How Brexit Reshaped UK Clinical Research and Innovation

One of the strongest “remain” arguments within the scientific community centered on fears that Brexit would harm innovative biomedical research—especially late-stage clinical development. While Phase 1 trials still make up a large share of UK projects, translating them into meaningful treatments for key populations remains slow and difficult.

But funding isn’t the core problem. The UK could match EU investment internally. The real loss is in collaboration: access to opportunities like Horizon Europe, and the ability to lead them as freely as before.