OLS: Respiratory Disease Strategic Partnership

This general information notice is published to provide information about how the Office for Life Sciences (OLS), on behalf of the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), will be engaging interested parties to explore strategic partnership opportunities. OLS are a joint directorate between DHSC, the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, and the Department for Business and Trade.

Working with and on behalf of DHSC, OLS are seeking to engage with interested parties in sectors including – but not limited to – the pharmaceutical, MedTech, research and data sectors that can help us to improve respiratory outcomes in the UK via significant investment in data infrastructure, research and development, and clinical pathways. To support HMG’s ambition to improve respiratory outcomes in the UK, we are exploring potential future collaboration opportunities with OLS, DHSC, other organisations in the UK Health Family (including NHS England), and the Devolved Administrations to tackle a number of challenges including, but not limited to: • strengthening the UK’s data infrastructure for respiratory research, • accelerating research and development (R&D) for respiratory disease in the UK, and • optimising clinical pathways to improve early and accurate diagnosis as well as outcomes for respiratory disease in the UK.

This early market engagement is for exploratory information gathering only, in that it will not result in the award of a “public contract” (within the meaning of the Procurement Act 2023). OLS will consider opportunities including financial investment as well as collaboration on a “contribution in kind” basis.

This could provide the basis for interested parties to, for example, help shape approaches to UK respiratory research and data strategies, or engage in policy development. We wish to hear from interested parties who can help to support HMG’s ambition to improve respiratory outcomes in the UK, including but not limited to: • Transforming respiratory health outcomes, driving system-wide benefits and stimulating economic growth in the UK; • Enabling new expertise, insight or capacity in the design and creation of new data services, R&D pipelines and/or clinical pathways; • Bringing pharmaceutical and/or other healthcare expertise to help address priority issues in respiratory health.

We are looking for interested parties who can bring: • Long-term commitment – A commitment to a long-term strategic partnership with HMG focussed on transforming health outcomes, driving system-wide benefits and stimulating economic growth across the UK. • Significant investment – Multi-million-pound financial and/or significant in-kind investment, which could include but not be limited to datasets, analytic capabilities, technical expertise, or trial infrastructure, into improving respiratory outcomes in the UK. • Relevant expertise – Access to expertise in the design and creation of new data services, R&D pipelines and/or clinical pathways or other relevant fields. Also, access to pharmaceutical and/or other healthcare expertise to help address priority issues in respiratory health.

In return, OLS may: • Convene stakeholders across government, NHS, academia, the third sector and wider industry implementing bespoke governance where appropriate. • Provide investment and/or co-investment into improving respiratory outcomes across the UK. • Enable high-profile visibility through joint publicity with Government and NHS. • Consult industry partners on the policy environment around improving respiratory outcomes across the UK and more widely as relevant to the strategic partnership. We reserve the right not to accept responses received after this deadline.