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Response to the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy 2025

London, 23 June 2025: The government unveiled its Modern Industrial Strategy on the 23rd  June 2025, marking a bold 10-year vision to revitalise British industry and drive sustained economic growth. Central to the strategy is a targeted focus on eight high-growth sectors – Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy, Creative Industries, Defence, Digital & Technologies (including AI and semiconductors), Financial Services, Life Sciences, and Professional & Business Services – which collectively account for around…

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The FD’s guide to R&D tax

What’s inside? Chapter 1: Overview of R&D Tax Credits 1.1 What is R&D and what qualifies? | A clear explanation of HMRC’s definition of R&D, including technological uncertainty and the role of competent professionals in determining eligibility. 1.2 What can be claimed? | Breaks down the categories of qualifying expenditure, from staff costs to software, subcontractors, and cloud computing. 1.3 What you need to know: Requirements & rules | Covers…

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European CLO Summit 2025

Fiona de Lacy (Managing Director, Corporate Services), Aiden Small (Partner, Capital Markets) and Brendan Kennedy (Partner, Capital Markets) are looking forward to attending the conference, which will serve as an educational forum designed for investors, issuers, underwriters, rating agencies, lawyers and accountants. The event will offer an opportunity to practitioners to learn the newest techniques in maximising returns and reducing risk exposure in this growing area of asset-backed finance. The…

  • Post category:Arthur Cox LLP
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Horizon Scanner: Infrastructure, Construction, Energy

Click on the image below to read this month’s Horizon Scanner. Click on the links below to access previous editions. September 2025 Horizon Scanner Infrastructure, Construction, Energy July 2025 Horizon Scanner Infrastructure, Construction, Energy June 2025 Horizon Scanner Infrastructure, Construction, Energy May 2025 Horizon Scanner Infrastructure, Construction, Energy April 2025 Horizon Scanner: Infrastructure, Construction, Energy March 2025 Horizon Scanner: Infrastructure, Construction, Energy February 2025 Horizon Scanner: Infrastructure, Construction, Energy January…

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International Innovation Barometer 2026

Innovation has never been more vital – and more complex. The International Innovation Barometer 2026 (IIB 2026), now in its 7th annual edition, provides an unparalleled look at how organisations across 17 countries and 6 sectors are adapting, investing, and collaborating to stay competitive in a rapidly changing world. From boardrooms to R&D labs, innovation is shifting from being a growth driver to a strategic necessity for resilience, competitiveness, and…

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Business Post Legal 100: Eight partners recognised

We are delighted that eight of our partners have been included in the list. This year, new categories were added, such as one for ‘Rising Stars’ – to spotlight those showing brilliant talent with less than five years’ experience in the partner role. Our partners were featured in the following categories: Ailish Finnerty, Tax Brian O’Rourke, Planning & Real Estate Ciara Buckley, Rising Stars David Molloy, Banking, Asset Finance, and…

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DataCentres Ireland 2025

We are sponsoring DataCentres Ireland 2025, the country’s leading event for the data centre sector.  The conference, which will bring together key decision-makers, operators, service providers, and innovators in the sector, will take place from 19 – 20 November in the RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin. Niamh McGovern (Partner, Energy and Infrastructure) and Jacinta Conway (Partner, Environment and Planning) will participate in a panel discussion at the conference on policy, regulation and legislation. For more,…

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Private Healthcare Summit 2025

The summit brings together key stakeholders from the private healthcare sector, and serves as a platform for healthcare professionals, administrators, and industry experts to collaborate, share insights, and discuss emerging trends and challenges in the sector. The theme for the summit will be “Addressing challenges and innovations in Ireland’s private healthcare sector”, and will feature sessions looking at financial sustainability, regulatory developments, digital transformation as well as innovation and patient-centred…

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I Squared Capital and the sale of Energia Group

08/10/2025 Deals This significant deal underscores the continued evolution and investment interest in Ireland’s energy market. The Arthur Cox team was led by Niamh McGovern (Energy and Infrastructure), Amy McDermott and Cian McCourt (Corporate and M&A), and David White (Corporate and M&A Northern Ireland) working in close collaboration with a team from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, led by Amy Mahon. We were also supported by a wider team across the…

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SEC Chairman Suggests Path to Eliminating Most Shareholder Proposals

In remarks delivered on October 9 at the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance’s 25th Anniversary Gala, US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Paul Atkins suggested the SEC may be open to eliminating the ability of shareholders to submit precatory shareholder proposals to companies incorporated in Delaware. This speech follows the recent publication of an article by Kyle Pinder of Delaware law firm Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell…

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Valneva Announces up to $500 Million Debt Facility With Pharmakon Advisors

San Francisco – October 6, 2025 – Cooley advised Valneva, a specialty vaccine company that develops, manufactures and commercializes prophylactic vaccines for infectious diseases addressing unmet medical needs, on a debt facility for up to $500 million in nondilutive financing with funds managed by Pharmakon Advisors. An initial tranche of $215 million will be used to repay in full Valneva’s existing debt facility with Deerfield Management and OrbiMed, inclusive of…

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Cooley Associate Shortlisted for British Legal Awards

Cooley lawyer Mark Jones was shortlisted as a Rising Star for the British Legal Awards 2025, hosted by Law.com. The awards honor the standout achievements of law firms, in-house teams, chambers and individuals who are driving the legal profession forward. Read the full shortlist The ceremony will take place in London on November 26, 2025. This content is provided for general informational purposes only, and your access or use of…

