This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Medical research partnership
03/04/2006
A new partnership involving Scotland's universities, NHS Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals - a multinational pharmaceutical company - was announced in New York today.
The £50 million deal sets up the world's first 'Translational Medicine Research Collaboration'. It is intended to provide the impetus for Scotland to lead the world in medical research and bring lifesaving new drugs to patients more quickly.
After a meeting with Wyeth, First Minister Jack McConnell said:
"This new partnership is an international first. It is great for Scotland and the Scottish economy and will bring health benefits not just for Scots, but for patients all over the world.
"Scotland has a world class reputation in life sciences. Our standing within the international community is high and I am delighted that one of the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies has recognised this by choosing to invest in Scotland.
"This further strengthens our position as a natural home for excellence and innovation, and will do a huge amount to raise the global profile of the pioneering work being done in our universities.
"We may be a small country, but our history shows that we have big ideas. Scots invented many of the things we take for granted and this new collaboration can secure Scotland's position as a world leader in innovation in this century too.
"This new partnership will also save lives across the world by speeding up the development of new medicines and getting them from the laboratory to the patient quicker."
Frank Walsh, Wyeth's Head of Research, First Minister Jack McConnell and Jack Perry, Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise in New York
Health Minister Andy Kerr said:
"Translational medicine research is particularly relevant to the NHS, bringing theoretical laboratory based science closer to practical applications of direct benefit to our NHS patients. It is a great example of the public and private sectors working together for mutual benefit. I am delighted that Scotland has been able to develop this pioneering approach."
The Collaboration will comprise Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow universities, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Scottish Enterprise and NHS Grampian, Greater Glasgow, Lothian and Tayside.
Wyeth, with headquarters in Philadelphia, plans to invest an estimated £33 million in the first five years with an option to extend for a further five years. Scottish Enterprise will invest up to £17.5 million.
The Collaboration will provide an injection of more than £50 million into clinical and biomedical research in Scotland, creating 50 jobs at the state-of-the-art laboratory in Dundee in the first instance, rising to as many as 120 over five years.