Ahead of the government’s announcement of its industrial strategy, it has been revealed that MSD (also known as Merck) will make a landmark investment into the UK’s economy through the opening of a new UK hub, for the research into future treatments.
UK investment
It was reported on the government website earlier that the business secretary confirmed the investment today (27 November) just before the industrial strategy was unveiled. This deal comes as a major endorsement of the government’s industrial strategy vision and has been secured through the upcoming Life Sciences Sector Deal — one of four deals that government is set to confirm later today and announce in the weeks ahead.
Business Secretary Greg Clark said: “We are at one of the most important, exciting and challenging times there has ever been in the history of the world’s commerce and industry.
“Powered by new technology, new industries are being created, existing ones changing and the way we live our lives — as workers, citizens and consumers — transformed.
“We are an open, flexible economy, built on trade and engagement with the world. We have a competitive business environment with a deserved reputation for being a dependable and confident place to do business, thanks to our high standards, respected institutions and a reliable rule of law.
“We are renowned for innovation and discovery, with some of the best universities and research institutions in the world producing some of the most inventive people on earth.
“We have commercial and industrial sectors — from advanced manufacturing to financial services; from life sciences to the creative industries — which are competitive with the best in the world.
“In this Industrial Strategy, we set out how we will maintain and enhance these and other strengths and deploy them to our advantage.
“But any serious strategy should address the weaknesses that stop us achieving our potential, as well as our strengths, and this Industrial Strategy does that.
“Britain’s productivity performance has not been good enough, and is holding back our earning power as a country.
“So, this Industrial Strategy deliberately strengthens the five foundations of productivity: ideas, people, infrastructure, business environment and places.
“By acting together as a nation, and in a sustained way, to improve the underperforming conditions for productivity we can drive up our earning power.”
This investment by MSD is expected to support a total of 950 jobs in high-skilled and high-value research roles. Investments by other pharma companies into the UK is an integral part of the government’s Sector Deal, which should be signed in the coming weeks.
“Our life sciences sector is one of the UK’s fastest developing industries, with a turnover in excess of £64 billion, employing 233,000 across the UK,” added Clark when discussing the investment by MSD. “MSD’s commitment today, and the wider Sector Deal investment we have secured, proves the process outlined in the Industrial Strategy can give companies the confidence and direction they need to invest in the UK. It will ensure Britain continues to be at the forefront of innovation and represents a huge vote of confidence in our Industrial Strategy.”
“Strong discovery capabilities and the pursuit of scientific excellence are foundational to MSD’s mission to save and improve lives around the world,” said MSD’s Research Laboratories president Dr Roger M. Perlmutter. “A new UK location will enable us to build on our proud legacy of invention and be an important contributor to the vibrant and rapidly growing UK life sciences community, while providing access for more collaborations within the European life science ecosystem.”
“We believe the UK to be a unique bioscience centre of excellence and this investment presents a major opportunity for us to work in collaboration with the UK government to build on the forward thinking and ambitious Industrial Strategy white paper being published by the government today,” commented Louise Houson, MSD managing director in the UK and Ireland.
“Today’s investment provides strong evidence that a coherent industrial strategy can have a real, tangible impact on economic activity in sectors that we need to strengthen and grow. It will drive this sector forward and simultaneously attract other investments into the UK,” stated Sir John Bell, chair of the Life Science Industrial Strategy Advisory Board. “Investments by world-renowned companies like MSD and QIAGEN demonstrate that the UK’s science base is truly world-leading and an exceptional national strength.
“It is clear that the UK can, through a collaborative partnership between government, industry, academia, charities and the NHS, deliver the next wave of innovation that will benefit patients, transform the health care system, and generate economic growth and improved productivity.”