Delivering the UK’s Life Sciences Sector Plan: A connected ecosystem in action at ARC West London
Life sciences is one of the UK’s greatest strengths, a sector powered by world-leading university research, fast-moving industry, and a uniquely collaborative relationship with the NHS.
On 16 July 2025, the government published its Life Sciences Sector Plan, setting out an ambitious roadmap to accelerate health innovation and unlock economic growth. Its goals are bold: to make the UK Europe’s leading life sciences economy by 2030, and third globally by 2035.
Delivering on those ambitions will require deep partnership between government, industry, academia and the research community. And at ARC West London, we saw exactly what that partnership looks like in practice.
A room full of leaders, a shared vision for the future
Hosted at ARC West London, our life sciences campus on the banks of the Thames in Hammersmith, the event brought together senior voices from across the ecosystem to unpack the Sector Plan and explore what it will take to make its vision real.
Speakers included:
- Rt Hon Lord David Willetts FRS on why the UK needs a strategy that is bold, but grounded in deliverability.
- Steve Bates OBE FMedSci highlighting the UK’s unique advantage: the speed and trust that exist between academia, industry and the NHS.
- Baroness Nicola Blackwood exploring how secure, high-quality health and genomic data, amplified by AI, can transform discovery and care.
- Tony Wood discussing the shift towards predictive, pre-emptive medicine and the technological leaps required to get there.
- Professor Sir John Bell FRS reminding the room of the “North Star” for all innovation: better outcomes for patients.
Across all perspectives, one message was clear: achieving the plan’s ambitions will depend on an ecosystem that works seamlessly together, shares risks, and accelerates ideas into impact.
Looking ahead: delivering the UK’s life sciences vision
The Life Sciences Sector Plan sets out a once-in-a-generation opportunity. But as the evening made clear, its success relies not only on policy, but on the collective power of the ecosystem — the ideas being shared, the partnerships being formed, and the breakthroughs being accelerated today.
At ARC, we’re proud to support that mission. Proud to host this conversation. And proud of the community driving the UK’s life sciences future forward.
