Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support the life sciences sector in Oxfordshire.

Through the Government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan, we are on a ten‑year mission to drive growth and build a prevention‑focused NHS. The Plan will make the UK Europe’s leading life sciences economy by 2030 and third globally by 2035, backed by over £2bn of government funding, alongside UKRI and NIHR investment.

This will directly benefit clusters such as Oxfordshire, supporting its world‑leading ecosystem to attract investment and create high‑value jobs. Across the UK, the sector is projected to grow by £41 billion by 2035.

We are already delivering, including up to £600 million for the Health Data Research Service, over £650 million for Genomics England, and up to £354 million for Our Future Health.

The Government is supporting life sciences in Oxford through targeted investment in world‑class research and innovation infrastructure, including major science campuses such as the Oxford Science park, and Oxford Biomedical campus, and national facilities at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. There are already a number of world-leading spinouts from the University of Oxford including; Oxford Nanopore, Immunocore and Adaptimmun. This is complemented by measures to expand laboratory and commercial space, strengthen links between research, clinical testing and commercialisation, and improve access to finance, enabling companies to start, scale and remain in the UK.