Science & Technology
CDF Oxford - The Future of the UK's Life Sciences and Funding
Firstly, we are delighted to collaborate again with The Oxford Science Park which is just a 10 - 15 minute Black Cab or Bus ride (3X direct) from Oxford Train Station for our sixteenth Creative Disruption Forum (CDF). This is a discussion forum for industry thought leaders, business leaders (CXOs), and R&D Directors of emerging biotech and biopharma companies, our future leaders and anyone else who is interested and curious, like future or aspiring leaders at the start of their careers.
All our CDFs so far have been received very well, you will see many photos, positive comments and separate LinkedIn posts from participants and sponsors from our previous events. Here is a small collection of the testimonials:
"These #creativedisruption events are a genuine and wonderful exchange of ideas. An elegantly crafted format by Tony Sedgwick and Graham Combe." - Prashant Shah, Managing Partner, O2h Group and CEO of O2h Discovery.
"So pleased to represent Sitryx at the fantastic #creativedisruption forum. As always, Tony Sedgwick challenged us to think about how we do #drugdiscovery and what opportunities we see in the future." - Jon Ellery, Director of Biology, Sitryx
Creative Disruption Forum—4 Feb 2026—The Future of the UK's Life Sciences Sector and the Funding Requirements for Success.
The Creative Disruption Forum, hosted by Tony Sedgwick and Graham Combe at the Oxford Science Park (TOSP) event venue in the Magdalen Centre on the 4 February 2026, will comprehensively examine the life sciences sector's future in the UK through various interviews with industry leaders.
Who Should Attend
The #CreativeDisruption Forum is designed for professionals working in life sciences who are driving innovation and growth. It is ideal for:
The Agenda in Summary
10-10.30 am arrival with coffee & teas, biscuits & fruit
10.30-10.35 - Intro from the Host sponsor - The Oxford Science Park
10.35-10.45—Introductions to our sponsors
10.45 -11.10 am - Keynote Interviews - What is the UK Funding landscape and what needs to be done to ensure the UK's Life Sciences success?
11.10-11.40 am - What can we learn from the past and what is the current state of funding for life sciences?
11.40 am-12.15 pm - Keynote interviews - What is the future of AI in Life Sciences
12.15-12.30 pm - coffee & tea break
12.30 - 1.00 pm— Tony Sedgwick interviews with Pharma Industry Leaders and Investors
1.00-1.30 pm - The "Boots on the Ground." - what are biotech CEOs saying?
1.30-2.30 pm - Light lunch with coffee & refreshments
2.15 - 3.30 pm - Workshops - 6-8 workshops on different topics keeping to event theme
3.30 - 4.00 pm - Coffee, Tea and Refreshment Break
4.00 - 4.45 - Group Leader Workshop Presentations - 5-10 mins each
4.45 - 5.15 pm - Round-up of the day's learnings & Thank you and Goodbyes
5.45 pm - Unofficial drinks at The Oxford Retreat - BYO - Buy Your Own :)
Thank you to our sponsors for their support who include The Oxford Science Park (TOSP), CDD Vault and GeneRx.life
More General Information about the Creative Disruption Forum
At all our events, we encourage dialogue in the room with the keynotes and participants expertly moderated by our resident thought leader, Prof Tony Sedgwick. Tony and I have worked together developing our Agile Leaders, Biotech Buddies, #coffeebuddies and now our Creative Disruption Forums over the last eight years. During the pandemic, we did 3-4 #coffeebuddies "shows" weekly, linking our UK community to others worldwide. Our aim for each participant in all our events is to be engaging, informative and entertaining - with no more death by PowerPoint! lol
To spark new thoughts and ideas and build friendships
As organisers, we promise always to entertain, engage, inform and be interactive during our thought-leadership interviews and Creative Disruption workshops. This is to help you spark new thoughts and ideas and build friendships with peers, clients and collaborators.
How do you benefit from attending?
