Written evidence submitted by the Institute of Biomedical Science (IGR0027)

Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee Call for Evidence: Innovation, growth and the regions

This is a submission from the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS), the world-leading professional body in biomedical science.

Background

The IBMS represents the interests of biomedical science professionals in the UK and internationally. IBMS Company Members include multi-national diagnostics companies and national institutions.

The majority of IBMS members work in healthcare laboratories, but they also work in government agencies, the commercial and industrial biomedical science sectors, research and development, and academia. Biomedical scientists contribute extensively to health and care in the UK, working to identify, research, monitor and treat diseases across the broadest areas of modern science, focusing on the complexity of the human body. 

Approximately 20,000 IBMS members are employed mainly in NHS pathology laboratories and play a fundamental role in the diagnosis of all cancers. As such, the IBMS is uniquely positioned to recommend measures and policies to be implemented to transform cancer diagnosis and treatment in the UK.

1. How does the Government drive research and innovation in our regions?

• How effective are the government’s policies in supporting the innovation ecosystem across the UK’s nations and regions, particularly through commercialisation initiatives?

At present, the private commercial sector is able to advance and innovate more quickly than the NHS workforce. To address this, policy must focus on expanding training opportunities and professional development, enabling the workforce to develop the skillset needed to maximise the potential of new products entering the market.

In addition, enhanced collaboration between the NHS, private sector, and organisations like ABHI will be critical to streamlining processes and driving the successful commercialisation of R&D.

• How should devolution be harnessed to support innovation across the regions and nations, and what role should local government play in supporting research and development?

A localised, devolved approach is beneficial for harnessing innovation potential within regions, particularly to ensure existing capacity is fully maximised and leveraged. However, when considering the life sciences, collaboration between regions and across aspects of industry and Government should be prioritised. As seen on a regional, national and international scale throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, sharing expertise, resources and data can accelerate innovation and research exponentially.

• How do factors such as the tax system, regulatory frameworks and standards influence the success of start-ups, spin-outs, and other innovation-driven businesses?

Infrastructure and frameworks within the UK health system have significant influence on the success of start-ups and smaller companies with innovative technology in breaking into the NHS market. Due to the complex infrastructure and high operational costs of the NHS, large managed service contracts supply the majority of technology for the NHS as these large-scale contracts support with cost-savings and operational efficiencies. As a result, smaller start ups and innovation-driven businesses have little opportunity or room in the market as there is limited available capital or investment in novel technologies.

• What challenges do innovation-focused researchers and businesses face in spinning-out or scaling-up, such as accessing venture capital, infrastructure and intellectual property rights.

The lack of opportunities or capital to support smaller, innovative businesses to compete with larger suppliers or win NHS contracts creates a barrier to innovative technology becoming accessible to patients and healthcare staff. To drive innovation and introduce novel technologies, more support should be given to give SMEs access to the NHS market. Allowing space for smaller and newer companies to enter the NHS market will not just welcome new and emerging technologies into the market, the increased competition within the marketplace will in turn encourage other suppliers to drive innovation.

Incentive methods and routes to market must be introduced to support SMEs including grants and subsidies as well as forums to allow SMEs to connect with purchase decision makers within individual health boards.

Examples of this may look like:

-          Including uniform assessment frameworks to validate new tests and technology once into the NHS and for other organisations to use these frameworks to expediate their adoption.

-          Ensure managed equipment contracts are designed with innovation access in mind to enable piloting and adoption of novel technologies from a range of suppliers.

-          Provide financial support on adoption to a greater range of innovations over and above those covered by the Accelerated Access Collaborative.

-          Identify Pathology networks with the capability to innovate at pace to be centres of adoption excellence.

Additionally, as mentioned above, there is a lack of capacity or specialised skills training available to some NHS workforce members. To remove barriers to scaling up and success within the NHS market, it must be ensured that the NHS workforce has the skills and capacity to prioritise innovation and effectively utilise any novel technologies that are introduced.

2. How does research and innovation in our regions drive growth and prosperity in those regions?

• How effective are regional innovation hubs and clusters in supporting regional growth and prosperity for local communities?

To maximise the effectiveness of any innovations hubs and clusters to support regional growth and prosperity, it is essential that any regional hubs are aligned and integrated fully within existing networks. This approach has the potential to maximise the use of current capacity, avoid duplication, and therefore enhance overall efficiency.

3. How is research and innovation diffused or supported to drive productivity and growth in the regions, wherever it may come from?

• To what extent do Catapults support technology diffusion, and drive both national and regional growth?

The IBMS can only speak to its experience with Catapults which focus on life sciences. These are the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult headquartered at Guy’s Hospital and the Medicines Discovery Catapult headquartered at Alderley Park. These Catapults are useful, however they deliver in very small, targeted areas. This supports high-impact areas of innovation but there are challenges to ensure diffusion of innovation throughout the region and beyond. Mechanisms should be established to support the diffusion of innovation beyond the Catapult’s direct areas to encourage wide-scale adoption of novel technology or techniques that have demonstratable benefits beyond the Catapult’s specific area. 

ENDS

13 January 2025