Looking for sustainable, high-value manufacturing?

By 2025 Scotland's national strategy is to:

• Grow industrial biotechnology (IB)-related turnover in Scotland to £1.2 billion by 2025
• Establish biorefinery and biochemical operations in Scotland
• Through the Falkirk Growth Deal, cement Grangemouth as a hub for sustainable high value manufacturing

Research excellence

Scotland has long been associated with scientific and manufacturing excellence. Our chemical sciences research base is consistently ranked top three in the world in terms of productivity and influence, according to research by Elsevier.

So, it’s not surprising that we have the likes of EaStChemopens in a new window, the UK's leading University chemistry department, among our range of globally acclaimed institutions.

Innovative solutions and future manufacturing

Scotland is emerging as a major player in industrial biotechnology, largely due to collaboration between industry, academia and government facilitated through its Industrial Biotech Innovation Centre, IBioIC. Based in Glasgow, the IBioICopens in a new window helps foster the commercialisation of biotech solutions in both the chemical and life sciences sectors.

Glasgow is also home to the UK’s centre for Continuous Manufacturing and Crystallisation (CMAC)opens in a new window, which helps industry to exploit the advantages of this technology.

CMAC can accelerate business adoption of continuous manufacturing processes, systems and plants – all for the low-cost, sustainable production of high quality chemical products.

The Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (MMIC)opens in a new window is a collaboration between CPI, University of Strathclyde, UK Research & Innovation, Scottish Enterprise and founding industry partners, AstraZeneca and GSK. The MMIC is developing advanced solutions for pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Co-location opportunities

Searching for a site with existing utility and supply chain assets? Scotland offers excellent opportunities to co-locate with companies in our designated chemical clusters.

You can also get data on Scotland's bioresources through IBioIC or Zero Waste Scotlandopens in a new window. This can help you identify and access sustainable feedstocks (raw materials) for your business.

Specific industrial biotech and sustainable chemical sciences opportunities are currently available at the following locations:

• INEOS Grangemouthopens in a new window in central Scotland
• Calachem Grangemouthopens in a new window in Central Scotland
• Eden Campus, near St Andrews, Fife
• I3 at Irvine Bay, North Ayrshire

Contact us to find out more

You’ll be in good company

Here are examples of Scotland’s pioneering chemical sciences and biotech companies and what they do:

• CelluComp opened Scotland's first biorefinery plant, transforming a vegetable by-product that would normally go to waste into household items like paint.
• Celtic Renewables reuses whisky by-products by turning them into biobutanol biosolvents.
• Prasinotech is the world’s first company making polysaccharide products from microalgae.
• Marine Biopolymers specialises in the multi-component extraction of natural polymers from seaweed.
• Xanthella provides photo-bioreactors for growing algae.
• Ingenza Ltd has over 25 years’ experience engineering biological systems and the sustainable manufacture of chemicals and production of protein therapeutics.
• Synpromics (now part of Bayer) is the leading developer of synthetic promoters to reduce gene screening from years to months.
• Biotangents provides molecular diagnostics for animal health.

Skills for industry

Every year in Scotland, around 1,000 students graduate with degrees in chemistry or related subjects. This means you’ll have access to a pool of highly qualified talent.

Much of the chemicals research in Scottish universities is designed to address specific industrial issues. Scotland's academic sector also continues to develop and adapt to meet the needs of a modern economy. In addition to graduates, Scottish colleges of further education train a significant number of modern apprentices for industries including chemical sciences. This means companies benefit from Scottish graduates and apprentices with the right qualifications, ready to take on global challenges and opportunities in the industry.

Scotland's national skills agency Skills Development Scotland (SDS) has created a skills investment plan for the chemical sciences industry (PDF, 4.3 MB)opens in a new window to address its skills needs. In partnership with Scottish Enterprise, SDS has also created a workforce development portal for chemical sciencesopens in a new window to support training.