Health Secretary Wes Streeting has today opened a new Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre in Hartwell, Oxfordshire, as part of the government’s newly announced strategic partnership with the American pharmaceutical giant; news that will increase optimism at a turbulent time for the UK’s life sciences sector.
The partnership will see Moderna invest £1 billion in research and development across Britain, aiming to discover new treatments and make the country more pandemic-resistant. Moderna will also produce millions of vaccines using MRNA technology at their Oxfordshire facility, which has the capacity to produce 250 million vaccine doses in the event of a pandemic.
The government has also announced the creation of a new Life Sciences Transformational R&D Investment Fund, which will see Westminster invest £50 million into life science projects that are worth over £100 million.
The British life sciences sector currently generates more than £100 billion per year for the British economy, and it is hoped that this newly announced partnership with Moderna and the government’s new investment fund will bolster it further.
Wes Streeting said that new ‘pioneering centres’ like the one in Hartwell ‘will help ensure this country remains a powerhouse’ in the life sciences sector, whilst Science Minister Lord Vallance said that it ‘will strengthen the UK’s growth, health and resilience.’ Meanwhile Moderna’s UK General Manager Darius Hughes said that his company’s collaboration with the British government is a ‘win-win-win for patients, the government, and for the life sciences sector.’
This partnership with Moderna is not the only partnership the UK government has with a pharmaceutical giant; in 2023, the then-Conservative government unveiled a partnership with Biontech to provide thousands of British patients with precision cancer immunotherapies by 2030, whilst in November 2024 the current government announced a partnership with Eli Lilly, the maker of weight-loss drug Manjaro, to build a new innovation accelerator facility.
However, this morning the company’s Chief Executive David Ricks warned the British government that the UK would miss out on new drugs if they do not take measures to raise the price of pharmaceutical products, calling Britain ‘probably the worst country in Europe for drug prices.’
Despite today’s Moderna announcement, Ricks’ remarks are the latest incident in a worrying trend of pharmaceutical companies finding themselves at odds with the British government; earlier this month the UK President of Astra-Zeneca described Britain as an ‘increasingly challenging’ country to develop drugs in after his company paused a £200 million investment into a site in Cambridge, whilst Merck has recently chosen to scrap plans to expand its UK operations by £1 billion.
Whilst science minister Ian Murray said that Merck’s decision was disappointing, the government has said that they hope to make Britain ‘the destination of choice’ for the life sciences sector, and today’s Moderna announcement appears to be a step towards this and is a vote of confidence from a pharmaceutical giant.
The new Oxfordshire facility will be the latest development in the government’s vision to turn the Oxford-Cambridge corridor into ‘Europe’s silicon valley.’ The plans to connect the two university cities with improved transport links and the construction of thousands of homes were unveiled at the start of the year aspire to attract the world’s best talent to the country, and bolster the cities’ already thriving life sciences, manufacturing, and artificial intelligence sectors.
Beyond vaccine production, the Moderna site is expected to collaborate closely with UK universities and NHS research programmes to accelerate trials of mRNA-based therapies for cancer and rare diseases. Ministers argue that such collaborations will ensure discoveries move more swiftly from laboratories to patients, positioning Britain as a leader in next-generation treatments. The facility will also provide training opportunities for young scientists, helping to develop a pipeline of skilled professionals within the region.
However, whether it will prove a success remains to be seen. Rt Hon Andrew Stephenson, Chair of Curia’s Health, Care and Life Sciences Research Group Advisory Board says that today’s announcement ‘must be the start of a more ambitious and joined-up approach,’ and that such partnerships will only transform Britain’s health and economic prospects ‘if matched by a consistent and long term industrial strategy.’
Overall, the opening of Moderna’s Innovation and Technology Centre marks a significant step toward strengthening the UK’s life sciences sector and pandemic preparedness. While the £1 billion investment and government support signal confidence in Britain’s research and manufacturing capabilities, industry leaders rightly warn that long-term success will depend on stable policies, competitive pricing, and sustained collaboration between government and industry. If these conditions are met, Hartwell’s new facility could become a cornerstone of Britain’s ambition to remain a global leader in healthcare innovation and economic growth, but if they’re not, the UK’s goals of becoming home to ‘Europe’s Silicon Valley’ could fall flat.
