The Golden Triangle and the gaps: Rethinking UK biotech – recent industry dialogue and policy context

A new BioSpace episode titled "The Golden Triangle and the gaps:
Rethinking UK biotech" explores the UK life sciences ecosystem, focusing on the footprint of the Golden Triangle, the "innovation deserts" outside it, and broader challenges such as scaling companies and accessing capital (including via pension funds). The discussion, involving investors Hakan Goker (M Ventures) and Maina Bhaman (Sofinnova Partners), highlights that while the UK produces a disproportionate share of top‑tier biotech innovation, most venture capital still flows only into the Oxford–Cambridge–London corridor, leaving other regions underfunded and underconnected. Commentators also note that the National Health Service has not yet fully delivered on its potential as a domestic test‑bed and that reforms like the Mansion House plan could unlock tens of billions of pension‑system capital to keep UK‑born biotechs in the UK rather than being acquired or listed abroad.