Referral of the proposed Life Sciences Large Investment Portfolio scheme by the Office for Life Sciences

The Subsidy Advice Unit (SAU) has accepted a request for a report providing advice to the Office for Life Sciences (OLS) concerning its proposed Life Sciences Large Investment Portfolio scheme.

From:
Competition and Markets Authority
Published
22 August 2025
Case type:
SAU referral
Case state:
Open
Market sector:
Healthcare and medical equipment and Pharmaceuticals
Opened:
21 August 2025

Administrative timetable

Date Action
2 October 2025 SAU’s report to be published
5 September 2025 Deadline for receipt of any third-party submissions
21 August 2025 Beginning of reporting period

Request from Office for Life Sciences

21 August 2025: The SAU has accepted a request for a report from OLS concerning the proposed Life Sciences Large Investment Portfolio scheme. This request relates to a Subsidy Scheme of Particular Interest.

The SAU will prepare a report, which will provide an evaluation of OLS’s assessment of whether the scheme complies with the subsidy control requirements (Assessment of Compliance). The SAU will complete its report within 30 working days.

Information about the scheme provided by Office for Life Sciences

The Life Sciences Large Investment Portfolio (LSLIP) scheme provides subsidies to  companies investing over £250 million in UK-based manufacturing and/or R&D. The policy objective of the scheme is to expand the UK’s Life Sciences manufacturing and commercial R&D capabilities.

The scheme has an estimated budget of up to £570 million and is expected to commence in October 2025, ending in March 2030. Subsidies will be awarded in the form of direct grants and will cover a percentage of project costs. The grant request must be calculated from the amount of grant funding that can be evidenced as being the minimum required. The maximum individual grant amount will be £130 million.

Company eligibility criteria

To qualify for the LSLIP scheme, companies must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • business registration and sector: must be a UK-registered, wholly private-sector business operating in the medicines, MedTech, or diagnostics sector

  • investment commitment: demonstrate a planned eligible investment portfolio of £250 million or more over 3 years in UK life sciences manufacturing or research and development (R&D) with at least one eligible UK project commencing within the next 12 months

  • financial standing: be able to provide 3 years of audited accounts for the member company (or parent entity) and offer a financial guarantee for any grants secured under the scheme

  • proven track record: demonstrable history of successfully developing or manufacturing medicines or medical devices, either in the UK or internationally

Criteria for eligible investments under the scheme

Investments can be from any part of the UK and any part of the sector; the scheme will provide capital grants for investments in:

  • human medicines (this includes both the manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) / drug substance and finished product / drug product)

  • medical diagnostics – for both disease identification and monitoring

  • MedTech products – all types of medical devices related to human health

Projects must meet specific regulatory requirements that will be set out in the Scheme terms and conditions.

Information for third parties

If you wish to comment on matters relevant to the SAU’s evaluation of the Assessment of Compliance concerning the proposed Life Sciences Large Investment Portfolio scheme, please send your comments on the date stipulated in the timetable above. For guidance on representations relevant to the Assessment of Compliance, see the section on reporting period and transparency in the Operation of the subsidy control functions of the Subsidy Advice Unit.

Please send your submissions to us at olslargeinvestments2025@cma.gov.uk, copying the public authority: lsimf@officeforlifesciences.gov.uk.

Please also provide a contact address and explain in what capacity you are making the submission (for example, as an individual or a representative of a business or organisation).

Notes to third parties wishing to make a submission

The SAU will only take your submission into account if it can be shared with OLS. The SAU will send a copy of your submission to OLS together with its report. This is to allow the public authority to take account of the submission in its decision as to whether to make or modify the scheme or its assessment. We therefore ask that you provide express consent for your full and unredacted submission to be shared. We also encourage you to share your submission directly with OLS using the email address provided above.

The SAU may use the information you provide in its published report. Therefore, you should indicate in your submission whether any specified parts of it are commercially confidential. If the SAU wishes to refer in its published report to material identified as confidential, it will contact you in advance.

For further details on confidentiality of third party submissions, see identifying confidential information in the Operation of the subsidy control functions of the Subsidy Advice Unit.

Contacts

Updates to this page

Published 22 August 2025
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