CEO blog: Providing a home and away advantage for our community, across the UK and worldwide

Dear colleagues,

It’s been another fast-paced September week taking the BIA message on the road, showcasing how our regional hubs, R&D infrastructures and global partnerships provide a home advantage and an away advantage for our members and the wider community all across the UK.

Differentiated clusters are the bedrock of our sector's home advantage and global message.

Last week, I was delighted to join the 10^th anniversary celebrations of the Harwell Health Cluster alongside local members and the national R&D infrastructure teams at Diamond Light Source and STFC, who can turn regional strength into national competitiveness.

The journey continued in Manchester with meetings at Number 10 North, followed by visits to the new site of more national infrastructure at UK Biobank and then along to Alderley Park, which has become a solid powerhouse of biotechs in its post-pharma life.

Meanwhile, our MD, Jane Wall, is returning from Shanghai later today, having provided an away advantage for the delegation of UK companies and by broadcasting a clear BIA member proposition.

We’ve seen some strong news from Scaling company Chemify in Scotland and fresh data from OLS show the size and reach of our sector.

And today, I’m kicking off Birmingham Life Sciences Week as keynote speaker, highlighting the Midlands' expanding footprint in digital health, trials, data and diagnostic innovation.

In this update:

• Fresh Office for Life Sciences (OLS) data
• BIA Board elections 2026: Cast your vote!
• Cell and gene therapies: Sustaining UK leadership
• Market access and innovation: NICE approval for Enhertu
• Scaling in Scotland: £89.9m expansion for Chemify
• Global advocacy: BioShanghai roundup and London Life Sciences Week alignment
• Member news: BIA innovators named in Tech Nation Future 50

Fresh data on UK life sciences

Last week the Office for Life Sciences (OLS) published its statistics for the sector, covering 2024-2025.

The data shows life sciences at large remains strong, with 7,600 companies employing over 300,000 people across the country. While London and the South East remain the most company-dense region, activity is spread far and wide. The North East showed an 18% increase in turnover, and employment in the North West increased by 8% - demonstrating our sector’s ability to contribute to economic growth across the country, and its potential to support regional growth and reindustrialisation.

At a national level, most of the industry’s vital signs were static, including turnover. Employment in the biopharmaceutical subsector increased slightly but overall life sciences employment dipped by 2% due to a 4% drop in medtech jobs.

We know the sector’s fundamentals are strong but we live in volatile times that are putting pressure on businesses and job creation. These data underline the need for sustained government action and support to ensure that the sector continues to grow and deliver tangible benefits to both the economy and the health of the nation.

We all now need to ‘feel the burn’ of the delivery of the Sector Plan

With the vital backing of our members, everyone at BIA is working hard to secure that action and support.

BIA Board elections 2026: Cast your vote!

The BIA is a member-led organisation, and your leadership shapes how we champion UK biotech. Formal election and AGM papers were sent to Primary Contacts at all eligible member companies on Friday 18 September. I am looking forward to working with the new Board as it forms, based on your votes.

Voting is now officially open! We strongly encourage all primary contacts to review the candidate statements and submit their ballot papers or proxy forms before voting closes at 5.00 pm on Thursday, 15 October 2026. Our virtual AGM will follow on Tuesday, 20 October at 4.30 pm. Make your voice heard and help guide the future of your association.

Cell and gene therapies: Sustaining UK leadership

Staying on the theme of long-term sector strategy, the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and the Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre (ATTC) network have released their new report: Delivering the National Advanced Therapies Vision for the UK.

Four years on from the original 2022 vision, the report reviews progress made while pinpointing five priority areas needing urgent attention to preserve the UK's global edge: manufacturing capacity, value assessment, NHS delivery capacity (including apheresis expansion), data infrastructure and early horizon scanning. I encourage everyone across our advanced therapies community to digest these findings as we continue to push for a joined-up, government-backed National Advanced Therapies Vision.

Market access and innovation: NICE approval for Enhertu

There was fantastic news for patients and industry late last week as NICE recommended AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo's late-stage breast cancer treatment, Enhertu, for routine NHS use in England.   Approvals like this genuinely change lives. But they also drive the flywheel of our life sciences industry: rewarding innovation and enabling the next generation of purposeful risk-taking that makes tomorrow’s medicines possible. It is a brilliant example of how updated NICE evaluation and cost-effectiveness frameworks and commercial pragmatism can deliver cutting-edge treatments to NHS patients.  

Scaling in Scotland: £89.9m expansion for Chemify

In another major vote of confidence for UK scaling capability, University of Glasgow spinout Chemify announced an £89.9 million expansion programme backed by a £22 million grant from Scottish Enterprise and the UK Government.

Fusing AI and robotics to automate chemical discovery and synthesis, Chemify’s new global HQ in Glasgow will create up to 300 high-value jobs. This is precisely the kind of deep-tech scaling infrastructure that anchors world-class R&D and manufacturing right here in the UK.

Global advocacy: BioShanghai roundup and London Life Sciences Week alignment

Our Managing Director, Jane Wall, returns from China later today after leading a successful BIA delegation at BioShanghai Week 2026 alongside the Department for Business, Innovation, Science & Trade (BIST).

The standout moment was the announcement of a strategic partnership between London Life Sciences Week and BioShanghai, a joint commitment to coordinate cross-border delegations, partnering programmes and communications to give UK biotechs a seamless bridge to Asian markets and investors. With London Life Sciences Week preparing to welcome over 5,000 global leaders this November, the UK's global footprint continues to expand.

Member news: BIA innovators named in Tech Nation Future 50

Huge congratulations to BIA members including AviadoBio, Brainomix and Moa Technology on their inclusion in the latest Tech Nation Future 50 2026 cohort!

Seeing our digital health, AI, biotech and biosolutions innovators recognised among the UK's fastest-growing scale-ups is a testament to the high-growth commercial potential driving our ecosystem.

Wherever you are in the UK – or in the world – this week, I wish you all a productive and successful week ahead.