Career opportunities
Scotland is home to the second largest life science sectors in the UK - and one of the largest clusters in Europe. A real centre of excellence for life sciences research, Scotland is one of the most vibrant and exciting locations in Europe.
The opportunities to build a successful career in academia, clinical research or life science companies are immense.
You can quickly and easily build a research group or business – thanks to an excellent infrastructure and a large pool of experienced graduates.
Scotland is a great place to live, work and build your career. Why not search for the latest job opportunities from talentscotland.com.
Scotland’s life science tradition
Past, present and future – Scotland is at the forefront of life sciences, across the academic and commercial sectors. Scotland’s history of innovation includes everything from the discovery of anaesthesia, CAT scans and MRI’s to Dolly the Sheep and the p53 cancer suppressor gene.
Scotland has a significant multinational presence in research and development, and in manufacturing. These companies are supported by a globally recognised research base, industrial technology and university base, all with well developed networks and links to industry.
Key facts of about life sciences in Scotland Heritage of innovation
Research excellence
Scotland is internationally renowned for scientific research and development, particularly in oncology, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, central nervous system diseases, virology, immunology, stem cells and regenerative technology.
Our academics produce 1 per cent of all research publications in the world - ranking Scotland third in the world for the number of research publications published per head of population.
Scotland also produces more medical students per capita than the rest of the UK. A fifth of all the money spent on clinical research in the UK is spent in Scotland and a fifth of the UK’s biomedical scientists are based in Scotland.
Key capabilities Key research areas More about research excellence
Career opportunities for you
TalentScotland has all the information that you need about living and working in Scotland – including where to find a great job, company and academic activities, the lifestyle and practical help.
Get updates on life science jobs in Scotland:
TalentScotland website - talentscotland.com
Jobs for trained technicians and graduates
There are excellent opportunities for trained technicians, as well as graduates.
Scottish Colleges Biotechnology Consortium offers biotechnology training for industry technicians and managers. They work closely with industrial partners to design short courses and training programmes tailored towards the needs of clients such as Charles River, Invitrogen and BioReliance.
Scottish Colleges Biotechnology Consortium
Living and working in Scotland
Scotland will provide an excellent quality of life for you and your family. The Scottish Executive encourages people to consider coming to live and work in Scotland, as well as supporting efforts to retain indigenous people who wish to begin, or to further, their careers in this country.
Scottish Executive Fresh Talent website TalentScotland website Find out more about Scotland on the Scottish Enterprise website
Top five universities
In 2005 the Scientist magazine rated the University of Glasgow and the University of Dundee in the world’s top five institutions for life scientists to work in.
A vibrant life science community
Scotland has a thriving bioscience research and company base, one of the largest in Europe. Some 80% of the life science industry is within 50 miles of Edinburgh, Dundee or Glasgow, making for easy collaboration between research groups.
There are also regional networking organisations – including Nexxus, the West of Scotland BioScience Network and BioDundee.
These help you meet fellow scientists and business people, improving communication, knowledge-sharing and collaboration.
For local networking events across Scotland, visit our events page.
Build your laboratory or life science business with ease
A number of support initiatives exist to help you build your research group or life science business. Scotland also has a highly skilled workforce and a large pool of recent graduates and post doctoral researchers in life sciences. For further information including world class life science research facilities and workforce development training
Scotland – a supportive environment for life sciences
Scotland – a transport gateway to Europe
Scotland has four InternationalAirports and two regional airports. There are regular daily flights to European destinations and the USA.