If you are investment planning in Cheshire, new research has championed the UK’s biotech sector as a major international draw.
A report by the BioIndustry Association (BIA) found that cutting edge science and substantial global investment is boosting growth in the industry.
It revealed that investment rose significantly in 2024, and at £3.5 billion was up 94% from the previous year. This is the highest recorded figure since 2021, when it was £4.5 billion.
These eye-catching figures have been attributed primarily to US investors from a small cluster of companies, drawn to the UK’s highly regarded life sciences innovation ecosystem. These now account for around 26% of venture capital investors compared to around 15% from Europe. The findings found that overall there has been a 64.5% increase in venture capital funding from 2023.
With increasing global recognition of the UK’s biotech innovation, the BIA concluded that the sector is on a positive trajectory, bolstered by science and foreign investment, which could be further supported by greater involvement by the UK’s financial institutions. These findings follow on from previous research published by the BIA in 2024. That study found evidence that the UK’s cell and gene therapy sector is ‘robust’, with British companies landing 55% of Europe’s cell and gene therapy venture capital funding in 2023.
Commenting on the report, BIA’s CEO Steve Bates highlighted the confidence, resilience and vibrancy of the UK’s biotech sector as a major pioneer in life science, as it addresses urgent global health challenges such as early-stage research or scaling groundbreaking therapies.
