Quintiles invests
pharmafile | June 7, 2007 | News story | Research and Development |
Contract research organisation Quintiles is to spend £7.5 million (€11 million) on a new home for its Scottish product development business.
The facility will be built on a site on the Alba Campus in Livingston in Scotland, which Quintiles bought from Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian, and will also house the company's Quintiles Laboratories and the operations of its strategic partnering group NovaQuest in the country.
Graham Murray, general manager of Quintiles Laboratories Europe, said: "Our lab business is expanding globally and in Europe because of our proximity to clinical trial sites and our tight quality control.
"This new facility will enhance our level of customer service throughout the UK and Europe. I'd like to thank Scottish Development International and its parent organisations, the Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise, as well as West Lothian Council for their support in securing this project for Scotland."
Quintiles' investment is being supported by a Regional Selective Assistance Grant of £1.25 million and will create 150 new jobs in the area over the next four years.
Enterprise Minister Jim Mather said: "The Scottish Government wants to foster an enterprising Scotland, encouraging drive and initiative. Quintiles' ambition to expand not only brings jobs and investment to West Lothian, it also supports Scotland's growing strengths in the global life sciences sector.
"Quintiles' investment in the new Livingston facility is excellent news for the Scottish economy generally and shows the high regard in which Scotland's scientific knowledge and expertise is held across the world."
Martin Togneri, chief executive of Scottish Development International, said: "In Scotland, the industry has doubled in terms of both jobs and the number of companies over the past five years.
Scotland's world-class scientific and research expertise make it ideally placed to capture a larger share of the global market ,and the presence of major international companies, such as Quintiles, demonstrates that it remains an internationally significant location for life sciences
