Scottish bio-tech firm looks to create 500 design jobsRichard BallScottish Enterprise has set up a business incubator facility at the Alba Campus in Scotland that will focus on nano- and bio-technologies.
Up to 500 jobs could be created at the centre, said Scottish Enterprise, developing products such as subcutaneous drug delivery systems, blood cleaning chips and lab-on-a-chip type devices.
Cambridge firm Medical Marketing International (MMI) is the lead company in the project, and it will work with Scottish Universities and NHS Trusts to commercialise research from the campus.
"This is a tremendous development for Scotland and the Alba Centre, as it takes the technology of system-on-chip, for which Alba is already internationally recognised, and marries it with bio and nanotechnologies,” said Robert Crawford, chief executive of Scottish Enterprise. “This area of convergence creates some fantastic opportunities for Scotland in areas such as medical diagnostics and therapeutics, drug discovery and environmental monitoring.”
A team at the centre will search out people and technologies, helping them develop prototypes and eventually form new companies to market products.
“Scotland’s 13 universities and 46 NHS trusts are at the forefront of technological development. Using MMI’s successful incubation model, we believe that we can unlock the commercial value of leading edge technologies,” said David Best, chairman of MMI.