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Research
and the science base
The pharmaceutical industry’s
long history of innovation would
not have been possible without
a foundation of intensive research
activity. The industry funds medicines
research to the tune of £9
million per day in the United Kingdom
and has extensive research links
with Britain’s universities.
The UK’s success in biomedical
research relies upon access to
skills and knowledge, in terms
of the quality of the graduates
and postgraduates emerging from
our universities and the quality
of the science carried out there.
Nearly a quarter of the world’s
top 100 medicines were discovered
and developed in Britain. This
is a result of the considerable
investment by the industry in pharmaceutical
R&D and a strong research base.
Britain has a long history of world-class
biomedical and chemical research,
which have benefited patients throughout
the world by early introduction
of new medicines.
The image of science
The increasingly negative and misleading
reports in the media on topics
such as GM foods, cloning, etc,
as well as the lack of resources
for science teaching in schools,
have led to concern that attitudes
in the UK seem to be becoming
anti-science and anti-biotechnology.
Science courses at universities
are seen as harder than many
others and there is a worrying
shortage in schools of science
teachers with the relevant degrees.
If this trend continues, it could
have a serious impact on the
uptake of science in schools
and colleges, on industry recruitment
and university research. The
Government has recognised this
and the provision of incentives
to recruit science teachers are
a first step in addressing the
problem, but more needs to be
done.
Companies expanding their R&D
facilities in the UK have reported
some difficulties in recruiting
graduates and postgraduates of
appropriate quality and with the
relevant practical and personal
skills. Earlier reductions in the
support of university building
and equipment programmes are now
being redressed, but still more
needs to be done.
The changing nature of pharmaceutical
research, which is increasingly
multidisciplinary, with more and
more focus on genomics and bioinformatics,
could produce further problems
of recruitment unless colleges
and universities recognise the
need for more resources in these
areas. So it is essential that
British universities supply trained
graduates and postgraduates of
the right quality and with the
right skills needed for innovative
academic and pharmaceutical research.
Continuing success
The pharmaceutical industry is
by far the largest industrial
investor in research in the UK.
It spends nearly £9 million
every day on R&D. The partnerships
it builds with universities in
the UK in providing centres of
excellence in medicines discovery
and development also enable them
to carry out vital fundamental
research that underpins our knowledge
of disease mechanisms.
The United Kingdom is home to
truly world-class research in chemistry,
genomics and pharmaceutical sciences,
which is an important reason why
the pharmaceutical industry continues
to invest here. However, the skills
needed for pharmaceutical and biotechnology
research are changing rapidly and
everyone concerned needs to change
with the times. A growing agreement
between the Government, the academic
world and industry of potential
solutions is helping to identify
and agree the skills needed at
all levels, both in companies and
the academic science base.
January 2004
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