A new Blueprint to put innovation at the heart of healthcare delivery was launched
by Lord Drayson and Lord Darzi at Imperial College London today.
The
Office for Life Sciences (OLS) Blueprint sets out to transform the UK environment
for life sciences companies and ensure faster patient access to cutting-edge medicines
and technologies.
The actions set out in the Blueprint, agreed across Government, and with industry,
academia and the NHS, include additional funding from the Medical Research Council,
the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and the Biotechnology and
Biological Sciences Research Council as part of an £18 million, Technology Strategy
Board led, “RegenMed” programme of investment to support commercial R&D.
Responding to the announcement, MRC Chief Executive Sir Leszek Borysiewicz said:
The OLS Blueprint comes at a vital time for the life sciences industry in
the UK, and we welcome the publication of this report. The cross-government agreement
for action sends a clear message about the importance of a vibrant and innovative
life sciences industry in the UK. To deliver health benefits we need the business
sector to work together with an NHS that is receptive to new technologies, with
the support of a world-class research base providing the bedrock for innovation.
The role of partnerships in delivering this ambitious plan – between industry, the
NHS, the National Institute of Health Research, charities, the Technology Strategy
Board and other Research Councils – cannot be overestimated.
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Notes
Contact:
Chloë Somers
RCUK Press Officer
Tel: 01793 444592
Research Councils UK is the strategic partnership of the UK's seven Research
Councils; they invest annually around £3 billion in research, covering the full
spectrum of academic disciplines from the medical and biological sciences to astronomy,
physics, chemistry and engineering, social sciences, economics, and the arts and
humanities.
The seven UK Research Councils are:
- Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC);
- Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC);
- Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC);
- Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC);
- Medical Research Council (MRC);
- Natural Environment Research Council (NERC);
- Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC).