£78m Scottish investment will bring new jobs to Inverness
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New jobs will be created in Inverness as part of a £78 million investment by life sciences giant LumiraDx in its Scottish operations.
Aimed at establish a global health research, development and manufacturing hub, the investment will create 510 posts over the next three years in Inverness, Stirling and a new facility under construction at Eurocentral, near Glasgow, almost doubling its current Scottish workforce. LumiraDx says this figure could rise to more than 750 new posts if current market demand prevails.
The new jobs for Inverness will be located at LumiraDx's site on Seafield Road, formerly occupied by Suresensors, and are likely to be focused on research and development supporting pilot manufacturing.
However, a LumiraDx spokesman was unable to confirm the exact number of jobs likely to be created, and said this will be driven by specific skills allocations dictated by prevailing market conditions.
The company's rapid antigen test for Covid-19 is currently being used by the NHS. The new jobs will scale up manufacturing, as well as the development of a range of other tests. The firm currently has a pipeline of 30 tests for conditions including blood clots, heart disease, and diabetes.
Scotland's economy secretary Fiona Hyslop said: "This is a huge boost for our economy which shows the country is still very much open for business as we look to emerge from lockdown. Life sciences has been a cornerstone of our economy for many years and this announcement shows that the sector will continue to drive growth in the future and help in the fight against the pandemic.
"It also makes it clear that Scotland is an attractive location for global investors. The fact that hundreds of high-quality research jobs are being created shows that the company recognises the skills which exist in the country's workforce.
"This project underlines the importance of a team Scotland approach to working together to provide the right environment for international businesses to grow along with the benefits to the local communities."
LumiraDx chief executive Ron Zwanziger said: "Implementing reliable Covid-19 diagnostic testing programs, that provide rapid results with minimum false negatives is critical to safely reopening the economy.
"We are pleased to contribute to Scotland's health and economic growth, now and beyond the pandemic.
"We are also delighted to be increasing our footprint in Scotland and expanding the country's life sciences industry. Next-generation point of care testing technology can help to transform healthcare systems.
"It's an exciting undertaking, and we know to do this quickly and to do it well we need the right infrastructure in place and access to incredible talent to drive this development. Scotland has both. We are proud to be investing in the country, and its communities and grateful to Scottish Enterprise for their support through this grant."
The investment is supported by a £15 million grant from Scottish Enterprise. The agency's interim chief executive Linda Hanna commented: "LumiraDx is at the global cutting edge of next generation rapid diagnostic testing and this investment has the potential to be transformative for Scotland's life sciences sector and wider economy.
"Over the last decade, we and our partners have steadfastly pursued an ambition to simultaneously create wealth whilst promoting health by nurturing a vibrant life sciences sector that thrives on academic excellence, exceptional skills and a strong and supportive business environment.
"It is those strengths that have helped secure LumiraDx's investment in Scotland and we look forward to working with the company as it goes from strength to strength providing healthcare diagnostic solutions to communities around the world."