As a "Leader" in the biotech sector, or aspiring leader, you will benefit from this "Creative Disruption" Forum. It will allow you to share common challenges and build deeper connections and trust with your peers. In turn, the aim is to build your confidence when working in areas typically outside your comfort zone by learning and discussing with this / your "Agile" peer-to-peer network.
You can broaden your understanding of the key aspects of the commercialisation journey and how to overcome potential barriers. You can speak to people in a similar position about issues you may not have the opportunity to talk about elsewhere.
Chatham House Rules apply - "what goes on in the Forum, stays in the Forum - so to speak!"
Heart of Life Science Innovation at #CreativeDisruption Forum
Each #CreativeDisruption Forum centres on open dialogue, expert insight and interactive discussions, guided by our resident thought leader, Prof. Tony Sedgwick.
Known as the www.ThoughtDisruptor.com, Tony brings extensive experience as a trained pathologist, former Global Head of Clinical Research at Roche AG, and CEO and Chairman across several life science companies. He also draws on his background in psychology and leadership to help participants look at familiar challenges from new angles.
Participants can expect:
• Exchange ideas with peers facing similar strategic and operational issues
• To gain practical insights from experienced founders and executives
• Explore actionable approaches to commercialisation and growth
• Strengthen your professional networks across the UK life sciences community
• Meet with investors and other stakeholders such as BD&L Big Pharma
The Forum provides a trusted environment to discuss challenges openly, share lessons learned, and explore new ways of driving innovation.
We promise that our #CreativeDisruption Forum will be like no other life sciences event or business network you have experienced. You will be walking out of the session inspired, educated and more connected.
ADMISSION FEE for Service Companies such as CROs, CDMOs, Law Firms and Patent Attorneys, Consultancy Firms = £120 - ALL-INCLUSIVE
ADMISSION FEE for Innovative Emerging Life Science Companies and Independent Consultants = £60
Investors can apply for free entry by writing to graham@biosell.co.uk.
Collaborative Drug Discovery (CDD) provides an intuitive software suite extensively used by creative biologists and chemists working in academic, biotechnology and pharmaceutical settings. Their flagship product, CDD Vault, enables researchers to intuitively organize and analyze both biological and chemical data, and to collaborate with partners through a straightforward web interface. CDD helps scientists register entities, track inventory, manage assay data, capture experiments, calculate Structure-Activity Relationships (SAR), and mine their data for drug candidates. CDD was founded in 2004 and presently serves thousands of researchers doing drug discovery all around the world. Learn more at www.collaborativedrug.com
GENerX Life is a specialist leadership and talent advisory firm dedicated to the Life Sciences industry. Built alongside industry experts, we go beyond traditional search to provide strategic leadership solutions that drive long-term success. Our support strategy is built around three main pillars:
Organisation
As trusted advisors to Life Sciences companies, we provide expertise in organisational design, strategic board guidance, and leadership structuring. Our expert-led approach helps businesses navigate growth, investment, and transformation with confidence.
Leadership
We develop high-performing leaders through executive coaching, behavioural assessments, and leadership development programmes. Our tailored approach equips leaders to drive innovation, build resilient teams, and lead with impact.
Talent
Through state-of-the-art search and selection, we deliver Executive Search and Interim Management solutions, identifying leaders who not only meet technical requirements but also align with company culture, values, and strategic goals—ensuring lasting success.
The Oxford Science Park (TOSP) is majority owned by Magdalen College, Oxford, upholding its research heritage and its strategy to support discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Providing an influential science and technology environment, the Park has ambitious plans to create an additional 600,000+ sq ft of laboratory and office space over the next 3 years. This additional capacity will support the growth of businesses already based on the Park, providing flexible, best-in-class workspace accommodation, and enabling new companies to enjoy the Park’s exceptional environment and collegiate and collaborative ethos.
TOSP is home to 3,350 people and close to 100 businesses. These range from start-ups based in the Magdalen Centre innovation hub to major international companies.
