Strength of life sciences and biotech in Scotland

The Scottish life sciences and biotech sector is worth over £3 billion. Scotland's strategy for growth aims to build on its existing strengths in key business areas while focusing on investment in research excellence and strengthening infrastructure.

• International recognition – Scotland has emerged as a world-leader in many fields and has been named one of the 'Top 5 Global Locations' for carrying out biotechnology research by respected industry magazine Fierce Biotech
• Significant impact on improving human health – 70 percent of the life sciences organisations based in Scotland are focused on human healthcare, including drug discovery and development
• Committed to animal health research and welfare – Scotland is home to the highest concentration of animal health research in Europe with more than 1,000 full-time employed researchers
• Europe’s life sciences hub – Scotland has one of the most sizeable life sciences clusters in Europe, home to more than 640 life sciences organisations, including Charles River Laboratories, Life Technologies, Pfizer, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Aptuit and Millipore, employing over 32,000 staff
• Significant multinational presence – Scotland has world-recognised research, development and manufacturing strength in terms of: 
  • Core biotech companies 
  • Med-tech companies 
  • Support and supply 
  • Academic and research excellence 
• Sector maturity – 19 new life sciences companies started trading in Scotland in 2010 including TTP Global Development, Ubiquigent and FixedPhage, while an increasing number of corporate spin-outs demonstrate the maturity of the sector
• World-leading researchers in key therapeutic areas – such as, Professors Sir Philip Cohen, Sir Ian Wilmut and Roland Wolf based in Scotland
• Accurate and reliable output – Scotland’s strong work ethic ensures that life science and biotech investors can count on a dependable, knowledgeable workforce to deliver projects