BIA opens applications for Charity Partnership of the Year 2026
The BIA is inviting applications for its 2026 Charity Partnership, an annual opportunity for a UK-based health or medical research charity to work alongside a vibrant life sciences community to raise funds and awareness for your cause, while building meaningful, long-lasting connections across the sector.
BIA has partnered with many extraordinary organisations through this scheme. Over the past three years, these partners were Kidney Research UK, Bowel Cancer UK, and RNID.
In 2022, the collaboration with Kidney Research UK illuminated an illness that affects 7.2 million people across the nation. BIA held an '850 Challenge' in which BIA members clocked up kilometres to honour the 850 million people worldwide living with kidney disease. Staff also took part in Ride London Essex and a skydiving challenge
In 2023, Bowel Cancer UK, an organisation fighting against the UK’s second biggest cancer killer, was the annual partner. Fundraising for the partnership took the form of the '5 Biotech Wonders of the World' challenge. Teams competed to cover the greatest distance by walking, running, cycling, or swimming, raising money along the way.
The most recent partner, RNID, worked tirelessly in 2024 to advance their mission to make life fully inclusive for deaf people and those with hearing loss or tinnitus. The BIA community supported their campaign to break down stigma and boost innovation in hearing technologies, raising funds and generating momentum in an area of unmet need. One highlight was 'Step Up for RNID' during Deaf Awareness Week, where BIA member teams competed in distance and fundraising challenges. Many companies also hosted free deaf awareness training, and RNID distributed welcome plaques in British Sign Language to promote inclusive workplaces.
Our current partner is Blood Cancer UK. To celebrate this, we put on the BIA and Blood Cancer UK Step Up Challenge in May. Everyone who took part walked a minimum of 280,000 steps to represent the 280,000 people living with blood cancer in the UK.
Applications are now open for the Charity Partnership of the Year 2026. If your charity is working to improve health outcomes, do not hesitate to apply. This partnership centres around building stronger connections between research charities and the life sciences industry. We open doors to unique, long-term collaborations across the sector, helping you to raise funds while also amplifying your voice and accessing new networks. Ovarian Cancer UK, our 2021 partner, described the partnership by saying:
Reflecting over the last year, our partnership with the BIA has not only helped to raise money towards vital research to help more women survive ovarian cancer, but has opened doors to maximise the impact of our research over the next five years. We are so grateful for this experience and we look forward to continuing a relationship with BIA and its members. Together, we can work towards a future where every woman survives ovarian cancer.
Is your charity committed to science research and advancing innovation in the life sciences ecosystem in order to transform lives? To make your application stand out, communicate how you do this and demonstrate how your charity's objectives and vision align with BIA's.
The deadline for applications is September 7.
