In 2025, the UK’s life sciences sector is expanding not only through physical developments but in response to a growing demand for specialist skills that increasingly determine its direction. Across its established hubs—from the Golden Triangle to the North West and Scotland—there is growing recognition that advanced digital capabilities are now integral to meaningful research and development (R&D), supported by £9 billion in pharmaceutical R&D investment—the largest share of business R&D spend in the UK.
As data-driven approaches become standard in drug discovery, clinical trials, and manufacturing, the success of these regions depends as much on their ability to attract and retain digital expertise as on the strength of their infrastructure.
The Golden Triangle: Digital Ambitions
London remains central to the UK’s ambitions. The 23-storey, 823,000 square foot laboratory tower underway in Canary Wharf is intended to address a persistent shortage of laboratory space and create a dedicated environment for life sciences research within one of the capital's major financial districts.
Yet space alone is no longer sufficient. Recent research from the ABPI confirms that digital and data skills are now the foremost priorities for the UK pharmaceutical industry, with areas like bioinformatics, computational biology, and data science increasingly essential to R&D operations. This presents an ongoing challenge: attracting not only researchers and technical staff but also those capable of managing and applying complex datasets to accelerate discovery and improve trial outcomes. For London, the question is how facilities of this scale will attract a workforce equipped to handle these dual demands of biology and computation.
Cambridge continues to build on its position as a centre of academic excellence, with Cambridge Innovation Capital's £100 million fund providing vital support to advanced start-ups. Much of this investment is directed towards university spinouts working at the intersection of life sciences and deep tech, precisely the kinds of companies that rely on integrating laboratory research with high-level computational modelling. In this setting, the demand for digital competencies is not abstract; it is embedded in the success of ventures developing personalised medicine, genomics platforms, and AI-led diagnostics. The depth of collaboration between academia and industry in Cambridge allows these skills to be cultivated locally, but the scale of need means the city, like others, must continue to strengthen its educational and recruitment pipelines.
Manchester: Strengthening Health Data and Clinical Informatics
Manchester has enhanced its status as a life sciences hub with the development of a 215,000 square foot campus on Upper Brook Street, set to open in 2027. With a focus on creating a flexible research environment, the project aims to support collaboration between health innovation partners across the public and private sectors. The city’s established expertise in health data and clinical informatics offers a foundation for addressing the wider skills gap identified by McKinsey, particularly the need for professionals who can bridge scientific research and digital trial design. In this context, Manchester’s growth is equally reliant on its ability to retain talent in data science and bioinformatics as it does on physical expansion.
Liverpool: Supporting Vaccine Innovation Through Digital Manufacturing
Liverpool has become a leading centre for vaccine development and infectious disease research, supported by a combination of public health expertise and significant private investment. With 167 life science companies employing over 6,000 people, the region has attracted major projects such as Bristol Myers Squibb's £35 million laboratory in Leasowe and AstraZeneca's planned £450 million manufacturing facility in Speke. These developments underline Liverpool’s contribution to large-scale production, but they also depend on digital processes to monitor, optimise, and quality-check outputs at every stage. Advanced manufacturing in life sciences increasingly relies on automated systems and real-time data analysis, requiring highly specialised skills that must be developed alongside technical infrastructure. This reflects broader global technology trends, with McKinsey identifying in their 2024 Technology Report, that applied AI and machine learning as key drivers of innovation in pharmaceuticals, particularly in automating complex processes such as drug development and production oversight.
Scotland: Growing Digital Expertise in Genomics and Regenerative Medicine
In Scotland, Edinburgh and Glasgow continue to advance medical research and biotechnology, with particular strengths in regenerative medicine and genomic science. The ability to process and interpret complex biological data is central to these areas, making digital literacy in fields such as computational biology and statistical genetics essential. Scotland's universities play an active role in supplying this expertise, but with experts highlighting ongoing shortages in digital skills across the sector, ensuring sufficient capacity remains a shared priority for academia, industry, and government.
Aligning Infrastructure with Digital Skills for Future R&D
What connects these regions is a recognition that the future of life sciences R&D depends on more than physical expansion or isolated investment. It relies on aligning infrastructure growth with workforce development, ensuring that the right skills are available to apply emerging technologies to research challenges. Between 2020 and 2024, the number of roles requiring AI capabilities in life sciences trebled, while those linked to digital trial design doubled. Without strategic investment in digital training and recruitment, even the best-equipped laboratories may struggle to deliver on their potential.
Across the UK, the work underway in London, Cambridge, Manchester, Liverpool, and Scotland demonstrates an understanding of these overlapping demands. These hubs are not only expanding laboratory capacity and supporting high-value research; they are also beginning to respond to the growing need for digital fluency in R&D. Meeting this need will determine the pace and quality of innovation over the coming years, as life sciences moves further into data-led discovery and precision healthcare.
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