Life Sciences Strategy for Scotland

In November 2025, the Scottish Government published the Life Sciences Strategy for Scotland: 2035 Vision, setting out a ten-year plan to grow the sector into a £25bn industry while improving health outcomes and national prosperity. The strategy has been developed jointly with industry, academia, and public sector partners, and is overseen by the Life Sciences Scotland Industry Leadership Group, which brings together government, enterprise agencies, and sector leaders to guide delivery and accountability 

The strategy builds on Scotland’s long-standing strengths in research, innovation, and health, while responding to new global pressures and opportunities across life sciences, digital health, and advanced manufacturing. It aligns economic ambition with NHS reform and adopts an agile, sprint-based delivery model to ensure progress can adapt as technologies, markets, and public needs evolve. At its core is a focus on collaboration, founder-led innovation, and the systems required to translate research excellence into scalable, globally competitive businesses.

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Grounded in national strengths

Scotland enters this next phase with deep assets. The life sciences sector already employs around 46,000 people and spans human health, animal health, agritech, industrial biotechnology, and data-driven health technologies. The strategy acknowledges that these strengths are interconnected and that progress in one domain increasingly depends on advances in others.

Research excellence provides the foundation. Universities, innovation centres, and public research infrastructure form a pipeline that can translate discovery into real-world impact. What the strategy makes explicit is the need to strengthen what happens next. Commercialisation, scale-up, and international growth are positioned not as optional add-ons but as core components of national competitiveness.

Small and medium-sized enterprises are recognised as the primary engines of innovation. Rather than focusing solely on anchor institutions or multinational investment, the strategy places entrepreneurs at the centre of delivery. This reflects a growing understanding that resilient ecosystems are built when founders can move confidently from idea to market with the right support at each stage.

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Collaboration as a delivery mechanism

A defining feature of the strategy is its emphasis on the triple helix model. Industry, academia, and the public sector are expected to work in closer alignment, with shared priorities and clearer routes to collaboration. To support this, a new industry-led cluster development organisation will provide coordination, leadership, and accountability.

This is a practical shift. Clusters succeed when they do more than convene. They need to align incentives and reduce friction. By creating a structured mechanism for collaboration, the strategy will move beyond aspiration and towards successful operational delivery.

The role of the NHS is particularly significant. Enhancing engagement between industry and NHS Scotland is framed as both a health imperative and an economic opportunity. From clinical trials to innovation adoption, the strategy seeks to shorten feedback loops and reduce the time it takes for proven technologies to reach patients.

Key areas of focus include:

• Stronger pathways for businesses to engage with the NHS through innovation hubs and national routes
• Expansion of clinical research capability to position Scotland as a global centre for commercial trials
• Faster adoption of high-impact technologies through mechanisms such as the Accelerated National Innovation Adoption Pathway

Together, these actions aim to create a system where innovation can be tested, validated, and scaled within a real-world healthcare environment.

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From research to revenue

The strategy is explicit about the need to close the gap between research excellence and commercial success. Scotland’s universities generate world-class research, but translating that into scalable companies requires sustained support and access to capital. 

Commercialisation is treated as a continuum rather than a single moment. Early-stage entrepreneurs need education, mentoring, peer networks and more. Growing companies need access to specialist advice, regulatory insight, investor connectivity and guidance. Scaleups require international routes to market and the credibility that comes with validated partnerships.

This integrated view aligns with a broader shift toward founder-centred ecosystem design. Rather than expecting entrepreneurs to navigate fragmented systems, the strategy points toward joined-up pathways that evolve as companies grow.

Delivering this ambition will depend on programmes that can operate at the intersection of research, entrepreneurship, and public systems. The strategy recognises the role of national commercialisation infrastructure, including Techscaler, in supporting founders to translate research and innovation into viable businesses. Delivered by CodeBase on behalf of the Scottish Government, Techscaler provides founder education, incubation support, and access to a Scotland-wide network, helping early-stage early-stage ventures build the commercial capability required to scale. When combined with strong academic research, NHS engagement, and coordinated cluster leadership, this type of delivery-focused support helps ensure that innovation moves beyond policy intent and into real-world impact.

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International ambition built in

Life sciences is a global sector by definition. The strategy reflects this by placing internationalisation at the heart of its growth plans. While the United States is identified as a priority market due to its scale and maturity, opportunities across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East are also highlighted.

Export growth, inward investment, and cross-border collaboration are positioned as mutually reinforcing. By strengthening Scotland’s international presence, the strategy aims to attract capital and partnerships that further deepen domestic capability.

For founders, this creates an expectation that global thinking starts early. International readiness is no longer reserved for late-stage companies. It is part of building a resilient business model from the outset.

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The next wave of innovation

Digital capability runs throughout the strategy. Artificial intelligence, data access, and digital infrastructure are framed as cross-cutting enablers rather than standalone themes. The planned launch of AI Scotland in 2026 signals a coordinated approach to aligning public, academic, and private sector capability around a shared national ambition.

For life sciences, this matters. From drug discovery and diagnostics to population health and service delivery, data-driven innovation is reshaping what is possible. The strategy emphasises ethical and secure access to data, recognising that public confidence is essential for long-term success.

By embedding digital capability across research, clinical practice, and commercialisation, Scotland is positioning itself to lead in areas where technology and health increasingly converge.

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From vision to delivery

What sets this strategy apart is its intended delivery format. The ten-year plan will be implemented through a series of agile sprints, with the first detailed delivery plan due by March 2026. This approach recognises that innovation systems evolve quickly and that long-term success depends on the ability to test and adapt.

Turning strategy into impact will rely on delivery partners who understand how to operate across complexity. Supporting founders through commercialisation, aligning public and private sector priorities, and connecting national ambition with local action all require coordinated, hands-on execution. Programmes, such as Techscaler, that sit close to entrepreneurs, work across institutions, and bridge policy with practice will be central to maintaining momentum over time.

As delivery accelerates, the opportunity is to build repeatable pathways that help founders move confidently from research to market, from early traction to international growth. When these pathways are embedded into the ecosystem, they strengthen not only individual companies but the system as a whole.

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“The new Life Sciences Strategy for Scotland sets out bold, ambitious goals, developing  a £25bn sector by 2035.  In order to achieve this goal, we must turn world-class research into viable, scalable companies, and that’s where Techscaler comes in.  By continuing to develop our strategic industry focus, and working in close partnership with academia, industry and the public sector, we’re well-placed and excited to be part of the vision.”
_{Helen Tate, Head of Medtech Strategy & Partnerships, CodeBase}

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