2026 Launch Day Conference Agenda
| Agenda for Life Sciences Week Launch Conference | ||
|---|---|---|
| 9am – 5pm, Millennium Point, Birmingham | ||
| Timing | Session name | Speakers / panellists |
| Auditorium | ||
| 9:15 | Take Your Seats | |
| 9:25 | Welcome from Your Host, Phil Upton | Phil Upton |
| 9:30 | Panel: The Honest Conversation - Where Are We Really? | Panellists Moderator: Phil Upton Luke Southan, Director, Spark the Midlands Farid Khan, Investor Joshua Dale, Associate Director, West Midlands Health and Wellbeing Innovation Network Nikke Osterback, COO, GetMet Kanika Darbar, MHRA, Medical Devices Regulatory Advisory Manager, Innovative Devices, |
| 10:05 | Welcome Address from the Lord Mayor of Birmingham | Lord Mayor of Birmingham |
| 10:10 | Address from Prof. Dorin Camen, University of Life Sciences, Romania | Prof. Dorin Camen, University of Life Sciences, Romania |
| 10:15 | Opening Address, Preet Gill, MP | Preet Gill, MP |
| 10:30 | Biotech : A Commonwealth of Science Prof. Chris Molloy, CEO, Bioindustry Association, BIA | Prof. Chris Molloy, CEO, Bioindustry Association, BIA |
| 11:00 | Coffee Break | |
| 11:20 | Panel: AI Spotlight: From Hypothesis to Molecule - How AI is Rewriting Drug Discovery | Panellists Moderator: Phil Upton Sandeep Khanna, Cloud Managing Director for Manufacturing & Industry and Ireland, Google Amrik Mahal, COO, Amino Data Vid Stojevic, Co-Founder and CEO, Kuano |
| 12:05 | Panel: From Discovery to Impact - Closing the Translation Gap | Panellists Prof. Chris Molloy, CEO, Bioindustry Association, BIA Marco Cerato, Executive VP & Global Head- Innovative Business, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Nipun Jain, ex-Head of Innovation Hubs and Partnerships for International, AstraZeneca Mark Eccleston, CEO, VailRx |
| 12:45 | Lunch | |
| 13:30 | Panel: The NHS Data Opportunity - Turning Assets into Outcomes | Panellists Prof. Alastair Denniston, Professor of Regulatory Science and Innovation, University of Birmingham Anand Das, Digital and Technology Lead UK, Pfizer Prof. Prokar Dasgupta OBE, Professor of Surgery, King's College London Prof. Simon Ball, SRO West Midlands Secure Data Environment, Senior Science Advisor Health Data Research UK Samarah Ahmad, Associate Chief Pharmacist, Research and Development, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust |
| 14:10 | Panel: AI and the New Commercial Playbook: How Pharma Goes to Market Now | Panellists Rohit Dayama, Cognizant Global Client Partner Scott Gavin, Content Experience, Innovation & Gen AI, Pfizer Nipun Jain, ex Head of Innovation Hubs and Partnerships for International, AstraZeneca Marco Cerato, Executive VP & Global Head- Innovative Business, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals |
| 14:50 | Break | |
| 15:15 | Panel: Co-create or Compete: Pharma and AI/Tech at the Same Table | Panellists Amrik Mahal, COO, Amino Data Anand Das, Pfizer Vid Stojevic, Co-Founder and CEO, Kuano Lisa Page, Partner, Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP |
| 15:55 | Panel: The Decade Ahead | Panellists Amjad Khan, Healthcare Leader, AI evangelist and Speaker, NED Prof. Prokar Dasgupta OBE, Professor of Surgery, King's College London Prof. Chris Molloy, CEO, Bioindustry Association, BIA Scott Gavin, Content Experience, Innovation & Gen AI, Pfizer Jeff Bousfield, CEO, Nonacus |
| 16:50 | Closing Remarks | |
| 17:00 | Close | |
| Platform Agenda | ||
| 10:10 | Welcome | |
| 10:15 | Opening Keynote: Dame Yve Buckland, Chair, University Hospitals Birmingham | Dame Yve Buckland, Chair, University Hospitals Birmingham |
| 10:20 | Keynote: Harpal Mattu, Chair of the West Midlands, IoD | Harpal Mattu, Chair of the West Midlands, IoD |
| 10:30 | Advancements at NHS Blood and Transplant, Prof. Renata Gomes, NHS Blood and Transplant | Prof. Renata Gomes, NHS Blood and Transplant |
| 10:50 | A New Era for Digital Skills, Life Sciences and Inclusion, Suzie Branch, Vice Principal - External Development, BMet College | Suzie Branch, Vice Principal - External Development, BMet College |
| 11:00 | Break | |
| 11:30 | Panel: Making the UK the Destination for Life Sciences Investment | Panellists Preet Gill, MP Kanika Darbar, MHRA, Medical Devices Regulatory Advisory Manager, Innovative Devices, Prof. Chris Molloy, CEO, Bioindustry Association, BIA Farid Khan, Investor Tim Davis, Regional Head, Primary Markets at London Stock Exchange Group Kanika Darbar, MHRA, Medical Devices Regulatory Advisory Manager, Innovative Devices, |
| 12:00 | Panel: Fireside on Cancer Diagnostics | Panellists Feroz Agad, Founder and CEO, SAH Diagnostics Sarah Hughes, Managing Director, West Midlands Cancer Alliance Joanne Tolley, Head of Programmes Cancer & Diagnostics, NHS Birmingham, Black Country and Solihull Jeff Bousfield, CEO, Nonacus Dr Masood Nazir, Chair at West Midlands SDE Clinical and Scientific Advisory Board |
| 12:45 | Lunch | |
| 13:45 | Accelerating the Translation of New Discoveries into Dementia Treatments, Prof. Fiona Ducotterd, Alzheimer's Association | Prof. Fiona Ducotterd, Alzheimer's Association |
| 14:05 | PET Scan: Developing Services for the Patients of Birmingham and Beyond for the Next 10 Years, Stuart Green, Director of Medical Physics, University Hospitals Birmingham | Stuart Green, Director of Medical Physics, University Hospitals Birmingham |
| 14:25 | Final Thoughts from the Platform | |
| 14:30 | Platform Close |
