The London proposition to the Life Sciences sector sits within the context of the UK national picture where highlights include:*

Facts about the UK 

£56bn - Pharmaceuticals, medical biotechnology and medical technology sectors together comprise around 4,500 firms, employing 183,000 staff, with an R&D spend of nearly £5billion and an annual turnover of over £56 billion.

28% - of the life science workforce comes from companies supplying services and products to the industry such as clinical trial management, assay development, regulatory advice for a turnover of £17bn.

20 – The 20 top global pharmaceutical companies have sites in the UK representing 80% of the total sector employment.

20% - The UK has the largest biopharmaceutical pipeline in the EU, with 20% of biopharmaceuticals in development originating in the UK.

1000 - With more than 1000 medical biotechnology companies and over 3200 medical technology companies, the UK has one of the largest Life Sciences sectors in Europe.

3,200 - NIHR Clinical Research Networks supported the practical delivery of 1477 new clinical studies in 201-14 through the recruitment of over 600,000 patients.

* Information obtained from UK Trade & Investment


Key strengths and opportunities of London

Multinational Pharma and Med Tech

• Proximity to regulators, City and largest customer (DoH/NHS)
• Leading R&D and clinical sites for KOL access, trials and innovation pipeline
• Business connectivity to global operations

Life Science Service Sector (Clinical)

•  Engagement with KOLs and trial centres
• Proximity to regulators
• Business connectivity to global operations

Development stage primary life science companies

• Proximity to R&D and clinical excellence partners
•  Access to regulators and investors
• Innovation centre space

Life Science Service Sector (Technical)

•  Access to large Academic  institutions as customers and partners
•  Access to healthcare providers using technology platforms
•  Innovation centre space 

For more information on Life Sciences in London, please contact [email protected]


Figures about London