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The UK government has published its Life Sciences Sector Plan. It positions digital technologies, particularly the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), as fundamental to reshaping the sector across research, diagnostics, treatment, and manufacturing. Through the Plan it is aiming for the UK to be, by 2030, the leading life sciences economy in Europe, and by 2035, the third most important life sciences economy globally, behind only the US and China.
This is the sixth of eight plans covering the sectors the government identified in the Industrial Strategy (Invest 2035) that it believes will have the greatest growth potential over the next decade. This includes taking a portfolio approach that backs “smaller, less proven, and more disruptive businesses”. It follows plans for advanced manufacturing, creative industries, clean energy industries, digital and technologies, and professional and business services. Plans for the financial services and defence industries will follow.
The Life Sciences Sector Plan is aligned to the health mission detailed in the 10 Year Health Plan (see 10 Year Health Plan for England), as well as the commitments in the AI Opportunities Action Plan (see PM outlines AI Opportunities Action Plan) and Digital and Technologies Sector Plan (see Government unveils £1bn investment in Quantum and Digital Tech).
Central to the digital infrastructure agenda is the government’s investment in the Health Data Research Service (HDRS), which was announced in April 2025 and featured heavily in the 10 Year Health Plan. This service, which is backed by £100m investment from Wellcome and up to £500m from the government, is intended to give approved researchers a single, secure route to health data where personally identifiable information has been removed. The sector will also benefit from the NHS ‘Innovator Passport’, which aims to remove bureaucracy and barriers to adoption, enabling MedTech products to reach patients more rapidly.
The Plan also mentions the digital transformation plans of the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). It states that this transformation will be delivered “at pace”, so that from 2026 it has the digital platforms to support the life sciences industry and incorporate AI-driven processes to accelerate regulatory approvals.
As the Plan states, the UK Life Sciences sector “excels at discovery… but struggles with commercialisation and adoption.” Through the three interconnected pillars of: 1) enabling world-class R&D; 2) making the UK an outstanding place in which to start, grow, scale, and invest; and 3) driving health innovation and NHS reform, it hopes to address this challenge. This will not be possible without significant investment.
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) welcomed commitments to support the use of data for research, encourage investment in manufacturing, and accelerate the pace and ease of research. However, it warned that the core ambition of the Plan will not be realised unless the government makes a real commitment to invest more in new medicines. It stated that, “For too long, the UK has sought to be the place where innovation happens, but not the place where it is used.”
Posted by: Dale Peters at 09:54
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