United Kingdom 🇬🇧

The UK’s sector is crucial to the national economy, it has an estimated value of £74 billion. The UK government gives a high importance to the sector implementing the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy to strengthen the sector, with the goal to set the country as Leader in medical innovation and bio med research.

Key characteristics 📊

• A focus on challenges regarding the aging population and increasing healthcare costs. 
• The ‘Golden Triangle’ of London, Oxford, and Cambridge, are key to the success that the UK is seeing in the sector 
• Drug discovery, healthcare, regenerative medicine, oncology, and MedTech are areas of high investment and importance 
• Home to major pharmaceutical companies and top-tier healthcare institutions.
  
• The National Healthcare Service is one of the most competent healthcare providers in the world
• The presence of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in Amsterdam, enhancing oversight of the pharmaceutical market

The Netherlands 🇳🇱

The Netherlands is the most connected country in the European LSH sectors. Leaders in the research of Innovative therapies and Medical Technology. 

Key Characteristics 📊

• A tight, collaborative environment that focus on fostering innovation in prevention, cure, and care
• Leaders in development of innovative therapies, health tech, digital health, clinical research, manufacturing, and distribution.
• Estimated to have 3,000 R&D companies, 420 biopharmaceutical companies, and 40,000 pharmaceutical employees
• Value of €3.3 billion to the Dutch GDP
• Utrecht Science Park, Amsterdam Science Park, and Leiden Bio Science Park are hubs of renowned innovations centers.

Both countries prioritize the collaboration between industry, academia, and healthcare systems. Driving innovation and economic growth in the LSH sector. Therefore, making them European leaders in the market.  The Netherlands and the UK share challenges and focus areas, giving them an opportunity to form partnerships and knowledge exchange in drug discovery, healthcare, regenerative medicine, oncology, and MedTech.  Topics that were disccused in the UK-NL Economic Mission: Medical Technology & Innovative Therapies on December 3rd 2024. 

UK-NL Economic Mission: Medical Technology & Innovative Therapies 🩺

• Took place on December 3rd 2024 at the Wellcome Collection, London.
  
• The event hosted by Dutch Minister Klever and his Highness Ambassador Huijst was done in order to promote valuable connections in the LSH between UK and Dutch organizations. 
• Dutch participants were able to visit multiple renowned UK healthcare establishments, such as the Cambridge University. 
• Distinguished experts from organizations such as Queen Mary University of London and AstraZeneca convened to discuss collaborative research initiatives and strategic developments in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors.
• The one on one matchmaking sessions, prepared by Transfer.LC, gave an opportunity to both UK and Dutch participants to interact with each other and discuss common interests and possible collaborations
• The event was a total success as it reached the original goal of strengthening the relation of UK and Dutch organizations in the LSH sector.