Taking place on Thursday, 5th March 2026 at the Concorde Conference Centre in Manchester, the Bionow Awards brought together leaders, innovators and collaborators from across life sciences.
The award celebrates Tiro’s role in co-designing and delivering The Institute of Cancer Research’s first Laboratory Technician apprenticeship programme, developed to support the recruitment and training of Scientific Officers within active cancer research laboratories.
It was not an off-the-shelf programme. It was built around the way ICR operates.
Tiro designed the programme to respond to a specific workforce challenge: a shortage of early-career scientists with practical laboratory skills needed to contribute in a research-intensive environment. For ICR, the aim was not simply to recruit apprentices. It was to create a long-term technical talent pipeline that could support world-leading cancer research now and in the future.
Building talent around the work
In scientific environments, training only works if it reflects the reality of the lab.
That is why Tiro worked closely with ICR to design a programme around its laboratory workflows, combining structured learning with hands-on experience in live research settings.
Apprentices are embedded directly into cancer research laboratories, where they build technical capability while contributing to real scientific work. Within months of joining, apprentices were supporting complex cell culture work and experimental design, helping laboratory teams increase capacity while developing the next generation of scientific talent.
For Tiro, this is exactly what high-quality apprenticeships should do.
They should never sit outside the business. They must work inside it. They should help people build confidence, knowledge and workplace experience in the environments where those skills matter most.
A stronger pipeline for life sciences
The programme has helped ICR build a more sustainable pipeline of early-career scientists with practical laboratory skills, strengthening technical capability across research teams.
It has also supported greater workforce diversity, with 75% of apprentices recruited being women, helping address under-representation in technical roles across life sciences.
For employers across the sector, the message is clear: the talent is there. But businesses need the right routes in, the right support for early-career talent and training that reflects the standards, pace and complexity of real scientific work.
Charlotte Blant, CEO of Tiro, said:
“Winning the Bionow Business Support Award is a proud moment for Tiro, but more importantly, it underscores what can happen when employers take an active approach to building technical talent.
“This programme with The Institute of Cancer Research shows the value of designing apprenticeships around the workplace, not around a generic model. These apprentices are not waiting years to become useful. They are building skills, gaining confidence and contributing to vital scientific research from inside the lab.
“For life sciences employers facing skills gaps, the answer cannot only be to compete for the same experienced people. We have to create better routes in, spot potential earlier and give people the training, support and opportunity to become the scientists, technicians and problem-solvers the sector needs next.”
Founded in 2005, Tiro delivers science and technology apprenticeships across life sciences, manufacturing and applied science. Its programmes combine workplace learning with specialist training, helping ambitious employers develop skilled, strong workforces for technical environments.
Thinking about building your own pipeline of laboratory talent? Let’s talk about how Tiro’s apprenticeship programmes can help.