark and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt 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 John Bell during a speech at the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Translational Medicine later today (30 August 2017).

Attended by Business Secretary Greg Clark and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Sir John Bell 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 John Bell’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 John Bell 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 John Bell. 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 Jeremy Hunt 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 Greg Clark 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 John Bell 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.

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.

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The UK’s first HGV ‘platooning’ trial, jointly funded by Highways England and the Department for Transport, has been given the green light.

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England’s women’s cricket and rugby teams today enjoyed a Downing Street reception to celebrate their recent achievements in what is fast becoming a year to remember for British women’s sport.

The England women’s cricket team secured their fourth World Cup title in July in front of a sold out Lord’s Cricket Ground, beating India by nine runs, while the England women’s rugby reached the World Cup final, falling to New Zealand in Belfast on Saturday night, in a thrilling finale to a fantastic tournament.

The success of both teams comes at a time when women’s sport is enjoying a marked increase in grassroots participation, elite-level success, record investment and global coverage.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

It has been a watershed summer for women’s sport in our country and it was a great honour to welcome two teams, whose achievements have been such an important part of this breakthrough moment, to Downing Street today.

Interest in women’s sports is at an all-time high and with record attendances and huge global interest I hope we can seize this opportunity to grow women and girls’ sport in communities across the length and breadth of the land.

Thousands of women and girls across the country will be inspired by the achievements of the current generation of stars and they are fantastic ambassadors for the nation.

England women’s cricket team captain, Heather Knight said:

It’s been an incredible summer for women’s cricket and we’ve enjoyed every second of it. I would never have imagined that we could sell out Lord’s so to lift the World Cup in front of a packed house was beyond special.

The support from our fans helped us on our way to the trophy and it’s also evidence of how much our sport has grown. It just feels like there’s never been a better time for women and girls to get involved in cricket – some of my favourite memories from the tournament are signing autographs for the young girls who came to watch and cheer us on. Hopefully they’ll now be desperate to follow in our footsteps.

It was an honour to meet the Prime Minister and share some stories with her from inside the camp. We saw her mention us after we’d beaten Australia in the group stages so it’s great that we’ve had a chance to come and say thanks!

England bowler and player of the match, Anya Shrubsole said:

Growing up you see successful sportspeople visiting the Prime Minister and it feels a million miles away. To be here today is an indication of how far women’s cricket has come.

This summer was the product of a lot of hard work – on and off the pitch. We’ve got more to do but we want to keep winning trophies and we want to inspire as many young girls as possible to pick up a bat or a ball and start playing.

When I was a young fan watching cricket, I didn’t think I’d take six wickets in a World Cup final at Lord’s in front of 25,000 fans and win Player of the Match – hopefully that goes to show young girls that there are no limits to what you can achieve.

England women’s rugby team captain, Sarah Hunter said:

It’s been an honour to be invited to attend the reception in Downing Street today to celebrate what has been an exciting summer of women’s sport. While as a team we are disappointed not to have brought the World Cup home, we are proud of everything that we have achieved this year in showcasing women’s rugby.

Hopefully we have played a part in inspiring the next generation to get involved and give rugby a go.

Through the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport England’s Sporting Future strategy the Government is determined to build on these successes at the grassroots and elite levels to encourage more women and girls playing sport.

Tackling the gender gap is a priority for this Government and we are determined to continue to make progress in the broader women’s sporting landscape. The Sporting Future strategy has a strong emphasis on attracting under-represented groups such as women, disabled people, those in lower socio-economic groups and older people into sport.

Better participation and elite-level success is a great step forward but to build on this we also want to help improve the representation of women on the boards of sports governing bodies. Through the Code for Sports Governance, we are ensuring that all sports governing bodies that receive public money will have at least 30 per cent gender diversity on their boards. Better female representation on the boards of sports governing bodies can help grow women’s sport.

Sport England’s recent Active Lives survey found that in terms of ‘being active’ men are 63% more likely to be active while women are still just 59% more likely. Encouragingly the sports gender participation gap has dropped from over two million to around 1.55 million but more still needs to be done – that is why Sport England is committed to tripling its investment to tackling inactivity to £250 million.

