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Scientists comment on R&D elements of the Industrial Strategy, published by the Department for Business and Trade.
Commenting on the Government’s commitment to increased funding stability:
Dr Jan Löwe, Director of the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology (MRC LMB), in Cambridge, UK, said:
“We welcome the Government’s commitment to more secure 10-year funding for the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB). It will further enable our highly successful strategy of long-term support for ambitious scientific thinking, to deliver high-risk, high-reward projects. It often takes many years – sometimes decades – of support for ground-breaking ideas to come to fruition in the laboratory and then to become transformative new therapies that save lives or deliver economic impact.
“Some of the frontiers we aim to lead on with this funding are: connectomics, the study of brain neural wiring to understand thought and memory processes, aiming to discover how to treat brain disorders and mental illnesses; artificial biology, such as designing smart, biology-inspired therapies and materials of the future; and utilising AI methods to understand how cells and organisms work at the highly-complex molecular level to transform our understanding of disease processes, ranging from cancer to neurodegeneration.”
Commenting on funding for UK Biobank:
Prof Naomi Allen, Chief Scientist, UK Biobank, said:
“We’re thrilled to receive government funding to complete our groundbreaking proteomics project looking at the levels of proteins in the blood of all half a million UK Biobank participants. The pilot data alone has helped researchers make great strides towards developing a future blood test for dementia and we’re very excited about what the full project will reveal.
“Unlike our genes, levels of proteins in our blood can change over time, providing a detailed roadmap for research into how disease develops as we age. This funding will enable us to provide data on changes in proteins in individuals over mid-late life, providing – for the first time – a resource that will equip scientists to develop diagnostic tools—not just for dementia, but a whole range of conditions including multiple sclerosis, cancer, Parkinson’s disease and heart disease. These data will also lead to much faster development of new drugs, which will lead to major improvements in public health across the globe.”
Commenting on the Government’s new Global Talent Taskforce:
Dr Daniel Rathbone, Deputy Executive Director, Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE), said:
“The Government’s Global Talent Taskforce is an important step in making the UK an attractive and accessible place for the brightest and best researchers from around the world. It is a real positive that it reports directly to the Prime Minister and Chancellor, a signal of the high importance placed on this by the Government. We look forward to working with the Government to make the necessary changes to the Global Talent Visa to make it more streamlined and accessible and would urge it to look again at reducing the very high upfront costs of the visa system. It is also important that the Taskforce looks to attract the top people at all research career stages. Today’s early career researchers are tomorrow’s Nobel Prize winners.”
Commenting more widely on the Industrial Strategy:
Professor Andrew Morris CBE FRSE PMedSci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said:
“Today’s Industrial Strategy represents a significant step forward for UK life sciences – placing the sector at the heart of our economic future and recognising health and wealth are inseparable. This bold vision acknowledges what the Academy of Medical Sciences has long argued: that our world-leading research institutions, the NHS and our exceptional scientific talent can drive national and regional renewal in ways no other sector can match.
“We are particularly encouraged by the Government’s ambitious goal to make the UK the leading life sciences economy in Europe by 2030, and the third most important globally by 2035. This scale of ambition, combined with over £2bn of committed funding, demonstrates the recognition that life sciences uniquely delivers both economic prosperity and improved health outcomes for all.
“The strategy’s focus on pillars for the life sciences – supporting world-class R&D, making the UK an outstanding place to start and grow life sciences businesses, and driving health innovation through NHS reform – provides the framework needed to unlock the sector’s full potential. We welcome the commitment to continue investing in discovery research alongside applied sciences, ensuring we maintain curiosity-driven research that underpins future breakthroughs.
“Alignment with the forthcoming NHS 10-Year Health Plan offers unprecedented opportunity to ensure that cutting-edge innovations deliver rapid benefits for patients whilst driving economic growth. We look forward to the detailed life sciences sector plan that will translate these ambitions into action, and will continue working with Government to deliver this vision where scientific excellence drives both patient benefit and national prosperity as the UK achieves its full potential as a global leader in life sciences.”
Sir John Lazar CBE FREng, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said:
“At last, we have an industrial strategy that recognises the need for a holistic, long-term approach to driving growth, which is coordinated across government departments. We have long called on government to set out an ambitious vision that draws on our strengths in engineering, innovation, research, and manufacturing, and today’s announcement is a big step in the right direction.
