The Office for Life Sciences (OLS) is part of the British government. The organisation supports the delivery of the UK Government's

life sciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, the ...

and

innovation Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entity ...

policy by connecting decision making across government. Informed by productive engagement with industry, the OLS is the internal champion of research, innovation, and technology within government for the improvement of healthcare. The office sits across the

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is a department of His Majesty's Government. The department was formed during a machinery of government change on 14 July 2016, following Theresa May's appointment as Prime ...

and the Department of Health and Social Care, reporting to the

Minister for Business and Industry Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of governme ...

and the Minister for Innovation.

History

The Office for Life Sciences was created in 2009 following an announcement by UK Prime Minister

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...

on the establishment of a new cross-government unit to drive forward innovation within the healthcare system, and to support national policy making on the UK's attractiveness as a market for medicines and

medical devices A medical device is any device intended to be used for medical purposes. Significant potential for hazards are inherent when using a device for medical purposes and thus medical devices must be proved safe and effective with reasonable assura ...

and technologies. The OLS was supported through its inception by

Lord Drayson Paul Rudd Drayson, Baron Drayson (born 5 March 1960), is a British businessman, amateur racing driver and Labour politician. He was Minister of Science in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills until May 2010, where he replaced Ian ...

as Minister of State for Science and Innovation.

Leadership

The leadership is as follows:

Strategy

Life Sciences Blueprint (2009–2010)

The Life Sciences Blueprint, published in July 2009, set out a vision for UK life sciences policy which the OLS was tasked with supporting. The blueprint focused on: * Strengthening the NHS champion for innovation * Building a more integrated life sciences strategy * Ensuring access to finance and stimulating investment * Marketing the UK's life sciences industry internationally.

Strategy for UK Life Sciences (2011–2017)

The Strategy for UK Life Sciences was published in December 2011 and led by the

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and Department of Health. The paper was one of the first policy documents on life sciences under the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government, which expanded upon the work of the previous Labour administration in building the UK's life sciences clout. The strategy outlined an agenda for regulatory and medicines access reform to boost UK attractiveness and to deliver greater innovation within the NHS and the wider healthcare system.

Life Sciences Industrial Strategy (2017–2021)

The UK's Industrial Strategy is a core legacy of

Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...

's premiership which sets out a move towards a more interventionist industrial agenda than that of her Conservative predecessors. With life sciences recognised as a key sector of the Industrial Strategy, Professor Sir John Bell was asked to formulate a specific strategy for the sector. The Life Sciences Industrial Strategy was split into seven main themes and made several recommendations to expand and grow the UK's scientific and research base. The Life Sciences Industrial Strategy was accompanied by two negotiated 'sector deals', a type of bespoke arrangement between government and industry, which agreed specific-shared innovation priorities, including the commitment to scale-up the UK's genomic sequencing capabilities. In January 2020, an update to the strategy was published by the

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which examined the progress to date in achieving the 2017 vision.

Plan for Growth (2021–present)

In March 2021, it was announced that the UK Government would introduce a new plan for growth to replace the Industrial Strategy. In an open letter to businesses,

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

Rishi Sunak Rishi Sunak (; born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party since October 2022. He previously held two Cabinet of ...

and

Business Secretary The secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The incumbent is a memb ...

Kwasi Kwarteng set out the government's vision for the Plan for Growth which would take advantage of COVID-19 recovery planning to deliver the ambitions of the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto. The plan is the legacy of Downing Street advisor

Dominic Cummings Dominic Mckenzie Cummings (born 25 November 1971) is a British political strategist who served as Chief Adviser to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson from 24 July 2019 until Cummings resigned on 13 November 2020. From 2007 to 2014, he was a ...

which seeks to place technology and innovation at the heart of the UK’s economic future. The Plan for Growth continues elements of the Industrial Strategy, including the Life Science Sector Deals, and policy specific proposals will be made within 12 months of its publication.

References

External links

* {{Science and technology in the United Kingdom, state=expanded Biology organisations based in the United Kingdom Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Innovation in the United Kingdom Science and technology in the United Kingdom 2009 establishments in the United Kingdom