Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help support research into cell and gene therapy in Scotland.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The UK is a world-leader in the development and manufacture of cell and gene therapies thanks to government investment in innovation and skills, including through the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGTC).
DSIT also invested £10 million - alongside £10 million from Scottish Enterprise – to support a new Oligonucleotide Manufacturing Innovation Centre of Excellence in Glasgow.
The Vaccine Taskforce provided funding for a state-of-the art CGTC facility in Braintree to accelerate the development and manufacturing of advanced therapies at clinical and commercial scale.
My department also supported CGTC to establish apprenticeships and training programmes to upskill people across the UK.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to increase Scotland’s (a) manufacturing capacity for and (b) delivery of cell and gene therapies.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government is investing significantly to support manufacturing and delivery of cell and gene therapies.
Since 2021, government has launched three UK-wide capital grant schemes – up to £118 million of funds – to incentivise manufacturing investments, including in advanced therapies. Last year, government announced a further £520 million to increase investment in Life Sciences manufacturing.
The UK is a world-leader in the development and manufacture of cell and gene therapies thanks to government investment in innovation and skills, including through the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult which also coordinates the Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre network.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to collaborate with businesses in the Scottish life sciences industry to meet the Government’s ambition of being a science superpower by 2030.
Answered by George Freeman
The Department collaborates closely with companies from across the UK, including Scottish industry, to deliver the Life Sciences Vision and ensure we deliver on our science superpower ambitions. Officials in the Office for Life Sciences meet with the Devolved Administrations monthly, and they are officially represented on the quarterly Life Sciences Delivery Board to ensure we are delivering for the entirety of the UK. Representatives from Scottish Industry also attended the recent ‘Treasury Connect’ series, where Ministers and officials met directly with industry to discuss their ambition and concerns. This directly informed the £650 million package announced on 26 May.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support the life sciences sector in Scotland.
Answered by George Freeman
On 26 May we announced a raft of measures to support the life sciences sector across the UK. This includes a new Biomanufacturing Fund, open to companies across the UK, and measures to improve the underlying business environment such as through pro-innovation review of technologies (life sciences), which will give industry and investors the certainty they need to drive innovation, investment and growth. We will ensure the sector has the finance it needs to grow through our Life Sciences Investment Envoy, Dan Mahony, and the Long-term Investment For Technology and Science (LIFTS) initiative, bolstering investment in companies across the UK.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department has taken to help increase the number of life sciences companies in Scotland.
Answered by George Freeman
Through the Life Sciences Vision, we are committed to growing the life sciences sector across the country. We have delivered a range of programmes open to companies across the UK, including the Medicines and Diagnostics Manufacturing Transformation Fund (MDMTF) in 2021, the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF) in 2022, and the Biomanufacturing Fund announced on 26 May this year. We appointed a Life Sciences Investment Envoy, Dan Mahony, to boost investment in companies looking to grow and are working with the Treasury on the Long-term Investment For Technology and Science (LIFTS) initiative to crowd-in investment and grow the sector.