Scotland Launches its Life Sciences Strategy
Topic : Type : Briefing
The Scottish Government has launched its Life Sciences Strategy, setting out an ambition to grow the sector to £25 billion by 2035. The plan strengthens Scotland’s innovation ecosystem through new cluster development structures, investment in specialist infrastructure, and expanded support for SMEs, particularly across advanced manufacturing, data-driven innovation and AI. It also places a major focus on improving access to high-quality data, boosting commercialisation, and ensuring Scotland remains an internationally competitive location for developing, testing and scaling technologies.
Central to the strategy is a stronger partnership with NHS Scotland, with new commitments around the Accelerated National Innovation Adoption Pathway (ANIA), enhanced Regional Innovation Hubs, and the creation of Commercial Research Delivery Centres to streamline clinical trials and adoption.
Importantly, the government has recognised industry concerns about slow system-wide uptake and plans more predictable processes for bringing innovations into use at scale. Delivery of the Strategy will be staged through a series of “sprints”, overseen by the Industry Leadership Group.
ABHI View: There is much to welcome in this strategy. Not least the commitment to simplified, safe access to data, which will be crucial for accelerating innovation across Scotland’s health and life sciences ecosystem. But ambition must now be matched by disciplined delivery. Success will depend on a supportive business environment and an NHS that is ready and able to adopt proven technologies at pace. Clear milestones, transparent accountability and measurable outcomes will be essential to maintain momentum. ABHI will work with the Scottish Government and partners to turn this vision into reality, and this strategy offers a strong foundation as we develop our own forthcoming manifesto for Scotland.