Making £10 billion business attractive - How Scotland's life sciences sector is bringing investment and talent

The firm is partnering with The Scotsman’s Life Sciences Conference 2024 later this month to discuss the future of the sector and in particular the future workforce needed to sustain growth.

Just how significant is the life sciences sector to the Scottish economy and what is the outlook?

“Scotland’s life sciences industry is thriving. The latest data show the sector now contributes almost £10.5bn to the Scottish economy. With life sciences exports worth £4.3bn, the potential continues to build. By working in partnership with businesses, universities, healthcare professionals and the Scottish Government, the industry has surpassed the vision set by the Life Sciences Scotland Industry Leadership Group of contributing £8bn to the Scottish economy by 2025.”

What changes are needed if Scotland’s life sciences industry is continue to flourish?

“As the industry accelerates, collaboration will be crucial in developing a new direction and a new strategy with the Scottish Government. For the industry to continue to thrive, we need a strong pipeline of talent and innovative businesses alongside an attractive investment and funding landscape. I believe with the right focus and investment in skills and development, Scotland can be a global leader in life sciences.

“At Valneva Scotland, the country's largest vaccine producer, we require a specialist team, particularly for our quality control roles. Scotland excels at Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and we recognise the need for strong practical and theoretical skills for our existing team and potential new colleagues.“

That pipeline of future talent is something industries across Scotland are fighting for - how does life sciences compete?

“Over the last two years, Valneva Scotland has significantly invested in training and development at our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Livingston. We built a full scale clean room mock-up within our learning and development training academy; where we invested in over 5,000 hours of internal training, equal to an individual average of 28 hours per person, in areas from theoretical scientific understanding and practical formulation to leadership skills.

“In addition to the practical skills, we have also invested in personal development and people management tools and techniques to ensure our employees, at every level, are equipped with the skills, confidence, and support they need to flourish.”

Why do you think training the future workforce is such a crucial part of the puzzle?

“Ultimately, investment in your people is an investment in the future of Scotland’s life sciences industry. When creating our People Plan, we inverted the management hierarchy pyramid to ensure every voice was valued. By listening to your team, providing continuous development opportunities and the platform to utilise those skills, you’re building a more sustainable and high performing business. For us that influences our mission of advancing vaccines for better lives and contributing to a world where no one dies or suffers from a vaccine-preventable disease.

“We recognise the importance of innovation and skills for the health of our business and for the sector. Developing the workforce is something I am passionate about and sits high on my list of commitments as a business leader in Scotland’s life sciences industry. There are undoubted challenges facing our sector but Scotland also has many unique opportunities.

“At this year’s Scotsman Life Sciences Conference, I’ll be joining the skills development panel and I look forward to discussing the challenges and opportunities facing our sector in this area with fellow panellists and attendees.”

Everything you need to know about The Scotsman Life Sciences Conference 2024

As Scotland’s life sciences industry blossoms, industry experts, academics and government officials are gathering to discuss the future.

The Scotsman Life Sciences Conference 2024 will be held at the University of Strathclyde’s Technology and Innovation Centre in Glasgow on Thursday, November 28.

Not only is the sector worth billions to the national economy, it can be a driver of health improvements both home and abroad.

Collaboration is a central theme of this year's event - how, as the industry accelerates, private enterprise and the Scottish Government can work together to grow the sector.

Discussions will cover globalisation, challenges of growth and funding, how to innovate and the advances of AI in healthcare.

The 2024 Life Sciences Conference will be hosted by Mark Cook, chairman of the Industry Leadership Group (ILG) who has 25 years experience in the sector.

Cook said "Scotland’s Life Sciences sector is recognised as both an economic growth driver and a lever to improve health, both in Scotland and worldwide. In 2021 we contributed over £10 billion to the economy with over £4 billion in exports. Conferences like The Scotsman’s which continue to raise both local & global awareness play a vital part in the industries journey which is why Life Sciences Scotland Industrial Leadership Group re delighted to support the event”

Richard Lochhead, Minister for Business at Scottish Gov, will also be in attendance to give a keynote speech about the economic future of the Life Science industry in Scotland. 

This year’s event is sponsored by Kadans Science Partner. A spokesperson for the firm said: “Scotland’s Life Sciences sector is recognised as both an economic growth driver and a lever to improve health, both in Scotland and worldwide.

“In 2021 we contributed over £10 billion to the economy with over £4 billion in exports. Conferences like The Scotsman’s which continue to raise both local & global awareness play a vital part in the industries journey which is why Life Sciences Scotland Industrial Leadership Group are delighted to support the event.”

Readers of The Scotsman can receive 50 per cent off the price of a ticket using code LSS50 at checkout.