Medicine, Health and Life Sciences sector

The Medicine, Health and Life Sciences sector includes a wide range of disciplines aimed at improving human health and advancing clinical practices. It covers areas such as clinical medicine, public health, allied health professions, psychology, neuroscience, biological sciences, and agricultural, food and veterinary sciences.

In terms of Life Sciences, Wales is a leader employing over 13,000 people across 280+ companies, with a £2.8 billion turnover. With strengths in Medtech, Diagnostics, Wound Healing, Regenerative Medicine, and Cell Therapy, the sector benefits from world-class academic expertise and a dedicated Life Sciences Hub, exporting 75% of its output globally.

The Welsh Wound Innovation Centre (WWIC) is the first national wound healing centre world-wide and is the flagship facility for clinical innovation in Wales.

The Food and Drink aspect of this sector in Wales is vibrant and strong, with a robust supply chain, skilled workforce, and innovation centres like the Advanced Manufacturing Centre Wales and Aber Innovation. Home to global brands like Kellogg’s, Unilever, and AB InBev, Wales offers cost-competitive property and industrial land, making it an ideal location for growth.

Strong collaboration between industry, academia, and the Welsh Government drives Wales’s success in health, medicine, and life sciences. This partnership underpins a research and innovation ecosystem that combines scientific excellence with agility, ensuring new discoveries translate quickly into real-world benefits for patients, communities, and the wider economy.

Wales is home to world-leading facilities and expertise spanning medicine, health, life sciences, biotechnology, agri-tech and beyond. The Welsh Wound Innovation Centre (WWIC) the first national wound-healing centre of its kind worldwide stands as a flagship for clinical innovation and collaboration. Across the country, universities provide the research strength and infrastructure that power this sector.

At Cardiff University, cutting-edge biomedical and life sciences research is driven through the European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, the Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, and the Systems Immunity Research Institute, advancing global understanding of cancer biology, neuroscience, and immunology. At Bangor University, health and medical research continues to expand through the School of Medical Sciences and the School of Health Sciences, which contribute to major Health and Care Research Wales (HCRW) funded initiatives in healthcare and social care innovation.

Aberystwyth University adds further strength through the Aberystwyth Innovation and Enterprise Campus (AberInnovation), which focuses on biotechnology, agri-tech, and food and drink sectors, linking academic research with industry applications. Complementing this, the university’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) one of only eight research institutes in the UK funded by UKRI’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), is a leading research institute, committed to ensuring humanity can sustainably produce the food, feed and plant-based industrial resources it needs.  Swansea University contributes leading expertise in health innovation, biosciences, and medical technology, driving new approaches to healthcare delivery and translational research.

Universities with strong applied and community-facing profiles also play vital roles. Cardiff Metropolitan University, through its School of Sport & Health Sciences and Health and Human Performance Global Academy, advances sport, wellbeing, and applied health-science research. The University of South Wales (USW) contributes through its Health, Care and Wellbeing Research and Innovation Group, addressing health and social inequalities as well as the integration of health and social care to influence policy and supporting practice. The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) complements these efforts via its Institute of Sport, Health, and Exercise, focusing on applied health, physical activity, and performance research. And Wrexham University builds regional capacity through applied health research, nursing and allied health education, and community wellbeing initiatives, working closely with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW), Powys Teaching Health Board and the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust (WAST) to strengthen workforce development and patient care innovation.

The sector is underpinned by a dynamic industrial base that extends the reach of academic innovation. Wales’s life-sciences industry employs more than 13,000 people across over 280 companies, generating an annual turnover of approximately £2.8 billion. It encompasses strengths in medical technology, diagnostics, wound healing, and regenerative medicine, with leading firms working alongside universities and NHS Wales to develop and test next-generation solutions. Complementing this, the food and drink sector represents one of Wales’s most significant industries, supported by strong academic links, a skilled workforce, and an emphasis on sustainability and innovation across biotechnology, agri-tech, and nutrition research.

Together, and in collaboration with Health and Care Research Wales (HCRW), these universities, industries, and government partners form a connected ecosystem that links discovery science, clinical research, and innovation. This partnership fosters excellence in healthcare and social-care research, positioning Wales as a nation that transforms world-class academic expertise into tangible health, wellbeing, and economic benefits for its people and beyond.

• Dr Matthew Turner, FRCA, Consultant Anaesthetist, Royal Gwent and Grange University Hospitals
• Dr Rhian Hayward MBE, Chief Executive Officer, Aberystwyth Innovation and Enterprise Campus, Aberystwyth University
• Professor Paul Mullins, Professor of Neuroimaging, School of Human and and Behavioural Sciences, Bangor University 
• Dr Beverley Pickard-Jones, Lecturer in the School of Psychology & Sport Science, Bangor University
• Dr Nic Hooper, Lecturer of Psychology, School of Psychology, Cardiff University 
• Dr Petros Mylonas BDS MMedEd PhD SFHEA, Clinical Lecturer in Restorative & Primary Care Dentistry at Cardiff University and a member of British Endodontic Society, Cardiff University 
• Dr Lee Parry, Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer at School of Biosciences, Cardiff University Joint Lead Personalised Prevention at Wales Cancer Research Centre
• Dr Liba Sheeran, Reader, Director of Innovation and Impact, School of Healthcare Sciences, Cardiff University
• Dr Katie Webb, Professor of Medical Education and an IHI Improvement Advisor at the School of Medicine Cardiff University
• Dr Emma Yhnell, Reader in Neuroscience and Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Cardiff University 
• Dr Shubha Sreenivas, Lecturer - Psychology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Education, Wrexham University
• Professor Mandy Robbins, Associate Dean (Research), Life Sciences, Wrexham University
• Mr Arwyn Watkins OBE, Managing Director, Cambrian Training Company and President, Culinary Association of Wales
• Professor Martin Steggall, Pro Vice Chancellor Research, University of South Wales  
• Dr Biao Zeng, Lecturer - Psychology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Education, University of South Wales  
• Dr Catherine Purcell, Reader, School of Healthcare Sciences, Cardiff University
• Professor Jeremy Tree, Psychology, Swansea University 
• Professor Tariq Butt, Professor, Biosciences, Swansea University 

If you are a trade or specialist association or professional society. If you work for a not-for-profit or charitable concern.  If you lead a commercial business or specific industry group. Or if you work in an academic setting alongside international colleagues, we would love to hear from you.

You can email, telephone us or complete our online enquiry form on our ambassador Wales homepage. 

Email: ambassadors@meetinwales.co.uk

Telephone: +44 02921 661018