Life sciences infrastructure

One-stop access – from ‘bench to bedside’

Scotland allows ’one-stop access’ to the entire research environment:

  • Dynamic and progressive – Scotland’s enterprising culture and supportive legislative environment have helped create a dynamic and progressive life sciences and biotech industry
  • Fully-formed supply chain – The maturity of the life sciences industry in Scotland has ensured a well-established supply chain is in place
  • World-class facilities – These include the Edinburgh BioQuarter, a landmark £600 million life sciences facility, will make Scotland one of the world’s top ten centres for biomedical commercialisation
  • Ideal location for clinical trials – Scotland has a relatively stable and homogenous population ideal for clinical trials
  • Records and patients details going back over 50 years – NHS Scotland’s unique patient record system and patient pool provide the best clinical research lab in the world, making Scotland an excellent location for clinical trials and epidemiological studies
  • Health Science Scotland (previously called the Scottish Academic Health Sciences Collaboration) – Collaborative working between NHS Scotland and university medical schools positions Scotland as a ‘single research site. For more details go to the Health Science Scotland website
  • Strategic investment – Scotland’s major strategic investments in clinical research infrastructure makes it easier to recruit and carry out longitudinal follow-up in clinical studies here