Yorkshire ready to strengthen status as life sciences powerhouse: Claire Burrows

With four of the NHS’ five national offices now based in Leeds, we can reasonably expect the region to grow its share of the UK’s life sciences jobs from its current standing of 7 per cent. Life sciences businesses in Yorkshire are also set to be buoyed by the new £220m West Yorkshire Investment Zone announced in the Autumn Statement.

The Investment Zone is designed to strengthen and grow the cluster of life sciences and digital health businesses that are thriving in the area, which have benefited from the pipeline of innovative research and skilled scientists coming out of the region’s universities in Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield.

South Yorkshire’s £1.2bn Investment Zone is also focused on developing the county’s advanced manufacturing capacity, including life sciences, bringing together businesses in Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley with academics from the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University.

Added to this, a new £4.5bn funding pot for advanced manufacturing, including £520million for life sciences, will further boost the sector from 2025 onwards.

It’s encouraging to see the Government recognising the importance of Yorkshire and other regional academic and manufacturing heartlands to the future of the sector, supporting investment in both industry and communities.

These initiatives are positive examples of a consistent, long-term and investment-led approach needed to unlock innovation and the economic potential of the North. This requirement was highlighted recently in our True North report.

The report gathered the views of a range of change-making organisations from across the North, including the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre in Sheffield, about the challenges the region faces and the opportunities ahead.

Businesses can’t rely solely on government support though, and it’s positive to see many taking the bottom-up approach to growth identified in the report – including initiatives like Bruntwood SciTech’s Biospheric Network, of which we are a part, that provides mentorship to more than 500 businesses nationally.

If we are to make the most of the new funding provided by government though, cross-industry improvements are needed in three key areas: regulation, skills and infrastructure.

We frequently speak to life science businesses concerned about how regulators are struggling to keep up with the pace of innovation. It’s no secret that regulators often lose their most talented people to the private sector.

At the same time, many of the firms I work with are frustrated by the complexities and cost of introducing transformational medical products to the market.

By embracing greater collaboration though – including bilateral secondments – we can create a more unified approach where firms can innovate at pace without fear of falling foul of medical or health and safety regulation.

Companies also need experienced talent to help commercialise academic ideas. At a time when immigration is under the spotlight, it’s important that firms are still able to source skilled employees from overseas – supporting Britain’s much-celebrated reintegration into the EU research programme Horizon.

However, a more holistic approach to homegrown skills development will also be integral. Leeds City Region alone produces 15,000 STEM graduates a year but there is an opportunity for businesses to reach into local communities and build long-term relationships to recruit from more diverse talent pools. This is an area where businesses can take action on now.

And finally, we must recognise the legacy issues left by the cancellation of HS2 – in particular the connectivity between the new Investment Zones in Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Liverpool, with Leeds to Bradford holding particular potential for creating inclusive growth. With a general election due at some point next year, a departure from the short-term, cyclical nature of parliamentary thinking has the potential to be transformational.

That aside, business leaders in Yorkshire can find confidence in the future opportunities being presented in the life sciences sector.

The political will exists at the highest level to uplift the Yorkshire economy and it’s being backed with significant resources and long-term devolution – albeit there is a need for a model that less frequently pitches regions against one another in search of funding.

Locally, there’s a dynamism and determination to seize this emerging opportunity and realise the region’s enormous potential. Working together, we can strengthen Yorkshire’s status as an international life sciences powerhouse.

Claire Burrows is a partner and regulatory specialist at Brabners,