£30 million fund in cancer therapies

If you're considering future research in science, then the latest news from Innovate UK will be inspiring.

The UK government research funding body has announced a new £30 million fund in cancer therapies to enable new research into treatments.

The funds will be awarded through a series of funding competitions delivered through the Biomedical Catalyst (BMC) programme.

The BMC provides a suite of programmes to small and medium enterprise (SME’s) enabling them to support R&D projects.

Through this support life science companies will develop solutions and seek research partnerships where necessary with UK universities.

Innovate UK has already invested over £7 million to fund six exciting new projects in immuno-oncology and pediatric cancers. These include projects such as funding a clinical study to evaluate a novel vaccine to prevent metastases.

Additionally, the investment has led to the development of new software to enable precision dosing of chemotherapy for childhood cancers.

Return of the Taskforce

The new investment will also align with the UK Government’s ambitions to enable a competitive life sciences venture capital ecosystem.

Opportunities exist to learn from new technology approaches developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This will not only help to prepare for future pandemic threats but be able to deploy them in other areas, such as the development and manufacture of precision therapies.

The government has additionally announced over £113 million to fund research into 4 healthcare missions – cancer, obesity, mental health and addiction.

The objective will be to ‘unlock the next generation of medicines and diagnostics to save lives, transform patient care and ensure UK patients are the first to benefit from medical breakthroughs’.

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