Health and life sciences industries
With more than 700 life sciences organisations employing over 41,000 people, Scotland is one of the largest life sciences clusters in Europe. From global pharma services companies to medical technology startups, we’ve got the networks, support and skills you need to succeed.
Did you know?
Scotland's Imaging Centre of Excellence is home to the 7 Tesla (7T) MRI scanner, an ultra-high resolution scanner – the first of its kind within a UK clinical site, underpinned by world-leading clinical expertise in stroke, cardiovascular disease and brain imaging.
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8% growth each year
Scotland's life sciences industry is on track to reach a turnover of £8 billion by 2025.
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£56 million innovation centre
Scotland is home to the world-first industry-led Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre.
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Scotland's expanding life sciences cluster
From drug discovery and diagnostics to precision medicine and healthcare
Scotland’s exciting life sciences sector contributes £3.1 billion gross value added to the Scottish economy and has seen 8% growth each year since 2010.
A strong collaboration across industry, the NHS (Scotland’s unified healthcare provider), universities and government makes Scotland an excellent place for your life sciences business to grow.
We have a strong track record of successful, efficient and safe clinical trials and have several innovation centres and centres of excellence to support businesses.
Exciting developments happening right now across Scotland include:
- The new £56 million Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre
- The £65 million National Manufacturing Institute Scotland in Renfrewshire
- A new £38 million Precision Medicine Living Lab in Glasgow
- A £40 million BioHub in Aberdeen
- A £25 million investment to grow the Tayside Biomedical Cluster
Opportunities for your business
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Digital health and care
Scotland has extensive digital health records, a strong company base and the drive to rise to the challenges of a rapidly changing global health environment.
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Medical technologies
Tap into our talented workforce with expertise in everything from non-imaging diagnostics and surgical instruments to ophthalmic surgery and cardiovascular therapies.
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Precision medicine
Scotland's world-leading facilities, clinical data and talent create the perfect environment for precision medicine research, development and commercialisation.
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The future of health
Tapping into technology to take healthcare to the next level
Scotland has been at the forefront of medical innovations for over 200 years, so it makes sense that we’re continuing to lead the way with the development of technology-driven healthcare solutions.
Scotland’s ability to develop new solutions for healthcare based around informatics, big data and patient stratification is exemplary. An outstanding level of academic and industry collaboration has created a truly open innovation environment.
It is also the natural choice for innovative digital health and care projects looking for integrated technology solutions. It has connected technology infrastructure, one of the largest ICT and technology communities in Europe, and an innate determination to provide healthcare solutions that benefit everyone.
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Edinburgh BioQuarter opportunities
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Digital health's rising stars
Scotland’s expertise in turning health data into clinical insights is far-reaching. Here are 15 Scottish digital health and wellness tech companies to watch.
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Innovators in diabetes management
Scotland is a world leader in helping diabetics manage their condition. We have companies involved in every area of diabetes management.
Get the latest updates from Scotland’s life sciences and tech industries
Need help?
If you have a question about life sciences and health technology opportunities in Scotland, our team of advisers can help.