According to science.org, a House of Lords committee published a damning report today titled “Bleeding to death: the science and technology growth emergency” that reveals the UK’s science sector is in crisis. Major pharmaceutical companies including Merck, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Sanofi have halted or canceled multimillion-pound investments in the UK since September, blaming lack of government investment and drug pricing disputes. The UK hosts only three of the top 100 industrial R&D spenders globally despite having four top-10 universities, and faces becoming an “incubator economy” where startups develop then move overseas to scale up. Scientists face paying over £20,000 upfront for a family of four to relocate to the UK, which is 17 times more than comparable countries charge. The report urgently calls for reducing visa costs, creating a National Council for Science, Technology and Growth, and convincing companies that their future belongs in the UK rather than overseas.
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The pharma exodus is real
Here’s the thing: when giants like Merck and AstraZeneca publicly pull out of a country, that’s not just a warning sign – it’s a five-alarm fire. John Bell, former president of the Ellison Institute of Technology, told the committee that major pharma companies have essentially said “we’re out and not coming back.” That’s devastating for an economy that wants to be a life sciences leader. Basically, if you lose your anchor tenants, the whole ecosystem collapses. And let’s be honest – when companies this big walk away, they’re not just reacting to one bad policy. They’re seeing a pattern they don’t like.
An immigration policy that hurts everyone
The report absolutely nails it when it calls the UK’s visa regime “an absurd act of national self-harm.” Think about this: scientists wanting to bring their family to the UK face costs 17 times higher than in comparable countries. How exactly does that help a country that wants to be a science superpower? The government hiked earnings requirements above what early-career researchers would make, and even the Global Talent visa comes with eye-watering NHS fees. So we’re making it harder for the very people we need most. It’s like putting up a “Keep Out” sign on the world’s best talent.
The incubator economy problem
This might be the most concerning long-term trend: the UK risks becoming what the report calls an “incubator economy.” We pour money into early R&D through our world-class universities, then watch companies take their growth and jobs elsewhere when they’re ready to scale. Mostly to the US, where investment opportunities are better. So we’re doing all the hard work of nurturing startups, then losing the economic benefits. That’s like planting a garden and letting your neighbors harvest all the vegetables.
Can this actually be fixed?
The committee’s recommendations are sensible – reduce visa costs, create that National Council for quick decision-making, get pension funds investing domestically. But here’s my question: will any government actually follow through? The UK wants its first trillion-dollar tech company by 2035, but that’s pure fantasy if companies keep heading for the exits. The report says we need to “break the doom loop,” and they’re right. But breaking political inertia might be the hardest science problem of all. When even the House of Lords is using language this dramatic – “bleeding to death” – you know things are bad. The question is whether anyone’s actually listening.
