Rebecca Burge, PhD

Innovate UK in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care are proud to announce 15 winners of the Expression of Interest (EOI) competition under the Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Programme (SMMIP). These projects awarded a share of £1.3m seed funding, represent the forefront of innovation in sustainable medicines manufacturing. The selected projects span the UK and target solutions across three critical areas: 1- Circularity: Projects like SageTech Medical’s sustainable waste anaesthetic remanufacturing model and Owen Mumford’s initiative to create a circular ecosystem for injection devices. 2- Green Chemistry: Origin Peptides is scaling environmentally friendly synthesis methods, while Mercel Ltd is exploring seaweed-based alternatives to microplastics. 3- Productivity and Resource Efficiency: AstraZeneca’s Future Factory envisions AI-driven automation, and Decision Lab Ltd is optimising energy use for sustainable manufacturing operations. These innovative initiatives lay the groundwork for transformative Grand Challenges, driving progress towards reducing waste, emissions, and energy consumption in pharmaceutical manufacturing while enhancing efficiency and resilience. Congratulations to all the project leads and their consortia for setting a strong foundation for change. 👏 Learn more about the EOI winners and their work here: https://ow.ly/hIK350UHvZ0

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📢 This week, our Antimicrobial Resistance Lead Pharmacist, Dr Diane Ashiru PhD, spoke to LBC about the critical threat of #AMR. 🔍 Listen to Diane explain how antimicrobial resistance impacts healthcare, what we can all do about it and our new campaign featuring 'Andi Biotic' – a pill on a mission to #KeepAntibioticsWorking by highlighting simple actions we can all take. This affects all of us – healthcare professionals, patients, and communities alike. Learn more about antimicrobial resistance, join our mission and share these important resources with your professional networks and colleagues: https://lnkd.in/en8M327K #AntimicrobialResistance #PublicHealth #HealthcareInnovation #UKHSA

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We’ve published new guidance to help prepare researchers and sponsors for the changes to the clinical trials regulations in April 2026.   The guidance explains what will change in terms of processes, legal requirements, and expectations for anyone involved in setting up or delivering clinical trials.   We’ve been working in partnership with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to update the regulations, which are designed to protect trial participants, reduce unnecessary burdens on researchers, and support the conduct of high-quality, trusted research in the UK.   Our new guidance covers these key updates to the regulations: 🔹pharmacovigilance   🔹the approvals process for clinical trials 🔹simplified arrangements for consent  🔹Research Ethics Committees that review clinical trials  🔹research transparency    Read our guidance and share feedback ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e2CyfPFw

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The Life Sciences Sector Plan sets out promising ambitions to make the UK a global leader in science, but it doesn’t do enough to tackle the challenges holding back clinical research.   We need government, industry and charities to work together so that people get faster access to the most promising new cancer treatments.   The Plan rightly highlights the delays in setting up commercial clinical trials in the UK, but it overlooks the fact that non-commercial trials - often led by charities or the NHS - are facing the same issues. These trials are being held back by slow and complicated processes, excessive red tape, and a lack of capacity across the system.   Government action is needed to strip away these barriers and build more time for research in NHS staff contracts. https://lnkd.in/eQH-gJtp

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The future of UK life sciences is bright—if we have the skills to match. This week the Futures group launched a report, Life Sciences 2035: Developing the Skills for Future Growth, which reveals that over the course of the next decade the life sciences industry will need approximately 70,000 additional jobs to sustain growth. Furthermore, an additional 75,000 jobs will be needed to replace those leaving the workforce. The report highlights the importance of enhanced education, lifelong learning, and fostering inclusive workplaces that attract and retain top talent. To build the workforce of the future, we must also support people to train and upskill in key areas such as digital and AI. Higher-level and Level 7 apprenticeships in fields like AI, bioinformatics, and medical statistics are playing a vital role in equipping the life sciences sector with the expertise it needs. Collaboration between industry, education, and policymakers is critical to unlocking the sector’s immense potential, which already generates £36.9 billion in gross value added annually. Discover the findings and how we can shape the workforce of the future for the UK. Read the full report now: https://learn.az/6043L0jWz

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🧠 We are thrilled to be working in collaboration with GSK and the UK Dementia Research Institute to improve our understanding of neurodegeneration. The first-of-its-kind study will use the UK’s health data ecosystem to explore the association between GSK’s shingles vaccine and reduced risk of dementia. ➡️ Learn more: https://hubs.li/Q03dkVvk0 #HealthData #DataScience #BrainHealth #Neurodegeneration