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Expert Comment: Conservative plan to scrap net zero target puts UK climate leadership at risk

Professor Sam Fankhauser. Credit: John Cairns In the mid-2000s, soon after becoming Conservative leader, David Cameron hugged a husky on a trip to the Arctic, in what was widely described as an attempt to “detoxify” the Tory brand. Eighteen years later, Kemi Badenoch has promised to scrap the law that once made that rebranding credible. Her announcement that the Conservatives will repeal the 2008 Climate Change Act if they win the next general…

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New research finds defining childhood portrait of Marie Antoinette is really her sister

Jean-Étienne Liotard, L'Archiduchesse Marie-Antoinette d'Autriche, future Reine de France, à l'âge de 7 ans (1762) The distinctive drawing by the Swiss painter Jean Etienne Liotard in 1762 has helped to shape the way we think of the last Queen of France in her early years. She is depicted as a seven-year-old, holding a shuttle used for weaving and staring directly at the viewer with a determined look in her eyes. This has…

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SciTec to Be Acquired by Firefly Aerospace

Reston – October 5, 2025 – Cooley advised SciTec, a leader in advanced national security technologies, on its definitive agreement to be acquired by Firefly Aerospace, a market-leading space and defense technology company, for approximately $855 million through a combination of $300 million in cash and $555 million in Firefly shares issued to SciTec owners at a price of $50 per share. Lawyers Andrew Lustig, Aaron Binstock, Heather Harrington, Tessa…

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Meanwhile Closes $82 Million Financing

Miami – October 7, 2025 – Cooley advised Meanwhile, which provides bitcoin-denominated life insurance as a way of facilitating tax-efficient wealth planning for long-term bitcoin holders, on its $82 million financing round, bringing Meanwhile’s total funding in 2025 to $122 million. Funding will accelerate global access to bitcoin-denominated life insurance, annuities, savings and insurance bonds through institutional partners, protecting policyholders worldwide from inflation and currency risk. The round was co-led…

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Competition and Markets Authority Publishes Guidance for HR Teams When Competing for Talent

On 9 September 2025, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published new guidance on how competition law applies to recruiting workers, setting pay and other working conditions. The guidance builds on a recent string of enforcement cases both by the CMA and other competition regulators into labour market and recruitment practices, and sets out how the CMA views competition in the labour market. We have summarised the key points…

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Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government and Clooney Foundation for Justice unite to harness AI for global justice

Until now, no coordinated global effort has been dedicated to applying this century’s vast technological advancements to the field of international justice. The Oxford Institute of Technology and Justice brings together the Blavatnik School’s global convening power and leading research acumen with CFJ's unique track record providing free legal support in defense of free speech and women’s rights around the globe. In an event launching the Institute at the Blavatnik School,…

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The Legal 500 UK 2026 Recognizes Cooley

London – October 3, 2025 – The Legal 500 UK 2026 has recognized 20 Cooley practice areas from the firm’s London office. Partners Rod Freeman and Angus Miln were named to The Legal 500 Hall of Fame, and 11 partners were recognized as Leading Lawyers – including co-partners in charge, Claire Keast-Butler and James Maton, alongside partners Aaron Archer, Chris Coulter, Tom Epps, Caroline Hobson, Paula Holland, Charlie Lightfoot, Ryan…

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October 6 Compliance Deadline for DOJ’s Data Security Program: What Companies Need to Know

The US Department of Justice’s Data Security Program (DSP) has entered a critical phase. As of October 6, 2025, US persons and entities engaged in certain covered data transactions must be fully compliant with the DSP’s due diligence, audit, recordkeeping and reporting requirements. With the deadline now passed, companies should assess their exposure and ensure they finalize implementation of the DSP’s requirements if engaging in covered data transactions. Refresher: What is…

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IPOs in Limbo as Shutdown Threatens Billions of Dollars of Deals

Cooley partner David Peinsipp, co-chair of the firm’s global capital markets practice group, was quoted in a Bloomberg article about how the US federal government shutdown may affect companies seeking an initial public offering (IPO). Read the article (subscription required) This content is provided for general informational purposes only, and your access or use of the content does not create an attorney-client relationship between you or your organization and Cooley…

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Oxford named best university in the world for a record tenth consecutive year

Oxford University has once again topped the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, with a record 2,191 universities having been ranked from 115 countries.Oxford has been world number one since 2017 – the longest time any university has held the position in the 21 annual editions of the rankings. Harvard University and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) are the only other universities to have topped the rankings. Professor Irene Tracey, CBE,…

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Hoping for a hint of stability…

In the US, the first half of the year was turbulent in terms of both sentiment and growth: after having been lulled by the successes promised by the ‘US exception’ and the privileges offered by the status of the USD, investors expressed their disaffection at the end of the sensational ‘Liberation Day’.  From an economic point of view, in anticipation of aggressive tariffs, imports jumped in Q1, before falling sharply:…

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AI breakthrough helps astronomers spot cosmic events with just a handful of examples

Published today in Nature Astronomy, the study by researchers from the University of Oxford, Google Cloud, and Radboud University demonstrates that a general-purpose large language model (LLM) – in this case Google’s Gemini - can be transformed into an expert astronomy assistant with minimal guidance.Using just 15 example images and a simple set of instructions, Gemini learned to distinguish real cosmic events from imaging artefacts with approximately 93% accuracy. Crucially,…

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