Scotland has the science but it needs to connect the dots

As Scotland’s life sciences community gathered in Glasgow for the Bionow: BioInsight 2026 Conference, there is much to celebrate. Scotland has world-class research, exceptional universities, a strong pipeline of scientific talent and a growing community of innovative businesses.

However, I believe the challenge for Scotland’s innovation economy is increasingly about connection, and joining up the people, places and organisations that can help great science become successful businesses which ultimately, deliver real-world impact.

At Kadans Science Partner, we’re proud to actively contribute to a thriving life science ecosystem across Europe through our world-class facilities. From 2021, we have strategically grown our UK portfolio from 4 to 18 assets across the UK. In Scotland that includes West of Scotland Science Park with tenants including Merck BioReliance, REPROCELL and Curia Global, and our new purpose-built Health Innovation Hub in Glasgow which is home to a growing number of innovative companies including Chemify, HealthTech Innovation & Translation Lab and Panthera.

On 2 September, Bionow came to Scotland for the first time, hosting its BioInsight Conference at the Health Innovation Hub. The event brought together the life sciences community to forge new connections and examine what's really driving progress in the sector.

As someone who has spent years championing Glasgow and working across science ecosystems in the UK and Europe, I see this as an important opportunity to look at what Scotland does well and uncover how we can build on those strengths.

The UK is exceptionally good at science. The University of Glasgow, for example, is home to internationally significant research and an outstanding talent pipeline. Across Scotland, our universities are creating exciting companies, and generating ideas with enormous potential.

We should also be better at celebrating the businesses that have already chosen Scotland as a place to research, develop and grow. The story is bigger than startups alone.

However, starting a company and scaling one are very different challenges. For many early-stage businesses, the biggest challenges can be navigating the funding landscape, securing investment, sourcing the right commercial and strategic business expertise and the infrastructure to enable growth.

I believe strong ecosystems matter as no single organisation should be working in a silo. Universities, investors, public bodies, established businesses, networks and specialist facilities all have a role to play. The Health Innovation Hub was created with this principle in mind, located within the Glasgow Riverside Innovation District (GRID) adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) campus, it brings together research, healthcare and industry.

Connection must extend beyond the walls of any one building as life sciences is such a transient industry. Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen all have distinct strengths. They should not be viewed as competing cities of innovation, but as complementary parts of a wider Scottish ecosystem. Equally, Scotland’s ambitions should not stop at its borders. Life sciences is an international industry, and stronger connections with ecosystems across the UK, Europe and beyond can create new opportunities for businesses and researchers alike.

That is one of the most exciting aspects of bringing major industry events to Scotland. Meaningful progress often starts by getting the right people in the same room.

The conversations that take place at conferences are important, but the real value comes from what happens afterwards: the partnerships formed, the introductions made and the knowledge shared.

That way, more opportunities are created to turn innovation into lasting economic and societal impact. And at Kadans, we’re excited to continue to champion that and businesses progressing in their growth journey.