Cross-government body the Office for Life Sciences has appointed Steve Bates as executive chair in a drive to “deepen ties” between government and the sector.
Bates has served as chief executive officer of the BioIndustry Association since 2012 and also sits on the UK Life Sciences Council. He was a founder member of the government’s Vaccine Taskforce, which launched in 2020.
The OLS champions research and innovation, and the use of technology to transform health and care services. It has 120 civil servants, led by director Rosalind Campion, and is jointly sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
According to yesterday’s announcement, the OLS will now also report to business secretary Jonathan Reynolds as part of “more formalised links” with the Department for Business and Trade aimed at supporting the government’s industrial strategy.
Ministers said Bates’s appointment represented “immediate action” on a pledge to “strengthen links between the sector and government” in last week’s Life Sciences Sector Plan.
According to the announcement, Bates’s new role will see him “act as an ambassador both domestically and internationally” for the UK life sciences sector.
“He will work across government and the wider public sector to ensure engagement with industry around policy and investment happens productively and at pace, working closely with all three secretaries of state, providing support and expert advice as required”, the announcement added.
Technology secretary Peter Kyle said the UK’s life-sciences sector – which employs around 300,000 people and is worth £100bn a year to the economy – had a “unique role” in the nation’s health and prosperity.
“Its ongoing success will be pivotal to both our Plan for Change, and our modern industrial strategy,” Kyle said. “It is only right that we draw upon the nation’s best talent and expertise to push this sector on to even greater heights, and to that end I am delighted that Steve will be joining us in these endeavours.”
Bates said the UK is "great at life sciences" and that he is relishing the opportunity to be the sector’s ambassador.
“I know we can deliver global health outcomes and UK economic growth because we did so through the Vaccine Taskforce during Covid,” he said. “I look forward to selling the sector’s great story to the globe. It’s a privilege to help life science businesses start, grow, scale and renew in the UK ecosystem to deliver economic growth, prosperity and health.”