Scotland has announced a major new plan to grow its life sciences sector to a £25bn turnover by 2035, aiming to significantly boost economic growth and healthcare innovation. The sector currently generates approximately £10.5bn and supports over 46,000 jobs across pharmaceuticals, health technology, agritech, aquaculture and biotechnology.
New cluster planned
Central to the strategy is the creation of a new, industry-led Life Sciences Scotland Cluster. This body is designed to bring together companies, universities and government agencies to foster innovation and scale up enterprises.
Pharma manufacturing in Scotland is already highly productive, with an average gross value added per worker of around £200,700 – over three times the Scottish average. The new plan seeks to go further by emphasising the integration of manufacturing expertise early into research and development. This will ensure that new discoveries can be efficiently, reliably and sustainably produced at scale. The strategy also aims to secure at least one major strategic investment annually in national innovation districts, such as Edinburgh’s BioQuarter.
Clinical research goals
Scotland is already a key player in the UK clinical research landscape, earning over 20% of the nation’s commercial trial revenue. To build on this, the government has pledged £37m over five years to develop new research centres in major cities. These centres will connect hospitals and local clinics to make trials more accessible and diverse.
The country is also working to make health data more secure and accessible, supporting drug discovery and real-world evidence generation using AI. Additionally, a new agency, AI Scotland, will launch in 2026 to accelerate life sciences innovation across the public and private sectors.
ABPI verdict
Richard Torbett, CEO, ABPI, welcomed the strategy’s vision, highlighting Scotland’s existing strengths in clinical research and health data. However, he stressed that for the plan to succeed, “ambition must be matched by focused delivery, implementation and, critically, rapid equitable adoption of innovative medicines and vaccines”. Torbett called for clear milestones, accountability and robust success measures to ensure the strategy translates into real benefits for Scotland’s healthcare system and economy.
This comprehensive approach, linking early discovery, advanced manufacturing, clinical research and data-driven innovation, could position Scotland as an major global hub for pharmaceutical development. Given that the country delivered on 2017 life sciences pledges four years early, there is certainly reason to believe it can achieve this target within the next decade.
