{"id":8077,"date":"2026-10-08T09:10:23","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T08:10:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/scotland\/?p=8077"},"modified":"2026-10-08T09:10:23","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T08:10:23","slug":"new-national-plan-aims-to-grow-scotland%e2%80%99s-biotech-sector-to-2bn-by-2030","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/scotland\/news\/8077-new-national-plan-aims-to-grow-scotland%e2%80%99s-biotech-sector-to-2bn-by-2030","title":{"rendered":"New national plan aims to grow Scotland\u2019s biotech sector to \u00a32bn by 2030"},"content":{"rendered":"

A refreshed National Plan for Industrial Biotechnology<\/em> has been launched.<\/p>\n

Prepared by the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) on behalf of Scottish Enterprise, it outlines the actions needed to accelerate innovation, support commercial scale-up, strengthen domestic supply chains and drive further growth across Scotland’s bioeconomy.<\/p>\n

Targets include increasing the number of active industrial biotechnology companies to 220, growing the sector’s turnover to \u00a32bn, supporting more than 5,500 jobs and raising gross value added (GVA) to \u00a3650m.<\/p>\n

Since the first national plan was published in 2013, Scotland\u2019s industrial biotechnology sector has grown from 43 active companies to more than 175, while sector turnover has risen from \u00a3189m to more than \u00a31.6bn in 2023. The industry now employs more than 4,500 people and contributes around \u00a3500m in GVA.<\/p>\n

Recent examples include MiAlgae progressing with construction of its Omega 3 production facility at Grangemouth, alongside innovative companies such as Seastex, Vaste and LiYF Bioethanol choosing Scotland as a base for their operations.<\/p>\n

Delivery of the Plan will involve collaboration across government, industry, academia, investors and enterprise agencies. Key actions include the creation of an industry-led Taskforce for Industrial Biotechnology, an online platform connecting innovators with specialist expertise and facilities, and a skills observatory developed alongside Skills Development Scotland, universities and colleges, to track workforce needs.<\/p>\n

Priorities include improving access to scale-up infrastructure, strengthening domestic supply chains, attracting greater private investment, developing future workforce skills and creating a more supportive environment for innovation and commercialisation.<\/p>\n

Alyn Smith, minister for innovation, technology and tertiary education, said: \u201cIndustrial biotechnology represents one of Scotland’s most exciting opportunities for sustainable economic growth, delivering innovation that supports sectors like food and drink, agriculture and pharmaceuticals to reduce emissions, decarbonise processes, and use resources more efficiently.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe refreshed National Plan renews our collective ambition for the industrial biotechnology sector, and the Scottish Government\u2019s determination to work with businesses to unlock growth opportunities and strengthen our competitive edge globally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mark Bustard, chief executive at the IBioIC, commented: \u201cThe opportunity ahead is significant, but it will take continued collaboration across industry, academia, investors and government to make the most of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis plan gives us a clear set of priorities to work towards together and build on the progress the sector has already made.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adrian Gillespie, chief executive of Scottish Enterprise, stated: \u201cThrough our partnership with IBioIC, Innovate UK and Forth Valley College we’ve helped secure \u00a37m of investment across more than 30 projects, supporting businesses to develop the next generation of sustainable products and manufacturing technologies. Scottish Enterprise is committed to helping these companies scale, compete internationally and create high-value jobs and economic success for Scotland.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new plan was launched at the Scottish Biobased Manufacturing Launchpad Showcase, which celebrates the progress being made across Scotland’s bioeconomy cluster. In 2023, Scotland’s industrial biotechnology cluster was awarded \u00a37m through the Innovate UK Launchpad programme. Delivered by Scottish Enterprise, IBioIC and Forth Valley College, the programme has since supported 32 projects involving 30 SMEs, helping companies develop new technologies, secure investment and accelerate commercialisation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Targets also include increasing the number of active industrial biotechnology companies to 220, supporting more than 5,500 jobs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":278857,"featured_media":8078,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50204],"coauthors":[137126],"class_list":["post-8077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-featured-story","tag-scotland"],"yoast_head":"\nNew national plan aims to grow Scotland\u2019s biotech sector to \u00a32bn by 2030<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Targets also include increasing the number of active industrial biotechnology companies to 220, supporting more than 5,500 jobs.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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