£8M Awarded to SULSA to Create UK National Phenotypic Screening Centre

Cutting edge research into potential drug treatments will be led in Dundee following £8 million investment by the Scottish Government through the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).

The funding will go towards the formation of a robotic drug screening laboratory at the University of Dundee that will enable new drug therapies to be developed more effectively.

Cabinet Secretary for Education Michael Russell made the announcement ahead of a visit to the University of Dundee, where he will outline his vision for the future of Higher Education research in an independent Scotland.

He said: “Scotland’s universities consistently deliver world beating results. Whether that is our five universities in the world’s top 200, unmatched by any other country per head of population, our strong record on citations or the proportion of research assessed as world-leading - it is an impressive track record.

“Today’s announcement of £8 million for new equipment, in combination with the European Lead Factory at Biocity in Newhouse, will put Scottish universities at the forefront of drug discovery worldwide. This is a hugely exciting development for the development of new medicines worldwide and I am very proud of Scotland’s role in research, past, present and future.

“The Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA) has determined that the University of Dundee will host the centre and it will work with some of Europe’s top pharmaceutical companies to form a large public-private partnership in the field of novel therapy research and development, adding further strength to Scotland’s position in the field.

“Later today I will outline how our global reputation for research and innovation will be maintained in an independent Scotland, ensuring our universities can remain internationally competitive.”