It’s a busy time of year in the life sciences event calendar, including the recent OBN ‘BioTrinity’ conference in London, and forthcoming One Nucleus ‘ON Helix’ conference. I expect a number of you may be also have attended the BIO conference in Philadelphia last week.

Our life sciences team has also been busy: yesterday, in collaboration with One Nucleus, I presented alongside Iain Comley, Director in Strategic Partnering and Alliances from AstraZeneca, on collaboration agreements. Also, following the success of our 2018 industry report on tech investment into the UK (From the Golden Gate to the Golden Triangle), we launched a new piece in May this year. This year's report, Golden Triangle: Golden Opportunities?, extended the focus to European and Asian investment into the UK's tech (including life sciences) market, as well as analysing investment trends from the US. Our team hosted three lively roundtable discussions in Cambridge, Oxford and London based on our newly published report, which can be found here.

This BioBrief edition comes against the backdrop of continuing political uncertainty regarding the Brexit plan, the forthcoming leadership elections as well as recent European elections and various regulatory and legislative amendments to prepare for the UK's departure from the EU. The articles we have included cover the legal and practical considerations relating to protecting confidential information, an update on forthcoming legislation relevant for the sector (and possible implications of Brexit on that legislation), and a piece on what employers within the sector need to be aware of when employing EU nationals once the UK has left the EU.

Have a great summer and see you again soon!

Rachel

Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) are frequently used to enable the sharing of confidential information in the context of Intellectual Property (IP) deals. For example, businesses will enter into NDAs prior to discussing new inventions with potential investors. Confidential information often has significant economic value and it is important for businesses to understand how NDAs can be used to protect it, as well as understanding their limitations.

This edition’s regulatory update includes a look at the proposed Supplementary Protection Certificate regulations set to be introduced later this year to change the competitive landscape for pharmaceutical companies; new clinical trial regulations also expected later this year with a view to introducing a unified portal and database across member states; and new medical device regulations which will replace current directives for the regulation of devices from May 2020.

Deal or no deal, the EU settlement scheme is now fully operational. The government has also set out plans for a new immigration system from January 2021. This article looks at the EU settlement scheme and the new immigration system.