Insights

The Government has published its new 10-year Industrial Strategy. It was developed in collaboration with businesses and aims to make the UK the best place in the world to invest, generate growth, and create jobs across all regions. Eight growth sectors (the IS-8) are the focus, including life sciences, digital/AI, and advanced manufacturing. Others are clean energy, defence, finance, professional and business services, and creative industries.

Operating within the UK pharmaceutical sector offers immense opportunities for innovation and public health impact. However, it also presents significant financial and regulatory challenges.

Was Brexit good for the UK? It depends on your perspective. For UK life sciences businesses, the “B” word still provides strong opinions. Some people have accepted the decision even if they think it was a mistake. Others think that Brexit provided a good opportunity for the sector, but the UK could have done more to benefit from the opportunities or “Brexit freedoms”. The debate rumbles on.

So the Life Sciences Sector Plan has now been published on 16 July by the UK Government - just in time for everyone to enjoy some summer holiday reading.  Life sciences is one of the eight chosen specialist sectors that the Government sees as key to fuelling the UK's growth in the next 10 years, as highlighted in the recent Industrial Strategy.  

In a significant move for the UK's life sciences sector, BioNTech, renowned for its role in developing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, has announced a £1 billion investment over the next decade.  

This paper is part of our Sustainability Insights series following the 2025 PING Conference on Sustainability - What must Pharma do now? - bringing you expert perspectives and practical takeaways from key discussions shaping the future of businesses looking to address the threats and opportunities of sustainability in the life sciences sector. Thanks to Hertfordshire Futures for their great support of PING yet again.