Senior figures from regulation, finance, manufacturing and innovation will gather at Charnwood Campus Science, Innovation and Technology Park on 10 March 2026 for the East Midlands Life Sciences Leadership Summit | Part 2: Finance and Investment.
The event will bring together industry leaders, investors, policymakers and innovators to explore how the East Midlands can build a resilient, high-growth and globally competitive life sciences cluster, aligned with the UK Science and Technology Framework.
Hosted at Charnwood Campus — the UK’s first Life Sciences Opportunity Zone — the summit will focus on how capital, regulation, manufacturing excellence and infrastructure must align to enable innovation to scale.
Opening the event, Gosia Khrais, Commercial Director at Charnwood Campus, will set out the region’s ambition as a national and international gateway from innovation to commercialisation and manufacturing.
“The East Midlands has world-class capability across life sciences manufacturing, medtech and innovation, but scale only happens when finance, regulation and infrastructure move together,” said Gosia Khrais.
“This summit is about shifting the conversation from potential to delivery — and positioning the region as a place where investors, innovators and manufacturers can succeed together.”
The agenda features expert speakers from across the life sciences ecosystem, including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with Louise Knowles, Deputy Director of the MHRA Innovation Accelerator, delivering a keynote on enabling life sciences innovation through regulatory leadership.
Investment and scale will be a central theme throughout the day, with contributions from organisations including Barclays Life Sciences, Koodos Private Markets, British Business Bank, MedTech Makers Lab, and Plug and Play, alongside experienced operators from companies such as Kindeva, Zydus UK, Horiba, and Quotient.
Panel sessions will address topics such as:
- What makes life sciences manufacturing assets bankable
- How regulatory innovation can accelerate adoption and reduce investor risk
- Why many founders fail to secure capital — and what investors look for instead
- How innovators must transform as they scale from founder-led ventures to CEO-led organisations
The afternoon programme will also include a spotlight launch of MedTech Makers Lab, billed as the first pan-European clinical development organisation covering innovation, funding, clinical adoption and scale, as well as live investor pitching sessions from regional innovators.
Delivered in partnership with Medilink Midlands and TBAT, the summit is expected to attract a broad audience of SMEs, multinational companies, investors, advisors, academics and public sector leaders. Registration is now open, and organisations across the life sciences, medtech, advanced manufacturing and investment communities are encouraged to attend.
For more information and to register, visit: Building Globally Competitive Life Sciences Cluster Part 2: Finance and Investment | BG Growth hub events