ABPI states international collaboration is key to UK life sciences sector

Strategic alliances and international collaboration will be key for the UK achieving a superpower status in life sciences, according to a report by The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).

The report, published by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) highlights fields such as data science, artificial intelligence, genomics, and advanced manufacturing as areas of opportunity for UK researchers and scientists to lead international collaboration.

Data from the report show that 55% of all joint research projects happening in the country involve some form of international partner. This is compared to 36% in the US, 30% in Japan and 23% in China.

The report also points to several high-level health research collaborations underway that the UK should use as a model moving forward. These include the Canada-UK Artificial Intelligence Initiative, which is using AI to improve health and assist in drug discovery and the UK-South Korea partnership into precision medicine research.

For example, the recent collaboration agreement between the UK and Switzerland points to the idea of a ‘global Britain” that the government should continue to build on.  

The report says the UK should look to build a role as a global convenor of advanced and emerging science-intensive countries, leading and shaping agenda-setting discussions on cutting-edge research to ensure Britain continues to be part of global collaborative projects.

Dr Jennifer Harris, director of Research Policy at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry said: "Life sciences is one of the most collaborative sectors of the global economy and we want to make sure we are doing everything we can to ensure British researchers are in the room for critical international projects. It’s clear that on science, we can’t go it alone.

"Delivering on the strategies and plans we’ve seen in recent years on everything from regional science funding to plans for accelerating genomic research and building the skills pipeline will help us achieve those ambitions." 

The report offers two key recommendations that government ministers should consider. The first include:

• Bilateral agreements and partnership deals with other governments to generate a shared appetite of risk into emerging areas of science and encourage private sector investment. 
• International administration systems that make setting up research, getting licensing agreements and sharing intellectual property successes easier so that breakthroughs can get to patients more quickly.  
• Government-backed funding mechanisms and multi-year financing to encourage private-sector investment in riskier, but higher reward, ventures. 

The second is what the government should be focusing on at home to feed Britain’s future science economy, by building domestic capacity and securing international sources of three key things:

• Highly skilled researchers by investing in the domestic research talent base and making the UK more attractive and accessible for globally mobile talent than competitors. 
• Access to and infrastructure for data, with strict governance rules that protect people’s privacy but that allow cutting-edge research to take place.  
• A free flow of scientific goods be that lab equipment, medicinal components, or chemicals and reducing friction by mutual recognising regulations and standards.