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Bioscience & Health Technology Database

Strength & Opportunity: The landscape of the medical technology, medical biotechnology and industrial biotechnology enterprises in the UK

Background to the Project

Project Objectives

Industry Advisory Group & Data Partners

Key Messages

Launch of the analysis and commentary document

'Strength and Opportunity: the landscape of the medical technology, medical biotechnology and industrial biotechnology enterprises in the UK'

Thursday 10th December 2009 saw the publication of the first analysis and commentary document from the Bioscience & Health Technology Database. This document, entitled 'Strength and Opportunity: the landscape of the medical technology, medical biotechnology and industrial biotechnology enterprises in the UK' was formally launched by Lord Drayson, the Minister for Science and Innovation, at the Genesis 2009 conference in the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre. Printed copies of this document can be ordered from the BIS Publications web site.

A PDF version is available for download:

Strength and opportunity: the landscape of the medical technology, medical biotechnology and industrial biotechnology enterprises in the UK. December 2009 (4812KB)

Background to the Project

In response to an emerging need from the Health Technology and Bioscience industry support organisations, the Department for Business (BERR) [became the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) June 2009] and the Department of Health (DH) commissioned a feasibility study in June 2008 on how to gather improved industry metrics for the Medical Technology & Diagnostics (MedTech), Medical Biotechnology (MedBio) and Industrial Biotechnology (IndBio) sectors.

The feasibility study recommended drawing upon the knowledge of the industry’s own support organisations to create a core database which would contain company information, and to supplement this with the publication of an annual analysis and commentary of the information held. This database will be used to inform government policy and industry strategy and to benchmark the success of the UK sector. BIS, DH and UKTI are now co-funding the implementation stage of this project and have appointed CBSL to build and populate the database and produce the commentary.

The commentary will analyse the information in the database, and will be supplemented by market statistics and trade and production figures obtained from other sources. The commentary will be published by government and be available to Data Partners and other stakeholders. The database will be populated by the summer of this year and the commentary will be published in the autumn.

UKTI Trade & Investment (UKTI) will also like to use some of the basic company data to publicise the strengths of these sectors to overseas procurers, investors and influencers as part of the UK Life Sciences Marketing Strategy.

Project Objectives

• Develop a Database of UK companies to derive metrics in the MedTech, MedBio and IndBio sectors.
• Set up an Industry Advisory Group (IAG) made up of representatives from the regional and national industry support networks.
• Produce an annual Analysis and Commentary from the information held in the Database plus market statistics, trade and production figures obtained from other sources.
• Identify companies which may benefit from support from UKTI's Life Sciences Marketing Strategy.

Industry Advisory Group & Data Partners

An Industry Advisory Group has been created, comprising key representatives from the regional and national support networks. The following sector support organisations are represented.

• Association of British Healthcare Industries (ABHI)
• Association of British Pharmaceutical Industries (ABPI)
• British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA)
• BioIndustry Association (BIA)
• BioProcess Knowledge Transfer Network
• Bio for Business Knowledge Transfer Network
• Healthcare Technologies Knowledge Transfer Network
• Medilink UK

The Industry Advisory Group also has representatives from the RDAs and the Devolved Administrations.

As well as the Industry Advisory Group, there are currently around 25 organisations that are Data Partners for the project. The approach is to build upon the wealth of knowledge and information that the Data Partners hold on companies in the sector. This will be combined with information from existing commercial databases.

Key Messages

• The policy work on competitiveness issues relating to the MedTech, MedBio and IndBio sectors will benefit from a more accurate and continuous evidence based analysis.
• An in-house comprehensive data resource will facilitate better understanding of these sectors and facilitate effective and intelligent policy making that would benefit industry. It will also improve BIS’s ability to act effectively as the voice for business in all of these industries.
• The database will feed into many priority areas of work including delivery of the Bioscience 2015 (IGT) review, the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation & Growth Team and the ongoing work of the Ministerial Medical Technology Strategy Group (MMTSG).
• UKTI will use information from the database to promote the UK’s Life Science industries to overseas procurers, investors and influencers as part of the UK Life Sciences Marketing Strategy.
• The Commentary will help to provide a fuller understanding of the sectors concerned to both government and the regional and national support networks.