With over 480 companies in the biotech area, employing around 23,000 people, the UK biotech industry is one of the leading biotech clusters in the world. Experts expect the UK biotech market to reach $8.5 billion in 2005. To scale up the industry further, the UK is looking forward to building more linkages with industries in other countries and India in particular.

"Twenty years ago, we were just interested in products and services, but now we are interested in business relations," said Sir Stephens Brown, Chief executive, UK Trade & Investment in an interview for Biospectrum recently. He opines that the international competitiveness of the companies in the UK can be enhanced through overseas sales and investments. Stating that the current strength of India lies in ICT and with significant growth in the biosciences sector, the potential for trade associations between the two countries is huge.

The Bioscience Innovation Growth Team (BIGT) report launched in partnership with the BioIndustry Association, Department of Health, and Department of Trade & Investment (DTI) lays down a strategic approach to the future of the bioscience industry in the UK. An executive summary of the report has been covered in the special supplement of BioSpectrum. During his recent visit to Bangalore, the Prime Minister of UK, Tony Blair had expressed his concern regarding the Indian biotech industry's capability to overtake Britain's. He was impressed that the industry is very young and still in an early stage of growth in India. "Our industry is looking for partnership with an eye for win-win,” said Prof. Sir David King, Chief Scientific Advisor, HM Government, and Head of the Office of Science and Technology, DTI in an interview for BioSpectrum.

The UK government is making efforts to attract Indian biotechnology companies and has unveiled an attractive package to encourage Indian students to study in British universities. A new set of awards for students who wish to go to the UK to do their PhDs has been established. Moreover, promising young scientists who want to pursue a career in science will be fully funded by the British Government and British Companies. Also, students wishing to finance their studies are now allowed to work up to 20 hours a week.

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