Written evidence submitted by Cancer Research UK (CRUK) (IGR0047)

House of Commons Science and Technology Committee:

Innovation, growth and the regions

Cancer Research UK (CRUK)

1. As the second largest independent funder of research in the UK, funding around 50% of non-industry funded cancer research and having funded over £4 billion of research in the last decade, Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is a strategically important pillar of the UK life sciences ecosystem. We fund a network of state-of-the-art facilities across the UK. From basic science and drug discovery to experimental medicine and clinical trials, our unique breath enables research throughout the pipeline.
2. In our mission to bring about a world where everybody can lead longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer, our research and innovation has led to more than 50 cancer drugs used across the UK and around the world. Three in four people prescribed cancer drugs on the NHS receive drugs linked to our research – and our science helped bring around 50% of the world’s essential cancer medicines to life.
3. We welcome this inquiry as an opportunity to back areas of comparative UK strength and support the strategic investment that will drive UK life sciences growth. Our case studies below show the strength of clusters within world leading life sciences clusters in Cambridge and London, and we think concerted action between national and local government, industry, research funders, universities, health systems and local communities can lead to more world-leading life sciences clusters in the UK.

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

4. To drive research and innovation in our regions, Government must invest strategically in areas of comparative UK strength. The UK’s globally competitive cancer research system provides significant opportunities for growth across the UK. We must leverage and support our world class R&D infrastructure such as the Francis Crick Institute, world-class universities, and the capacity of our health system to best use health data assets and clinical research.

By enabling and driving clusters, Government can drive R&I in our regions

5. Life sciences clusters have the capability to connect the full life cycle of research and propel research from discovery through to societal impact.[i],[ii],[iii] For cancer, this means delivering kinder, more effective treatments and better care and prevention more quickly. Clusters have a positive impact on the economy and productivity, both locally through driving local innovation and skilled job creation, and nationally by boosting overall R&D which drives growth and attracts foreign and private investment.[iv] Government must take the opportunities presented in the life sciences sector plan and broader industrial strategy to address barriers that inhibit the growth of high-potential clusters.
6. It is important to ensure tailored support for the different needs of clusters at different stages of development. Cambridge, for example, is world-class and has immense draw for research organisations and industry. But there are some key infrastructure challenges, for example around transport and lab space, that may limit the potential of Cambridge to match the scale of areas such as Boston. This contrasts with earlier stage clusters where attracting talent and industry investment remains the immediate priority, and where infrastructure challenges are even more significant.

Principles behind an effective cluster

7. At CRUK, we invest strategically in locations with critical mass, to build research capability and work with others in the system to deliver thriving local environments for cancer research. In doing so, we have found that the following factors are required to develop successful clusters, and should be considered by Government when making strategic investments:

1. Agglomeration of diverse research-performing organisations including universities, associated institutes, industry (SMEs, spin-outs and large scale) and clinical infrastructure like hospitals, developed from an area with strong foundations for research.
2. Opportunities to create connection and collaboration to spark innovation and accelerate research pipelines enabled by networks, partnerships and cluster organisations.
3. Access to talent, finance and research infrastructure at a national and local level to enable R&D and set off positive feedback loops to create thriving and self-sustaining clusters.
4. Political will with a visionary, strategic approach to create an enabling environment for world-leading research clusters.
5. Attractive local environment with strong local infrastructure, transport links and competitive salaries that can attract and retain talent and diverse research organisations including industry.

8. Early in 2025, we will be publishing a report outlining in further detail the lessons we have learned in our long-term investment in locations with critical mass which we will share with the committee when published.

A new biomedical research Institute – a cluster of innovation to deliver impact and new ways of working

9. We have identified the need and potential for a world leading new biomedical research Institute - a cluster centred in Scotland but bridging out to the North East of England. We are working closely with a range of stakeholders in Scotland and England on developing a new partnership, led by the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgo. This proposal is for a new multi-disciplinary, multi disease-focussed biomedical Institute in Edinburgh, new facilities in Glasgow driving new pathways to translate discoveries into innovative patient interventions across multiple disease areas and deliver new training opportunities. This new biomedical Institute would act in the same way that some of the most innovative institutes in the world operate, acting as a magnet for talent, investment and industry collaboration from around the world into the broader Scottish life sciences environment.

Key opportunity for Government to drive UK life sciences growth

10. Through the industrial strategy, and associated life science sector plan, the 10 Year Health Plan and forthcoming Cancer Plan, we have the opportunity to consolidate the UK’s position as a globally leading environment for cancer research. The UK cancer research ecosystem has significant strengths – world class research infrastructure and capabilities, a globally leading university sector, and a health system well-placed to leverage health data assets and clinical research.
11. The recognition of life sciences as a growth sector must provide the impetus for Government to work with the sector. This can help provide the investment and support needed to embed the benefits of UK research and innovation in strategic locations across the UK, with benefits seen nationally.