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Tom Adeyoola talks first to The Times about his priorities for Innovate UK. He became head of the government agency in April. It distributes £2.3bn of public money each year to help people commercialise their ideas and build valuable new companies, such as Wayve and Oxford Nanopore Technologies. He warns of the "burning platform" that is stage of funding where technology companies that want to scale but need investors to back them. He wants to extend Innovate UK's support for the most promising tech firms, refocus its efforts in other areas (it is spreading its taxpayer cash too thinly), better assess what is working and what is not, and make Innovate UK a less complex organisation for businesses to work with. https://lnkd.in/ebUF4ghN #entrepreneurs #innovation #scaleups

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Access to healthcare should not depend on where you live, your income, or your background. Across the UK, people from ethnic minority communities, those living with long-term conditions, and individuals in deprived areas often face barriers to getting the care they need. At Novartis, we believe this must change. Our refreshed Health Inequalities webpage outlines our pledge and our commitment to help reduce disparities – built around 4 key pillars: 1. Improving access to healthcare – Identifying those most at risk and supporting earlier diagnosis through data-led partnerships. 2. Enabling innovative models of care – Co-creating solutions that expand access to diagnostics, prevention, and digital tools. 3. Strengthening inclusion in clinical research – Working to ensure clinical trials reflect the diversity of the UK population. 4. Building capability and sharing knowledge – Equipping teams with insights and training to shape services and reduce inequalities. Explore our pledge and the actions we’re implementing to drive change: https://lnkd.in/eGzx4k4S #NovartisOK UK | October 2025 | FA-11525234

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With the National Cancer Plan expected in the coming months, its contents sparked discussions on the sidelines of the Labour Party Conference.   John McNeill, Oncology Business Unit Director at MSD in the UK, explores in The House Magazine how the Plan can truly improve care and outcomes for cancer patients across England.   From reducing disparity in care to preparing for the next generation of treatments, the National Cancer Plan presents a rare opportunity to address the challenges facing cancer patients in England today and enable the NHS for tomorrow.   See below three elements we believe the Plan should deliver on👇and read the full article here 👉 http://bit.ly/4ogj63z   GB-NON-11930

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Liverpool is set to become a global leader in biologics innovation and manufacturing. We're proud to be part of the BRITE (Biologics Research Innovation Translation Ecosystem) initiative—a powerful collaboration uniting Liverpool John Moores University, LSTM, University of Liverpool, Edge Hill University, and industry giants like AstraZeneca and Unilever. BRITE aims to tackle the shortage of local biomanufacturing facilities, accelerating the commercialisation of biologics developed in the region. This initiative will not only enhance health outcomes through innovative therapeutics but also create high-quality jobs and retain economic benefits within the Liverpool City Region. As the UK's first Health and Life Sciences Investment Zone, our region is uniquely positioned to drive this transformation. Read more below. #LifeSciences #Biologics #Innovation #Liverpool #LJMU #BRITE #HealthInnovation

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In a bold move that signals a turning point for #UK healthcare, the NHS has unveiled its ambitious Fit for the Future 10-year plan—a strategy designed not just to repair a system under strain, but to reimagine it entirely. Against the backdrop of record-high waiting lists, rising demand, workforce shortages, and mounting financial pressure, this isn’t just a reform—it’s a rescue mission. The message is clear: adapt, innovate, or risk collapse. What sets this plan apart is its long-term vision. Rather than applying short-term patches, it champions a shift toward prevention-first care, strengthened community health services, and digital transformation—envisioning a world where every citizen can carry a “doctor in their pocket.” It draws inspiration from international best practices, showcasing that large-scale health transformation isn’t just theoretical—it’s already happening elsewhere. Crucially, the plan also takes aim at one of the NHS’s most pressing dilemmas: its over-reliance on internationally recruited staff. While global talent has long been a backbone of UK healthcare, this plan emphasizes building sustainable, homegrown workforce pipelines—investing in training, retaining skilled professionals, and creating a system that works with its people, not against them. Healthcare #innovation is no longer optional—it’s essential. This plan dares to imagine a future where the NHS leads the world not just in care quality, but in accessibility, equity, and resilience. However, the success of this #transformation will hinge on one key factor: localized execution. Turning a national blueprint into regional progress demands tailored action, cross-sector collaboration, and unwavering commitment. #NHS Trusts, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), local governments, and system partners must co-create solutions rooted in local realities—ensuring that no community is left behind. If the #vision becomes reality, Fit for the Future could be the model the rest of the world looks to when asking: what does the next generation of healthcare truly look like?

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✅ Effective shared decision-making starts by understanding what matters most to patients. Zoe Paskins, Professor of Rheumatology at Keele University, highlights that offering treatment options alone is not enough. By asking purposeful questions that reveal each patient’s priorities, HCPs can more effectively tailor osteoporosis care for those at very high fracture risk, where timely, personalized decisions are vital. This post is targeted at healthcare professionals. #SharedDecisionMaking #Osteoporosis #BoneHealth #FragilityFractures #FracturePrevention #FFN2025

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