Go-ahead for Dundee Biomedical Cluster

Work is set to begin on a Biomedical Cluster in Dundee after the project was officially signed off by the Tay Cities Region Joint Committee.

The project will help the post-COVID-19 recovery through the development of new medicines, innovative medical technologies and the provision of high-quality new jobs, according to the University of Dundee academics leading it.

The Biomedical Cluster project has received initial funding of £25M from the Scottish Government as part of the Tay Cities Deal. The project builds on the University’s world-class expertise in life sciences research, drug discovery and medical innovation.

The three main elements of the Biomedical Cluster project are: the creation of a Tay Cities Regional Innovation Hub where world-class life sciences will provide new treatments and technologies; the development of a unique Clinical R&D Innovation Environment, which will be incorporated within the new multidisciplinary Tayside Innovation MedTech Ecosystem (TIME); and an expansion of the Thiel Cadaver Facility at the University’s Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification (CAHID).

Professor Sir Mike Ferguson, Regius Professor of Life Sciences and co-lead of the Growing the Tay Cities Biomedical Cluster project, said, “The Tay Cities Deal will make a profound difference to the local area, but the impact of this particular project will also be felt across the globe as companies and collaborations formed in Dundee influence the future of healthcare by developing new drugs, treatments and medical innovations.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has created massive disruption everywhere and demonstrated more than ever the importance of science for public benefit. We have one of the highest-performing and largest life sciences research portfolios in the UK. The Tay Cities Deal will enable us to take our discoveries and innovations to the marketplace and, crucially, to anchor new companies and quality jobs for our citizens in this community.

“The time is right for us to convert our pre-eminence in life sciences research into tangible socio-economic benefit for the region, as well as health benefits for the world.”