CEO Update - 10 March 2025

Japan: strengthening ties and outlining UK excellence

It was an honour for the BIA to be asked by the Foreign Secretary and Business Secretary to join them in visiting Japan last week to represent the UK life science sector as part of a high profile delegation focused on priority sectors driving economic growth.

The visit enabled the government to deepen the UK-Japan partnership, a relationship strengthened by the 2023 Hiroshima Accord and the UK’s 2024 entry into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Steve Bates OBE
CEO, BIA

In a series of roundtables and meetings in Tokyo, I highlighted the strength of UK life science companies across our ecosystem to Japanese investors and potential partners. It was great to highlight strong areas of collaboration like the role Fuji plays and forge new connections with investors like SoftBank, who are keen to explore the convergence of AI and life sciences.

Japan’s focus on digital transformation and green innovation aligns closely with our sector’s priorities, and I am deeply encouraged by the prospects for collaboration – expect further opportunities to engage with Japanese partners as a result in the coming months.  

Parliament: advocating for industrial strategy to focus on growth

Back in the UK, I appeared before the UK Parliament’s Business and Trade Select Committee alongside Sir John Bell and Audrey Yvernault of GSK to give oral evidence to their inquiry. I focused on how industrial strategy can best support SMEs and scale-ups in life sciences. As I said then:

The UK excels at starting businesses, but scaling them to compete with US firms remains a significant hurdle.

Together, we made a compelling case for the sector’s potential—and the government support required to unlock it. Audrey pointed out that life sciences contributes £40 billion to the UK economy, a testament to its “comparative advantage.” I emphasised the extraordinary opportunities in deep biotech and techbio, where the UK is well-positioned to lead globally. Yet, we were unequivocal: the free market alone won’t suffice. To compete with powerhouses like the US, EU, and China, strategic government support is essential.

Sir John Bell reinforced this by highlighting the UK’s regional strengths - such as the northeast’s manufacturing expertise - while noting the NHS’s world-class patient data as a “massive advantage” for attracting investment and fostering innovation. He beat me to the punch in stressing the vital role of unlocking UK investment capital to support scale-up companies in life sciences – but I was glad that he stressed this was the most important policy to get right in the industrial strategy.  Read the full transcript.

Women in Biotech: building an inclusive future

Last week we released our Women in biotech leadership report. It sparked vibrant discussions at Thursday’s excellent and well-attended Women in Biotech event in Cambridge. It shows how the BIA remains at the forefront of efforts to create an inclusive sector, and we are best positioned to bring to bear the strength, enthusiasm, expertise and engagement of our diverse UK community to make progress on this in the coming months despite new headwinds appearing from new US Federal policy pronouncements. Learn more about the event.

Life Sciences 2035: charting the path ahead

It’s also worth highlighting the recently published Life Sciences 2035 report—a significant milestone in shaping the future of our sector. This comprehensive study, built on 18 months of dedicated effort to map the skills needs of the life sciences industry, has been championed by Sir Patrick Vallance and draws on a wealth of prior research, advocacy, and data. It shows a critical reality: by 2035, the sector will require 70,000 new jobs and 75,000 replacement roles to sustain its growth and innovation. This report not only reaffirms the urgent need for a skilled workforce but also provides a roadmap for collaboration and investment to ensure the UK remains a global leader in life sciences.

Former BIA Board Member Lord Willetts – “his (new) name is RIO and he’s dancing in the sand”*-box of engineering biotech regulation

Lord David Willetts has been appointed as the new Chair of the Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO). In a speech today, Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle also announced that the government will fund a second round of the Engineering Biology Sandbox Fund.

The BIA has played a key role in shaping this innovative approach to engineering biology, collaborating through the Regulatory Horizons Council and the Responsible Innovation Advisory Panel. We warmly congratulate Lord Willetts on his new leadership role at RIO. Having served on the BIA Board a few years ago, he brings a deep understanding of our work, and we are excited to partner with him to accelerate progress, ensuring that Britain’s cutting-edge innovations reach the public more swiftly, delivering benefits for both society and the economy.

*If you're under 50 and wondering about the quirky phrasing of this title, it’s a playful nod to Duran Duran’s 1984 Grammy-winning UK pop hit, “Is There Something I Should Know?” The song’s video and lyrics, including a reference to “Rio” (and its own famous track with “dancing on the sand”), were iconic for older generations. Here, it ties into Lord Willetts’ new role as head of the Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO), where he’s navigating the “sandbox” of biotech regulation. Curious? Check out the Duran Duran classic for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTizYn3-QN0.