Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Dundee Sir Alan Langlands welcomed today's announcement:
"The Intermediate Technology Institute for life sciences in Dundee is a long term investment which will build bridges between industry and Universities. It is good news for Scotland and for Dundee. It will further enhance the strong research networks that the University of Dundee has established with the Scottish Crop Research Institute and the University of St Andrews.
This is a well founded and far sighted investment in Scottish bioscience at its best which promises benefits not just to business and the economy but to broader issues of health and quality of life. Life sciences have a major contribution to make to global society as well as to the Scottish knowledge economy and to Tayside where they already account for 12% of the local economy.
The investment will further boost Dundee's leading role in life sciences at a national and an international level. Last year scientists at the University of Dundee attracted over £50million worth of research funding against fierce competition - a sum which puts Dundee in a highly select league. The University is working here in Tayside with eight of the world's top 10 pharmaceutical companies resulting in employment of over 2,000 people locally in biotechnology and life sciences research. In the last year alone four companies have spun out of Dundee University research with another 20 in the pipeline.
By Jenny Marra, Press Officer 01382 344910 j.m.marra@dundee.ac.uk