The opening yesterday of the new £60 million Roslin Institute building south of Edinburgh – which will accommodate 500 of the top animal research scientists – puts Scotland not just in the world-class category in this field, but makes it a world leader.
That assessment of the importance of the facility in world research terms was given by the Director of the Institute, Professor David Hume.
He said, that the new facility would bring together under one roof people with differing skills helping to solve animal health and welfare issues that affect livestock and small animals all around the world.
In an era where greenhouse gas emissions and food security are of major importance, Hume said that geneticists were investigating how food conversion efficiencies could be improved.
Apart from projects such as those looking at the genetics of animals, Hume said scientists were involved in a large number of areas aimed at improving animal welfare.
While the institute has been reckoned to contribute £25 million to the local economy, when the wider picture of the institute's work was analysed, he said the spin-out benefits were put at £40 million annually including 1,200 jobs.
"We're a major economic driver in the area. We are working with 70 national and international companies and we've research links right across the world," he claimed
The new building project was jointly funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, University of Edinburgh and the Scottish Agricultural College.