CaSE announce four new organisational members from across the science and research sector

CaSE are delighted to welcome Roche, UCB, Epilepsy Society and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry as new organisational members.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Dr Sarah Main, Executive Director of the Campaign for the Science and Engineering, said: 

“I am delighted to welcome Roche, UCB, the Epilepsy Society and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) as new members of CaSE. The UK research and innovation community consists of an interconnected network of universities, businesses, charities and professional institutions. These four new members will further enrich the diverse range of organisations that CaSE represents and that together strengthen the UK’s position as a leading scientific nation.

We look forward to working with them all to ensure the government takes action to support a thriving science and engineering sector in the UK in years to come.”

Richard Erwin, General Manager, Roche Products Limited UK said:

“We believe that the UK has a fantastic opportunity to become the global leader in life sciences. It already has all of the ingredients needed to do this.  We are looking forward to working with CaSE and it’s members to help realise this opportunity that will ensure the UK has a truly world-class health system that delivers the best outcomes for patients.”

Neil Weir, Senior Vice President of Discovery, UCB, said: 

“The UK boasts a strong history of discovery in life sciences and has long been a world-leader in innovation and scientific development. Our role as a leader in R&D means many talented scientists come to the UK from all over the world to conduct scientific research. In order for the UK to remain at the forefront of R&D we need to inspire and invest in the next generation of scientists and ensure funding is in place to support future research. We are proud to become a member of CaSE, and to have the opportunity to work together to ensure the UK remains a leader in research and development.”

Clare Pelham, Chief Executive of the Epilepsy Society said:

“We are delighted to be members of the Campaign for Science and Engineering. We welcome the opportunity to work collaboratively with others who, like us, want to cultivate an environment in which our innovative research can flourish and make a real difference to people with epilepsy and their families. We look forward to ensuring that our voices are heard at the highest levels of government and our impact is felt where it is needed most.”

Dr Sheuli Porkess, Interim Executive Director Research, Medical and Innovation, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, said:

“We’re pleased to be joining CaSE and look forward to supporting their work. The ABPI share CaSE’s ambition for the UK to continue to be one of the best places in the world for science through ensuring the UK has the skills, funding and policies in place” 

Further details about the four new organisational members

Roche

Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with 2,100 employees in the UK. Drawing on our long history and breadth of research, from prevention, through treatment, and towards a cure, we work relentlessly to develop new tests and medicines for serious and hard-to-treat conditions. Our strategy aims at providing medicines and diagnostics that enable tangible improvements in the health, quality of life, safety and survival of patients, and in 2016 we invested more than £460m in UK R&D for this purpose. Thirty of Roche’s medicines are included in the WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines, including antibiotics, antimalarials and chemotherapy.

UCB

UCB is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Belgium that is focused on discovering and developing solutions to address unmet patient need through innovative medicines for patients in immunology and neurology. As a top 5 research & development investor in the UK, that invests 24% of their revenue back into R&D, UCB believes in the potential of the UK as an R&D powerhouse. The UK is home to the company’s only R&D hub outside of Belgium which includes their antibody advanced manufacturing facility. Across their three state of the art facilities in Slough, UCB employs over 400 high skilled scientists in the UK; working in early to late stage development in areas such as genetics, biomarkers, antibody discovery and human biology. They also employ over 300 people in wider commercial roles. 

Epilepsy Society

Epilepsy Society is the UK’s leading provider of epilepsy services. Its headquarters in Buckinghamshire are a centre for ground-breaking medical research into the condition, housing the only MRI scanner in the UK dedicated solely to epilepsy. Its researchers are dedicated to understanding the underlying causes of epilepsy, both through genomics and neuro-imaging, with a view to delivering personalised medicines from the point of diagnosis. Epilepsy Society also operates a globally unique NHS epilepsy assessment facility providing individual assessment and rehabilitation training. It provides residential care to around 100 people with severe epilepsy.

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry 

The ABPI represents innovative research-based biopharmaceutical companies, large, medium and small, leading an exciting new era of biosciences in the UK. Our industry, a major contributor to the economy of the UK, brings life-saving and life-enhancing medicines to patients. We represent companies who supply more than 80 per cent of all branded medicines used by the NHS and who are researching and developing the majority of the current medicines pipeline, ensuring that the UK remains at the forefront of helping patients prevent and overcome disease.
 
Globally our industry is researching and developing more than 7,000 new medicines. The ABPI is recognised by government as the industry body negotiating on behalf of the branded pharmaceutical industry for statutory consultation requirements including the pricing scheme for medicines in the UK.

_

CaSE are keen to ensure the needs of the whole science and engineering community are being heard at the highest levels of government. If you are interested in finding out more about organisational membership of CaSE please do contact us.