UK gets behind its successful biotech industry
The UK Government's Bioscience Innovation and Growth Team (BIGT) published a series of policy measures to keep the UK biotech industry in pole position in Europe. EuropaBio calls on other like minded countries to follow suit and make their countries the best places for young innovative companies to grow and succeed.
"The biotech industry should not always expect solutions to come from Brussels," says Hugo Schepens, "Any EU initiative takes years and in the process, proposals often get weaker, more complicated, less easy to implement and miss their intended goal. In many cases, it is much better for Member States to use their own power and adopt stimulating measures nationally and rapidly. If that creates competition among Member States for the most effective fostering framework, so much the better."
BIGT is the biggest ever policy review of the UK biotechnology sector to date and key recommendations include fast track approvals for innovative drugs to meet unmet medical needs, creation of a pan European stock exchange to boost funding, a network of bioprocessing centres to make sure that biomanufacturing capacities keep apace with the development of innovative biotech products. "There are many stimulating policy measures listed here which should inspire other countries," says Hugo Schepens. "The UK BioIndustry Association (BIA) (3) and its members will certainly keep the pressure on policy makers to ensure that these actions are indeed carried through."
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