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I am delighted to welcome you all to Downing Street today – and to have this opportunity to celebrate what I believe has been a watershed for women’s sport in our country this summer.

In doing so, it is a great honour to welcome two of our teams whose achievements have been such an important part of this breakthrough moment.

Our England Women’s cricket team whose dramatic nine-run victory over India at a packed out Lords secured the Cricket World Cup.

And our England women’s rugby team who earlier this Summer beat New Zealand in New Zealand to become the world’s No1 team – and whose breath-taking World Cup final in Belfast on Saturday night had the nation on the edge of its seat.

And while I know our rugby team will be disappointed with the result on the pitch, your result off the pitch, the legacy of everything you have achieved – together with our cricketers, our footballers, athletes, hockey players and of course Jo Konta’s spectacular run at Wimbledon – will change the way that women’s sport is seen in our country for years to come.

So I am delighted that you are all here today – and not just the players who have worked so incredibly hard – but also the coaches and backroom teams who have supported you, and some of your families and friends too, whose own sacrifices have been such an important part of everything you have done.

I am incredibly proud that, with you, our nation can call on such wonderful ambassadors for young women and girls today.

And I hope that with your support we can seize this opportunity to grow women and girls’ sport in communities across the length and breadth of the land.

We have got lots to build on.

Our Sports Strategy is already targeting resources at those less likely to be physically active, with Sport England setting out seven new investment programmes that I hope can really help increase women’s participation in sport.

While Sport England’s award-winning campaign called This Girl Can has already seen 11,000 organisations register as supporters and 1.6 million women saying they have now started or restarted sporting activity.

And I am seeing some of this growth in women’s grassroots sport in my own role as Patron of the women’s team at Maidenhead and Bray Cricket Club and as President of the Wargrave Girls Football Club.

But if we are really going to seize the opportunity of this moment I believe we need to go further in two key areas.

First, we need to improve the representation of women on the governing bodies of our sports.

This isn’t just right in terms of creating better governance for any organisation – it is also right in terms of growing women’s sport.

For too long, in too many sports, there hasn’t been enough attention paid to the women’s side of the sport – and more women on boards can help to change that.

So our sports governance code now includes a target of at least 30 per cent gender diversity on boards.

And it is now mandatory and applies to any organisation of any size or scale seeking funding from Sport England or UK Sport.

As of last year, just under half of NGBs did not yet meet this requirement.

But they are going to have to set out a plan to do so by October 31st this year.

Second, we need a radical change in the status and profile of our women’s sports – especially team sports – so that women’s sporting success is routinely held in the same high esteem as that of men’s.

Developments like the Women’s Premier League in football and the growing professionalisation of team sports are important steps forward.

And it is welcome too that the gender prize money gap in sport is closing with 83 per cent of sports now rewarding men and women equally.

But 83 per cent isn’t good enough.

We need to go further – and broadcast and news coverage has a key role to play.

And again your achievements this summer can be a major catalyst for progress.

Channel 4’s hugely successful coverage of the Euros helped to galvanise support for the Lionesses – just as the BBC’s coverage of the World Cup had done in 2015.

The Cricket World Cup Final at Lords was sold out and had a global television audience of over 100 million.

While the Rugby World Cup Final saw another packed stadium in Belfast on Saturday night and the largest ever TV audience for women’s rugby in the UK – with the game rightly shown in a prime time slot on ITV1.

This has generated huge momentum – and I hope we can capitalise on it, so that women’s sport on TV and on the back pages of our newspapers becomes the norm and not the exception.

Today we celebrate two teams, and two fantastic sets of athletes, but you are much more than that.

You are trailblazers, ambassadors, pioneers and now a part of British sporting history.

So together, let’s ensure that your legacy is not just in Britain’s sporting history – but also a fundamental part of shaping Britain’s sporting future – for millions of young women and girls, for generations to come.

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