12. We welcome this inquiry as an opportunity to support this and would be keen to help this process. In Cambridge, we have seen how the proximity of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, AstraZeneca lab, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, a world leading university, and major teaching hospital has driven forward research and enabled innovation. We would propose that the committee would benefit from a session of oral evidence and a visit in which CRUK, AstraZeneca, and MRC, could outline their role in the largest biomedical research cluster in Europe and what Government can learn.

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

Tackling the health burden of cancer

13. The scale of the cancer challenge is incomparable. Cancer is the leading cause of death in the UK and affects all age groups. Significantly more potential years of life (i.e. years of life lost before age 75) are lost to cancers than other major non-communicable diseases (NCDs), placing a significant burden on individuals, society and the economy. The challenge is also growing – by 2040, there will be a projected 500,000 cases per year by 2040, an increase of ~20% on today.[v]
14. Nevertheless, thanks to life sciences research, in the last 50 years, overall cancer survival in the UK has doubled.[vi] Working together, public, charity and private funding can continue to  accelerate research across the UK from the lab bench to the bedside, and save and improve more lives.

Driving national economic growth through a competitive UK cancer R&I system

15. Along with the transformative impact research continues to have on cancer outcomes, cancer research leads to growth. In 2020/21, £1.8bn of investment in cancer research generated more than £5bn of economic impacts, including thousands of jobs.[vii]

16. Government has a vital role to play: in the long run, every £1 of government R&D spend stimulates between £1.96 and £2.34 of private R&D.[viii]

Driving research, local economic growth and competitiveness

17. Proximity enhances collaboration opportunities between academia and industry. Knowledge spillovers boost new-to-market innovations and patents. iv A study of patent citations in the US found that spillovers occurred between closely located organisations and dropped off significantly beyond 25 miles.vi 
18. Interdisciplinary clusters can stimulate innovation, where the frontiers of fields (like life sciences and engineering) can come together to develop cutting-edge technologies. For life sciences, when clusters have a clear focus and involve local healthcare systems this can connect the full life cycle of research, and propel research from discovery through to societal impact. 
19. As a result of this virtuous circle, more and better research takes place, and progress is faster. In our experience, this means more quickly reaching kinder, more effective treatments for cancer and innovations in earlier detection care and prevention, leading to better outcomes for patients and the economy. This can also support spillover benefits to other disease areas.
20. Research benefits local areas by creating high-paid, skilled jobs and supporting roles, boosting the local economy through increased spending. R&D investment and innovation activity drives productivity growth by introducing new products and services and creating high-paid jobs. Clusters enhance national growth and productivity by boosting overall R&D, and attracting foreign and private investment.

Case Study: Impacts of CRUK investment in the largest biomedical cluster in Europe

21. The Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute is deeply integrated with other world-leading research taking place in the local area, thanks to proximity and partnership with the university, research hospitals and industry. For example, this has led to major collaborations with AstraZeneca, who now neighbour the Institute on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, the largest of its kind in Europe. Hosting >90 AstraZeneca scientists within the Institute for almost a decade while their R&D facility was being built, enabled shared projects that have culminated in 10 candidate drugs for cancer. This relationship has also led to the establishment of the CRUK-AZ Functional Genomics Centre in Cambridge, a national resource offering best-in-class genetic screening to help develop and improve cancer medicines. In 2024 we announced £173m of continued investment in the Institute.
22. Alongside the benefits of this for research, local economic analysis shows that the Campus contributes £4.2bn to the UK economy each year. It supports over 22,000 jobs and apprenticeships in the area, who spend £721m in the regional economy, and has a high rate of employment growth compared to the rest of the UK.[ix]

Case Study: The Francis Crick Institute is drawing talent, investment and world-leading industry to grow the London Knowledge Quarter

23. The Francis Crick Institute and surrounding Knowledge Quarter in London is a demonstration of what is possible when a visionary approach is taken to research cluster development.
24. The Crick was established to be a leading biomedical research institute, where curiosity-driven research and collaboration could benefit human health.[x],[xi] While the Institute was being developed, the area surrounding King’s Cross was not the thriving cluster that it is today. But it had potential – with strong foundations for research, density of talent, proximity to London’s universities and research hospitals, and national and international transport links.
25. Combining this with UK and local government support, diverse investment and major partnerships, the square mile around King’s Cross is London's fastest growing knowledge-driven innovation economy. It is attracting leading talent and industry, with a strong focus on life sciences and AI.
26. Through our investment in the Crick since its inception, and its partnerships in the local area, we’re contributing to this growth and seeing the impact this has on driving our research. In the 8 years since opening, its 1200 researchers have published nearly 5000 research papers, collaborated with 84 countries and launched 12 spinouts that have raised over £1bn, driving advancements across fields of health.[xii],[xiii]
27. And beyond its own labs, the Crick’s success has helped draw an influx of innovative, knowledge-creating organisations, with companies including GSK and McKinsey quoting its presence in their decisions to move to the area.[xiv],[xv] They are also expanding partnerships, including by hosting MSD and other pharmaceutical companies to create opportunities for collaboration, and with property developers to help meet the growth in demand for high-quality lab space in the cluster.

28 January 2025