Specialist placement for research advice, device design, validation, repair, regulatory support and clinical-facing consulting. Mainstream insurers often decline on the occupation alone - we place the work accurately instead.
PI + PL
Typical structure
$1M-$10M
PI limits placed
Specialist
Market access
Recognition
Biomedical engineers and life sciences consultants commonly need professional indemnity, but products and public liability can become equally important when the business supplies, installs, repairs, services, alters or tests equipment.
The job title is not the risk. Underwriters classify the actual statement of work: advice-only consulting looks very different from a consultancy that also handles devices, attends clinical sites or signs US contracts. Tank separates those boundaries before the submission goes to market, because that separation is usually what unlocks terms.
Words like "biomedical", "implantable" and "medical device" trigger automatic declines in many underwriting systems before a human ever reads the submission. The consultant's actual work - a defined scope of research advice, design review or validation - never gets assessed.
The fix is precision. A submission that maps what you advise on, what you physically touch, who relies on the work and where the contracts sit gives a specialist underwriter something they can price. A submission built on a broad occupation label gives them something they can only refuse.
That is the difference between professional indemnity broking as a form-filling exercise and placement work. It is also why negative statements matter: confirming what the business does not do (no patient care, no manufacturing, no trial sponsorship) removes the ambiguity that drives declines.
Underwriters classify the actual statement of work and what happens after the advice or equipment leaves the consultant's control.
Research, engineering design, validation, specification and technical recommendations can create claims for financial loss. This is the core professional indemnity exposure, and the insured professional-services definition needs to match the real scope.
Some wordings treat repaired, serviced, altered, maintained or tested items as Products once they leave the consultant's custody. A consultant who also services equipment can carry a genuine products liability exposure without manufacturing anything.
Patient contact, treatment decisions, clinical sign-off or site work may require medical professional or trials cover rather than PI alone. Where none of that applies, saying so explicitly strengthens the submission.
High PI limits, broad indemnities, fitness-for-purpose obligations and US governing law commonly trigger referral. Underwriters will ask why a limit is required - a signed contract is a better answer than a guess.
Tell us what you advise on, build, test, supply or operate. We take the risk to insurers with genuine life sciences appetite and explain the terms before you decide.
Two anonymised Tank placements in this occupation group. Both were placed with specialist markets rather than mainstream insurers.
~$1,900 per year
$1M PI + $5M PL combined
~$900 per year
Professional indemnity
Historical premiums from real Tank placements, rounded up and anonymised. They are evidence, not quotes - a different profile, or the same profile a year later, can price differently.
Preparing these answers before approaching the market shortens the placement and reduces avoidable referrals.
What exact services appear in contracts and on invoices?
Is any product manufactured, imported, supplied, installed, repaired or tested?
Does the work influence diagnosis, treatment or patient safety?
Are designs certified, signed off or warranted to meet a result?
Which subcontractors perform technical or clinical work?
What retroactive date and run-off exposure must be preserved?
The submission is built around your activities, not your occupation label.
We work through what you advise on, design, validate, test, repair or supply, and separate advice-only work from physical product involvement.
We document what you do not do - patients, trials, manufacturing, regulatory sign-off - so underwriters can classify the risk as consulting.
Limits, indemnities, US governing law and fitness-for-purpose clauses are identified up front rather than discovered at claim time.
We approach insurers with genuine appetite for scientific consulting and explain the terms, exclusions and retroactive cover before you decide.
Usually where they provide advice, design, specification, validation or other professional services. The insured professional-services definition must match the actual scope, and mainstream markets often decline the occupation, so the placement route matters as much as the cover.
Yes. Supplying, installing, repairing, servicing, altering or testing devices can create a product exposure even if the business does not manufacture them. Some wordings expressly treat serviced items as Products once returned.
It can. Diagnosis, treatment or patient-specific clinical judgement may require medical professional liability rather than PI alone. Where there is no patient contact, stating that clearly helps the placement.
Contracts reveal the accepted scope, indemnities, liability caps, warranties, governing law and insurance limits. Each of these can change the exposure, and a high limit request supported by a signed contract is easier to place than one without.
General information only. This page does not take account of your objectives, financial situation or needs and is not legal advice. Cover depends on the insurer, policy wording, limits, excesses, exclusions and information disclosed. Read the relevant policy documents and obtain professional advice before deciding.
Tell us what you research, build, test, supply or operate, plus any overseas exposure. We will explain the available terms and exclusions before you decide.
Last updated: 08/08/2026
