Strengths

Scotland is uniquely positioned to offer the know-how, facilities and infrastructure for the commercial development of stem cells, all in a single location. Since 2004, Scotland has invested £100 million to support the development of technologies underpinning regenerative medicine.

Strengths and benefits of stem cell and regenerative medicine research in Scotland include: 

• Growing commercial base − Scotland has Europe’s largest and most highly regarded stem cell research hub, supported by a growing commercial base 
• World-class researchers − Scotland is home to world-leading centres for stem cell biology including the Institute for Stem Cell Research and the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, which houses the UK's most advanced pilot-scale embryonic stem cell clinical manufacturing facility 
• Research licensing − 50 percent of UK stem cell research licences are issued to organisations in Scotland 
• Supportive regulatory and funding environment − this is backed by the highest ethical standards, making Scotland the ideal location to conduct stem cell research 
• Accessibility – key centres for stem cell research in Scotland are conveniently located within a 90-minute drive of each other

Scotland has strong research links with Europe, Asia and the US, and a large network of incubators and science parks are located throughout the country.

It also has the most comprehensive national life sciences strategy in the world, firmly backed by industry, academia, the National Health Service and the Scottish Government.

High-quality support infrastructure

• Supportive political administration, backed by the highest ethical standards 
• Significant funds are invested in dedicated facilities and infrastructure
• Specialised laboratories and equipment attract renowned life science companies 
• World-leading centres for stem cell biology based at Edinburgh and Glasgow universities
• Scottish Stem Cell Network – links more than 1,200 members from all academic, clinical and industry-based research groups in Scotland with an interest in stem cell biology and its applications to medicine 
• UK Stem Cell Bank – a centralised resource for researchers to access high quality stem cell lines
  Collaboration 
• Effective collaboration from ‘bench to bedside’ − strong ties between the academic sector, the public sector and commercial enterprise ensure the translation of stem cell research into clinical benefits 

Streamlined process for clinical trials

• Scottish Academic Health Sciences Collaboration provides a single point of contact to access clinical and research expertise
• Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service has been involved in stem cell based treatments for over 30 years. They’ve extensive knowledge of quality assurance and quality control processes that cover this highly regulated industry.
• Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority grants licences to scientists for use of human embryonic stem cells
• Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency regulates medicines and medical devices to ensure safety and performance
• Human Tissue Authority oversees premises licensing for human tissue storage
• The Scottish Research Database Application (SreDA) is a single national database of 5.3 million patient records enabling rapid clinical trial recrutiment
• Generation Scotland collects and stores tissues, genetic and health information from over 30,000 family members to allow diseases to be tracked through generations 
• NHS Research Scotland offers a route for the fast and efficient approval of multi-centre clinical research studies

Learn about our support services to help stem cell and regenerative medicine research in Scotland