“It recognises major barriers the engineering community has highlighted, such as energy costs, skills and technology adoption, and the importance of the engineering skills. Engineering underpins each of the growth sectors identified by government, and it is essential that we equip our nation with the skilled workforce needed to meet the future challenges of sustainability and technological advancement. Continued investment in technology adoption and a holistic approach to AI that considers the perspectives of users and communities in design and roll out will also be vital to make the most of the opportunities presented by emerging technologies.
“The devil will be in the detail of delivery, so that this ambition tangibly changes the fortunes of the engineering businesses that drive employment and growth across the country.”
Dr Iain Foulkes, Executive Director of Research and Innovation at Cancer Research UK, said:
“We welcome the targeted approach in the Industrial Strategy to building more R&D clusters across the UK which have a proven track record of advancing scientific discoveries, creating skilled jobs, boosting the economy and delivering real improvements in cancer care.
“At Cancer Research UK, we have invested £4 billion into research over the last decade. This includes long-term funding into the development of clusters across the country, working together with the UK government and industry. It’s great to see the UK government adopt our approach, recognising that investing strategically in places, infrastructure and people brings bigger benefits for research.
“It is positive to see the UK government’s continued commitment to attracting more researchers to come here through the Global Talent Fund, but the UK remains one of the most expensive places for visas for scientists compared to other leading research nations. The Home Office must cut visa costs if we are to attract the brightest and best scientists to come here.
“The upcoming Life Sciences Sector Plan must work alongside the Industrial Strategy and long-term plans for the NHS and cancer services in order to tackle the biggest barriers facing cancer research today and improve patient outcomes. It’s vital that charities, industry and government all work together to make the UK the best place in the world to carry out research.”
Prof Siddharthan Chandran, Director of the UK Dementia Research Institute, said:
“Today’s Industrial Strategy is an important milestone in delivering an internationally competitive package that realises the UK’s potential as a global leader in research and innovation.
“The plan rightly demonstrates a strong commitment to long-term investment that will make the most of UK innovations, driving growth across the country. It is right that we forge ahead and double down on our backing for R&D by creating the most attractive environment for innovative research. At the UK Dementia Research Institute we know that a globally competitive system which supports academic-industry partnerships and spinouts is the way to build a culture of translating research into health and wealth impact. This is about building capacity, recruiting and retaining talent, attracting investment, and accelerating delivery for people living with dementia.
“We look forward to seeing this built on in the upcoming Life Sciences Sector Plan and 10 Year Health Plan. By harnessing the UK’s scientific excellence and NHS research capability we can deliver growth for the economy and build toward a future of healthy brain ageing for all.”
Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said:
“We are delighted to see the announcement of new skills packages for tech, engineering and defence, recognising that the Industrial Strategy’s objectives simply cannot be delivered without a significant boost to investment in our engineering and tech talent base. These packages provide a much-needed opportunity for government to take a holistic view of the rapidly changing skills landscape, and to work with partners across industry and professional bodies to make sure the UK tackles its longstanding skills and diversity deficits in these crucial areas. Today is International Women in Engineering Day – a reminder that we still have much to do to deliver equitable participation in these high-value jobs, and better outcomes for people from all parts of the UK.
“The Royal Academy of Engineering looks forward to supporting government in taking forward these recommendations, including through our new Skills Centre. We also welcome the publication of the Technology Adoption Review and hope that this will result in meaningful action to increase the capacity of the UK’s industrial base and public sector to deploy existing technologies at the scale and pace demanded in today’s tech-driven world.”
*‘The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy’ was published by the Department for Business and Trade at 9am UK time on Monday 23rd June 2025.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/industrial-strategy
*DSIT Press Release: UK launches global talent drive to attract world-leading researchers and innovators
Declared interests
Prof Naomi Allen: “I am Chief Scientist of UK Biobank, which is a Charitable Company established as a Joint Venture by the MRC and Wellcome. I have been in that role since 2019, seconded 80%FTE from the University of Oxford where I am Professor of Epidemiology in the Nuffield Department of Population Health (which, along with other research organisations globally, benefits from using the UK Biobank – without any preferential access – for health-related research that is in the public interest).”
The nature of this story means everyone quoted above could be perceived to have a stake in it. As such, our policy is not to ask for interests to be declared – instead, they are implicit in each person’s affiliation.