The UK government has launched a £2bn life sciences strategy aimed at driving growth, speeding up innovation, and transforming NHS healthcare.
Life sciences is one of eight priority sectors in the UK’s Industrial Strategy. The ten-year plan aims to boost an industry worth around £100bn and employing around 300,000 people.
The strategy focuses on three core goals: supporting research and development, improving conditions for business growth and investment, and fostering innovation in the NHS.
Key measures include up to £600m for a new Health Data Research Service, streamlining clinical trial approvals, and up to £520m to support life sciences manufacturing.
It also sets out reforms to accelerate regulation, backed by additional departmental investment in the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and introduces an NHS ‘passport’ to help proven technologies reach patients faster.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “Our world-leading life sciences sector employs hundreds of thousands of people and is a powerhouse for economic growth that puts more money in people’s pockets.
“Our Plan for Change is ramping up this success story even further.
“The ten-year life sciences plan we have released today as part of our Industrial Strategy will cut red tape and deliver the investment we funded at the Spending Review so it can stay ahead of the curve globally and we can reap the economic rewards for years to come.”
The plan includes joint investment with Wellcome to help researchers access anonymised NHS data, supporting new treatment development.
It also commits over £650m to Genomics England and up to £354m to Our Future Health.
Science and technology secretary Peter Kyle said: “The life sciences sector is one of the crown jewels of the UK economy.
“It sits at the heart of both our Plan for Change and our Modern Industrial Strategy, as a unique catalyst for both economic prosperity and better health outcomes for people across the UK.
“Moving in lockstep with industry, academia and our NHS, we will unleash this sector as a force for good and for growth.
“The suite of measures we’re announcing today will unlock its full potential — attracting global investment, accelerating innovation, and delivering breakthroughs that will make the UK healthier, wealthier, and even more open for business.”
The strategy was shaped with input from over 250 organisations, including doctors, scientists, NHS leaders and industry experts.
It aligns with the government’s 10 Year Health Plan and forms part of its wider Plan for Change.
Among its aims, the strategy includes a target for the UK to attract more commercial research and development investment than any other European country by 2030.
It also seeks to secure at least one major industry partnership annually.
Dr Tony Wood, chief scientific officer at GSK, said: “We welcome the government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan – in particular, the reforms to incentivise more UK clinical trials, establish a new Health Data Research Service and create a network of translational labs and clinics to accelerate drug discovery and development.
“These changes can bring unique competitive advantage to the country and make the UK a leader in future life sciences research.”
