The awards ceremony was held at the Glasgow Hilton Hotel on May 16, the first time the awards have taken place in Glasgow for more than a decade. The awards recognised the achievements of Scotland’s internationally-renowned life sciences sector over the last year in areas such as innovation, investment, business leadership and collaboration.
The life sciences sector in Scotland currently adds over £4 billion a year to the Scottish economy with 700 organisations employing nearly 40,000 people. Ambitious targets, set by the refreshed Life Sciences Strategy for Scotland in 2017, aim to double the size of the sector to £8 billion by 2025.
Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Energy, Business and Innovation, presented this year’s trophies. He said: “Scotland’s Life Sciences Awards dinner is a great opportunity to see the range and diversity of Scotland’s life sciences industry and to recognise the hugely positive impact that the sector has on Scotland’s economy. Record investment in the life sciences sector sends out a clear message that Scotland is an attractive and dynamic place in which to do business. It is therefore always a pleasure to attend these awards and to meet the companies who are helping to shape Scotland’s economic future.”
The keynote address was given by Professor Anna Dominiczak, vice principal and head of the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences at the University of Glasgow. She said: “This is an exciting time in the life sciences sector, with Scotland’s SMEs, health service and research-intensive universities well placed to collaborate and take Scotland to the next level in the sector. By working together, we can achieve immense health benefits for patients and deliver strong economic returns for Scotland.”
Dave Tudor, co-chair of the Life Sciences Scotland Industry Leadership Group, was on this year’s judging panel. He said: “This year’s awards were particularly hard to judge as we were inundated with nominations across all categories. The quality of the winners and finalists was truly outstanding and really demonstrates the calibre of individuals and companies working across the life sciences sector in Scotland.”
Full list of winners
Campbell Grant, Sitekit Ltd founder and CEO – Business Leadership Award
Dr Caroline Barelle, Elasmogen Ltd CEO – Rising Stars: Extraordinary Talent
Orbital Diagnostics Ltd – Innovation Award
NuCana plc – Investment of the Year
TC BioPharm – Rising Stars: High Growth Company
CorporateHealth International with OpenBrolly in collaboration with NHS Highland and the Digital Health & Care Institute – Innovative Collaboration
Hugh Griffith, NuCana plc founder and CEO – Outstanding Contribution to the Growth of Life Sciences in Scotland
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