Brexit: time to bring out that stiff upper lip

So, we have the result.

Whether you were in or out, given the news this morning that the pound has plummeted  – its steepest fall since 1972 – and the Euro markets are flashing up a sea of red, what happens next is of huge interest not just in the UK but across the whole of Europe.

For the short term at least we are still part of a bigger whole, evident by the fact that  the decision has sent shock waves throughout the economies of many major European countries as well as our own.

Working on titles that have a global focus – European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, Medical Plastics News and Digital Health Age – it’s hard not to wonder if the result will have far-reaching ramifications for those sectors as well as many others.

We’ve heard how an exit may affect imports, trade agreements and focussing on the life science sector itself, there has been comment that Brexit may impact on R&D, how we access skills and intellectual property rights.

It has been said that an immediate impact will be felt on drug and device development and of course that does ring some alarm bells.

However, we are where we are.

Is it time for that British stiff upper lip to kick in?

In or out, and like it or not, that overused phrase ‘keep calm and carry on’ seems strangely apt.

Time to concentrate on what we all do well, on the innovation we can offer on a global scale and the skills we can bring to the sectors we are working in.

Brexit has been described as a ‘messy divorce’ but we have the opportunity to make it as painless as possible.

Protecting the industries in which we work and continuing to promote the innovation within those markets is crucial to how this process plays out.

The life science sector is very much a global business so it’s a business as normal attitude here despite the UK’s decision to part ways with the EU.