Cluster of Focus

GCR's HLS cluster demonstrates distinct strengths across three key sectors- MedTech, BioTech, and Pharma & Biopharma- as identified by the GCR Intelligence Hub Innovation Clusters Baseline (2023)1 and validated by industry experts and key stakeholders.2

Within the Pharma & Biopharma sector, GCR has a globally recognised strength in biosafety, with the Scottish market capturing 58% of the entire European market.3 Major Pharma industry players, including BioReliance, are based within GCR. The Fraser of Allander Institute’s4 report on the economic contribution of the Pharmaceuticals Secor in Scotland highlighted that both the University of Strathclyde and the University of Glasgow within the GCR created the most Life Science Spinouts in Scotland.

GCR is one of the few UK life sciences clusters with deep and active integration with digital enabling technologies such as AI, data science, sensors, and quantum. The Region's recognised strength in digital innovation - driven by key assets around our Innovation Districts - directly accelerates life sciences R&D, particularly across MedTech and BioTech.


High Innovation Intensity

According to the DSIT Innovation Clusters Maps, the GCR HLS cluster demonstrates exceptional innovation performance. 88.1% of businesses in this cluster are innovation active, outperforming Greater London, Cambridge, and Oxford. In addition, 17% of businesses have a published patent, a level comparable to Oxford and Cambridge, despite those clusters being approximately twice the size. This highlights GCR's HLS uniqueness in research and commercialisation capacity.


Translational Power

Glasgow has Europe’s largest hospital campus - the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH)- co-located with leading universities and innovation infrastructure such as the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre. This proximity enables direct translation from research to clinical trial to patient, making it a live testbed for new health technologies and treatments.


Growth Potential

The HLS Sciences cluster has seen a 47% increase in employment between 2019 and 2023, now supporting over 10,000 jobs5. And Scottish Enterprise are projecting a 300% growth potential in turnover in the cluster across Scotland by 2035 - and GCR already accounts of almost 60% of the total turnover across the country.

This growth is underpinned by a strong base of high-growth firms: using OECD metrics, 21% of HLS companies are either High Growth6 (HGF) or Potential High Growth Firms (PHGF)7.

Notes

1 The sub-sector names are composite RTICs created by the Intelligence Hub using Data City sub-RTICs data. They refer to the following example uses: Pharma & Biopharma (Clinical Trials, Regenerative and Precision Medicine), BioTech (Bioengineering and Cell and Gene Therapies) and MedTech (AI, Sensors, Photonics, Advanced Imaging, bioinformatics).
2This might not align with the DSIT Innovation Clusters Map as the Intelligence Hub has done extensive cleaning of the dataset looking only at companies with an operating postcode in GCR and strong links to the sector. DSIT identifies 190 unique businesses in the wider Life Sciences Cluster
3Benchmarking measures for pharma services: biosafety testing, Scottish Enterprise (2021)
4Fraser of Allander Institute report on the Pharmaceutical industries in Scotland: https://fraserofallander.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/The-Economic-Contribution-of-the-Pharmaceutical-Sector-to-Scotlands-Economy-2023.pdf
5Based on Datacity employment data and DSIT analysis.
6High Growth Firm (HGF): Shows firms that comply to OECD definition for high growth; they need to present an average 3-year employment growth of above 20% and a minimum of 10 employees at the beginning of the growth period
7Potential High Growth Firm (PHGF): PHGF needs to have at least 10% and less than 20% average employment growth in a 3-year period