2026 Life Sciences and Engineering round-up
Across the Liverpool City Region, investment and innovation are driving progress in life sciences and engineering. Developments including AI-powered laboratories and pioneering cancer research are shaping the future of these industries in the region.
Dr John Dyer, our Innovation Lead, says: “It’s exciting to see the scale of innovation taking place across the Liverpool City Region. These developments are helping create opportunities for the next generation of talent.”
AI laboratory launched in Liverpool
A £20 million UK-first robotic AI lab has launched in Liverpool to accelerate the discovery of drugs and vaccines for high-risk and deadly infectious diseases.
The lab is set to generate £40 million of investment in the first three years, creating specialist jobs in the sector. It has been developed through the Infection Innovation Consortium (iiCON) and will be open to industry professionals and academics to develop cutting-edge organoid research which will help phase out animal testing.
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, says: “Liverpool has been leading the fight against infectious diseases for generations, and this new facility will help keep us at the cutting edge.”
Personalised cancer vaccine
A patient at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre (CCC) has become the first person in the world to receive a personalised cancer vaccine.
CCC is working with researchers and clinicians from the University of Liverpool to lead the clinical trial that is designed to target unique genetic changes within each patient’s tumour.
Chris Jones, who lives on the Wirral, has advanced lung cancer and is the first participant to be treated as part of the early-stage clinical trial after she only partially responded to standard immunotherapy treatment.
Professor Ottensmeier, Chief Investigator, says: “I hope this research will contribute to new ways of thinking about cancer vaccine use in advanced lung cancer.”
The University of Liverpool secures £13m funding
The University of Liverpool will lead MEDATA (Medicines and Health Data Science) with £12 million from Wellcome and £1 million from Health Data Research UK. The £13 million PhD training programme is designed to equip healthcare professionals with the skills needed to apply data science to medicine and healthcare.
The programme will be delivered in partnership with Health Data Research UK and the Universities of Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds and Strathclyde.
Professor Sir Andrew Morris, Director of Health Data Research UK, says: “MEDATA will help ensure we have the skilled people needed to turn data into discovery, and discovery into better outcomes for patients.”
Sci-Tech Daresbury expansion
Sci-Tech Daresbury has welcomed more than 20,000 sq. ft of new occupiers, bringing more than 200 people onto its campus.
The occupiers include MARCH, one of the UK’s leading providers of critical engineering services.
The expanded space includes a dedicated training environment for apprenticeships and upskilling of colleagues in modern industrial technologies.
John Leake, business growth director at Sci-Tech Daresbury, says: “Our ‘Home for Life’ ethos enables companies to expand as their ambitions develop, illustrating the benefits of locating within a world-class science and technology campus in the Liverpool City Region.”
Momentum Accelerator 2026
Health Innovation North West Coast has welcomed its 2026 cohort of the Momentum Accelerator programme. The programme supports companies to better understand the NHS landscape and scale across health and care systems.
The 2026 cohort brings together companies working across a range of areas, from mental health and inherited cancer risk to pharmacy innovation and AI-enabled healthcare solutions.
Participants will be able to access one-to-one mentoring, peer networking opportunities and specialist advice from programme partners. This year, the programme is sponsored by law firm Hill Dickinson.
Inderjit Singh, lead of the Momentum programme, says: “Momentum is about helping innovative companies understand how to navigate a complex health and care system while connecting them with people who can help them succeed.”