BIVDA Comments on new Innovation Strategy BIVDA Chief Executive Doris-Ann Williams has commented on the Government’s new Innovation Strategy, which aims to put Britain at the front of the global race to attract world-leading science expertise, highly skilled jobs and new products.According to the Government, the UK is committed to increasing annual public investment on R&D to £22 billion. The private sector also plays a key role in boosting spending on R&D, which is an e...

BIVDA's External Affairs team has composed a policy briefing document on the newly released Innovation Strategy, which was presented today by the Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng.Please find the BIVDA briefing attached below for members to access.

A call for evidence has been launched by the Health and Care Select Committee regarding a planned inquiry into how the backlog of healthcare triggered by the pandemic can be cleared. The Committee will be investigating how to quantify the level of pent-up demand for key healthcare services; and to consider whether “fundamental changes to the organisation and delivery of NHS services will be required to manage the backlog of cases caused by the pandemic”. Levels of funding, capacity, ...

The Government has announced the opening of the ‘Future Fund: Breakthrough’ funding programme, designed to boost the UK’s post-pandemic economy. The funding will be provided to the country’s most high growth, innovative and R&D-intensive companies. These firms are essential to propelling the UK’s economy forward, and it is estimated that 1% growth in these firms could grow the UK economy by £38 billion. The funding push was announced at Budget 2021, and wi...

A Government response has been provided by the Department for Health and Social Care to the consultation regarding private COVID-19 testing validation. The public consultation opened from 8th April 2021 and closed on 5th May 2021. It proposed a requirement that all COVID-19 tests place don the UK market undergo a mandatory validation process to assess their performance, above and beyond CE marking. Please see the below points from the Response document: ‘Broad support’ was received b...

Health and care staff working on the frontline during the pandemic will be permitted to attend work rather than self-isolate with testing mitigations in exceptional circumstances under newly updated guidance. From this week., double vaccinated frontline NHS and social care staff will be allowed to work only after having a negative PCR test and also taking daily negative lateral flow tests for a minimum of seven days, and up to 10 days or completion of the identified self-isolation period.This me...

Please see attached as per the member update - any member comments can be sent to Helen at helen@bivda.org.uk

The second reading of the Health and Care Bill is taking place this afternoon in the House of Commons, with a statement on the legislation being read by Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid. The Bill has proved controversial in terms of its shake-up of NHS procurement changes, enactment of Integrated Care Systems in England and provision of closure powers to the Secretary of State. The Bill was first introduced to the House last week by Mr Javid, who stated that it would make the NHS &ld...

BIVDA has partnered with Zinc Media to produce a series of documentary-format programs, focusing on the in vitro diagnostics sector, and showcasing powerful examples of the value that IVD’s bring to healthcare.   The content series will look at IVD’s role in the current pandemic and how this manifests into preparedness for future pandemics, the importance of IVDs in tackling the antimicrobial resistance challenge, along with sustainability and how the industry plans to redu...

A new ‘mega-lab’ facility has been opened in Leamington Spa, England that will significantly expand the UK’s testing and genomic sequencing capacity for COVID-19. The new laboratory site is 225,000 square-feet and will be a key centre for processing COVID-19 tests and sequencing to protect the United Kingdom from variants of concern such as the Delta and Delta Plus strains of the virus. The laboratory is named the Rosalind Franklin Laboratory – a title to honour a scienti...