I’ll be attending the CIPA Life Sciences Conference 2025, taking place at The Belfry Hotel & Resort on 20 and 21 November 2025.

The CIPA Life Sciences Conference is the UK’s leading annual event for intellectual property professionals working in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical technology sectors.

There is plenty to like about this conference. The programme is comprehensive and typically covers recent developments in patent law, regulatory issues and exclusivity strategies across the global life sciences industry. For example, this year’s sessions will cover topics including The Journey From Therapeutic Concept to Product, UPC and EU Patent Litigation Updates, UK, US, EP, India and Brazil Practice & Case Law Updates and will include a Soft Skills session. There is usually a researcher invited to give a scientific presentation talk, which adds an interesting technical perspective to the programme.

The small number of attendees (about 200 typically) ensures that there is a welcoming environment for in-house counsel and attorneys in private practice to exchange ideas and build connections. There are plenty of opportunities to socialise, at breakfasts, tea and coffee breaks, lunches and dinners. It’s not too expensive either, as far as IP conferences go.

I first attended this event back in the late 1990s, when it was known as the CIPA Annual Biotechnology Seminar and Workshop. Since 2008, I’ve been a regular attendee every year, with the only exception being 2011 when I was busy chairing the orchid judging for the 20th World Orchid Conference in Singapore. Otherwise, it is always worth the long journey from Singapore. If there were a Michelin guide to IP conferences, the CIPA Life Sciences Conference would no doubt receive three stars!

Having spent 11 years practising as a patent attorney in the UK, I’ve made many friends and colleagues in the life sciences patent profession over the years. The conference has always been one of the highlights of my professional calendar. It’s a chance to see old friends and colleagues and to catch up. For me, it’s often the only opportunity all year to meet some of them in person. I always feel a touch of sadness when the conference ends after lunch on the Friday and everyone heads off on their separate ways.

The CIPA Life Sciences Conference remains one of the most enjoyable and valuable gatherings in the UK IP calendar and I’m very much looking forward to another stimulating two days at The Belfry.

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