Make life sciences vision a partnership with patients

Charities can ensure that government policies reflect public priorities, say Nicola Perrin and Catriona Manville

The government’s Life Sciences Vision, published on 6 July, sets out an ambitious plan to help the UK become a global science superpower. Covid-19 has shown the importance of science, and made research more visible than ever. Now is the time to invest, to build on existing capabilities and support capacity and infrastructure that will ensure the long-term sustainability of research.

The level of cross-sector collaboration to address the pandemic has been remarkable, and it is reassuring that the vision acknowledges the life science ecosystem’s reliance on a plurality of partners. Together with government and industry, medical research charities are key funders of research in universities and the NHS.