Baroness Nicola Blackwood became Chair of Oxford University Innovation in 2021. A leader in science and entrepreneurship, she is Chair of Genomics England, and Board Member of the biotechnology company, BioNTech and investment fund RTW Biotech Opportunities. Nicola is also a member of the House of Lords, the Oxford Harrington Rare Disease Centre Advisory Board and the Royal Society Science Policy Expert Advisory Committee.
Nicola served as a Minister in the Department for Health and Social Care under two Prime Ministers. As Minister for Innovation, she led on Life Sciences, NHS Data and Digital Transformation, and Global Health Security.
She was the first female Member of Parliament for Oxford and was elected by MPs of all parties as the first female Chair of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee. She remains one of the youngest committee chairs in British history.
