The LMS is pleased to announce today during London Life Sciences Week that it has received a £1m award from the MRC Business Engagement Fund to strengthen and expand its industry partnerships. The funding will be matched by significant industry support and will enable eight new collaborations over 18 months between LMS and Imperial College London research teams and a broad range of commercial companies, from local White City Innovation District-based spinouts to global pharmaceutical leaders. Importantly, this investment is designed not just to fund individual projects, but to act as a catalyst for long-term, sustainable collaboration between academia and industry.
At a time when several life science companies have expressed concerns over government support for innovation, this investment highlights a positive and proactive approach. It underscores the MRC’s ongoing commitment to supporting translational research and fostering an environment where partnerships can thrive — ensuring the UK remains a competitive hub for life sciences innovation.
The eight partnerships are:
In addition to the MRC Business Engagement Fund, two further industry partnerships are also being announced today:
These new partnerships strengthen the growing White City ecosystem of collaboration which underpins the institute’s translational mission. By fostering deeper connections between researchers and industry, the LMS and its colleagues at Imperial can turn ideas into innovations that can transform health.
Dr David Kennard, Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence at the LMS, said: “These collaborations represent a vital step forward in strengthening the translation of discovery science and experimental medicine at the LMS into impactful applications that enhance lives. They have been selected based on the synergy between partnering companies and our institute’s world-leading research expertise and potential for continuing the relationship moving forward.”
Dr Glenn Wells, Deputy Executive Chair at the Medical Research Council (MRC), said: "This new investment by the MRC through its Business Engagement Fund supports cutting edge medical research with our partners in the commercial sector and reinforces our commitment to enabling collaborations that promote the translation of discoveries into innovations and interventions, addressing unmet medical needs and promoting growth. Being able to support these collaborations is recognition of the strength of the world leading science at LMS and its drive to improve outcomes for patients."
The MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) is a world-leading biomedical research institute working towards understanding the fundamental mechanisms that underlie human health and multimorbidity over our lifetimes. Through its Team Science-powered and entrepreneurial approach, the institute aims to improve the diagnosis and treatment of diverse conditions such as obesity, heart disease and cancer. The LMS is core-funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and is embedded within the Imperial College London Hammersmith Hospital Campus in West London.