extending the company’s existing drug safety and testing facilities in Glasgow and Stirling. Dirk Lange, head of life science
services at Merck Life Science, said: “We remain committed to ensuring the safety of the world’s medicines through our state-of-the-art testing solutions for our customers around the world that drive new treatments. Since mid-2022, we have announced investments of more than €350 million in our global testing network to meet the growing demand for these services.”
TALENT ATTRACTION – DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL SOLUTIONS However, there is one life sciences problem that all the extra investment from government and industry will not solve: the continuing shortage of
skills and the need to attract
overseas talent to the UK. ABPI has calculated that, with
government must adhere to its commitment to modernise the drug development process “and bring it into the 21st century”. Julian David, CEO of techUK,
the nation’s trade body for the technology sector, commented: “It is great to see recognition of the importance of the life sciences industry in achieving economic growth matched with funding and techUK welcomes the consolidation of strategies to provide clarity for industry and partners. “The technology sector has
a huge role to play in helping to deliver life sciences commitments. techUK represents hundreds of companies with innovations that can accelerate clinical trials, make better use of data for population health management, and ultimately achieve better health outcomes for citizens. “The UK tech sector now
adds over £150 billion to the UK economy every year, making it one the UK’s highest contributing sectors, and should be seen as integral to this strategy.” The life sciences sector received
a further boost at the beginning of June when German multinational Merck announced a $35 million investment in Scotland that will create about 500 new jobs by
6,000 businesses in the life sciences sector competing for highly skilled scientists, there will be in excess of 31,000 new jobs that will need to be filled by 2025. “Establishing a skills pipeline remains crucial for the pharmaceutical industry and we have been proactive about STEM skills and employability, helping students from a diverse range of backgrounds to make informed choices about fulfilling careers in a highly productive sector of the economy,” says the organisation. “We have also been clear about
the need for the UK to develop a future immigration system that is needs-based, straightforward and rapid, and which facilitates the ease of movement for highly skilled talent in life sciences.” In a report last winter, Jackie
Penlington, managing associate at law firm Stevens & Bolton, wrote that, whilst there were now many different immigration categories, “it is questionable how useful many of them are to UK employers generally, and particularly to growth sectors such as life sciences”. She added: “Sponsorship remains
the most popular route by which to employ non-UK nationals. However, companies who sponsor individuals must budget for significant costs under the sponsorship system and ensure they are able to manage the administrative burden of the visa process and meeting their
compliance obligations. Not all employers can or will want to bear this burden. “Other categories, such as the
High Potential Individual visa, are more limited in scope and only allow individuals to remain in the UK for up to two (or possibly three) years – which is less time than employers usually wish to retain employees for. Other routes, such as the Innovator category, contain criteria which are difficult to meet in practice. “As the cost-of-living crisis rolls
on [...] it remains to be seen how businesses and employers will adapt. Rather than simply trying to reduce net migration figures, we hope that the government will implement a more targeted approach towards helping UK businesses, including in key sectors such as life sciences, by providing more support within the immigration system.” While the government insists its
immigration door is open to “the brightest and best” from around the world, it seems that portal needs to be pushed open a little wider as far as the life sciences sector is concerned.
“Establishing a skills pipeline remains crucial for the pharmaceutical industry and we have been proactive about STEM skills and employability, helping students from a diverse range of backgrounds to make informed choices about fulfilling careers in a highly productive sector of the economy.”
ASSOCIATION OF THE BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY (ABPI)
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THINK GLOBAL PEOPLE LIFE SCIENCES
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