Britain’s Life Sciences strategy: How will the UK lead Europe by 2030?
PING Conference 2026 in association with EMIG
Date: Monday 8 June 2026
Time: 12:00pm - 9:30pm
Location: Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square, London, WC1B 4DA
Price: Tickets between £210 +VAT and £340 +VAT
Programme: View the PING 2026 programme
Over the past year, the UK life sciences sector has faced uncertainty around investment, reimbursement and tariffs, alongside the Government’s ambitious Industrial Strategy and Life Sciences Sector Plan.
PING 2026 comes at a key moment to explore what this means in practice. In collaboration with the Ethical Medicines Industry Group (EMIG), the conference will cover the Sector Plan, regulatory innovation, NHS opportunities, health data, advanced therapies, manufacturing and export, as well as industry perspectives.
Taking place in London at Victoria House, the conference brings together leaders from across the sector for discussion and networking.
Host
Collaborator and Sponsor
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Speakers
Delegates will hear from the people shaping the future of UK life sciences, with speakers from leading institutions and industry sharing their insights. They will also hear the response from industry leaders on what the plans mean in practice, with plenty of opportunities for everyone in the room to have their say.
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George Freeman MP Deputy Chair, Science, Innovation & Technology Select Committee
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Lawrence Tallon Chief Executive, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) - (pre-recorded presentation)
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Bill Morgan Senior Partner at Newmarket Strategy (and Former Health Policy Special Adviser at Number 10 Downing Street)
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Dr Ivana Poparic Head of Life Sciences Cluster Development at MedCity
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Dr James Duboff Strategic Partnerships Director from Genomics England
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Julia Vitarello Founder, Mila’s Miracle Foundation - (pre-recorded presentation)
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Matthew Durdy Chief Executive Officer, Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
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Rikesh Patel Senior Trade Manager in Life Sciences at London and Partners
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Leslie Galloway Chair of the Ethical Medicines Industry Group (EMIG)
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Chris Davison Chief Executive Officer, Custom Pharma
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Head of Ventures, Pioneer Group
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Dr Natalia Misciattelli Chief Executive Officer, AAVantgarde
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Dr Jonathan Haigh Senior Vice President at UK Site, FujiFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies
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Dr Rav Seeruthun VP, Region Europe Medical Head, GSK
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Santoke Naal General Manager, IGES Pharma
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Gavin Addy Vice President & GM of Stevenage Operations, Autolus
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Dr Ayokunmi Ajetunmobi ("AJ") 
Conference themes
Explore the Conference themes below:
Key points and insights around the overall Life Sciences Sector Plan, its ambitions and how it will be implemented.
The pro-innovation agenda of the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency), including how it will streamline regulation and market access, by being a faster, more agile and proportionate regulator, and giving industry a clearer route to market.
The MHRA is setting out an exciting vision to be a global leader by being pro-innovation, pro-business and listening to what patients want - as it looks to collaborate with industry, and with other regulators including NICE and having international reliance on medicines and medical devices so patients benefit sooner from cutting-edge innovation. The MHRA also plans to build on its reputation in AI and Software as a Medical Device to be the fastest, safest and quickest place to regulate AI and Software in the sector
The NHS as an attractive place to sell to, with less bureaucratic procurement - enabling innovative products to reach patients more quickly. Health Innovation and NHS reform will include the three shifts in the NHS 10 Year Plan - from treating illness to prevention (through use of genomics and personalised medicine); moving patients from hospital to community (through use of new diagnostics and digital tools); and analogue to digital (through of data and AI to improve outcomes and reduce pressure on NHS staff).
The £600m Health Data Research Service - to create the world's most advanced, secure and AI-ready health data platform - uniting genomic, diagnostic and clinical data at population scale - turning the NHS and healthcare data into a magnet for global trials and AI investment.
Genomics England as a global leader, including running the Generation Study (sequencing 100,000 newborn babies across England), to result in all babies having their whole genome sequenced at birth on a national scale.
Support for manufacturing with a £520m through the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund - looking to bring globally mobile manufacturing investments to the UK. What does this mean for CDMOs (Contract Development and Management Organisations) who have grown from the provision of services to support clinical development, as well as those who support local manufacturing of generic medicines? Manufacturing for early stage innovation - or does the UK want to create a longer term medicines manufacturing capability?
UK as an exciting magnet for international businesses to locate. Plus international trade opportunities for UK businesses.
The venue
"London's Hub for Life Sciences innovation" - George Freeman, UK politician, UK Trade Envoy, and former UK Minister for Science & Technology
For our 17th PING Conference, we are excited to welcome delegates to Victoria House, a landmark newly repurposed as one of London’s most significant life sciences hubs.
Victoria House is a Grade II listed building in the heart of Bloomsbury, formerly the Liverpool Victoria head office and now reimagined as a world-class science facility, operated by Pioneer Group.
Personalised, high-impact networking
More than a conference, PING is a community of people from across the pharmaceutical and life sciences ecosystem.
Delegates consistently feedback that the personalised networking, warm introductions and high-value discussions at PING are what keep our community returning year after year.
Whether it’s your first time or your 17th, you will enjoy the buzz of the personalised networking opportunities that are synonymous with PING.
Timings
- 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm - Lunch, networking & tours
- 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm - Presentations & audience discussion
- 3:30 pm - 4:15 pm - Refreshments and networking break
The mid-afternoon break sponsor is the University of Hertfordshire. Through our new School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, we bring together expertise across healthcare, medicine, science and population health to educate and inspire professionals who are ready for the future. Through education, research and deep regional partnerships, the University of Hertfordshire is not only preparing today’s healthcare workforce, but shaping the workforce, knowledge and innovation of the future.
- 4:15 pm - 5:45 pm - Presentations & audience discussion
- 5:45 pm - 7:00 pm - Networking drinks in the atrium
The networking drinks are kindly sponsored by Hertfordshire Growth Board. Hertfordshire Growth Board sees life sciences as central to the UK’s future - anchored in the county’s unique strengths: world-class pharma R&D, Europe’s biggest cell & gene therapy cluster, and a dynamic network of innovators transforming healthcare and powering sustainable growth.
- 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm - Dinner and entertainment at The Cabaret Club (for those who have paid - please note there is a limited number of places)
Pricing
Full conference including dinner and entertainment: £340 +VAT
Day delegate rate (for delegates unable to stay for the evening programme): £210 +VAT
Register your interest
Register your interest and be part of the conversation shaping the future of UK life sciences.
Discover more
- Articles
Your business is considering decentralised manufacturing for a product - what are the steps you need to take?
As discussed in our previous article, the UK is the first country to have implemented a framework to allow Point of Care (POC) and Modular Manufacturing (MM), together known as Decentralised Manufacturing (DM). This is a really exciting step, particularly for the area of personalised medicines, but there are certain considerations and mandatory steps for businesses to take before they implement DM processes.
