Nicola Sturgeon to become joint chair of Scottish Life Sciences Advisory Board

 

The importance of the Scottish Life Sciences community to the future health and wealth of the nation has been underlined by the announcement that Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Nicola Sturgeon, is to jointly chair a new Scottish Life Sciences Advisory Board (LiSAB) alongside Dr John Brown FRSE, chair of the Industry Advisory Group (which LiSAB replaces).

LiSAB will build on the successes of the former Life Sciences Industry Advisory Group in setting the overall strategy for the growth of industry in Scotland and the direct involvement of the DFM sends out a clear message of the importance of the Scottish Government and wider public sector working hand in hand with the industry to address the challenges and opportunities being faced by Scotland’s life sciences community.  

Ms Sturgeon shares the LiSAB Chair with Dr John Brown who brings a wealth of industry knowledge as Chairman of BTG Plc, CXR Biosciences Ltd and the Roslin Foundation. Dr Brown was formerly Chair of the Life Sciences Industry Advisory Group and was last year’s winner of the Scottish Enterprise award for Leading Contribution to Life Sciences in Scotland.

Joint Chair, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon said:

“I welcome the opportunity to be able to play such an active role in the newly established Life Science Industry Advisory Board. I am grateful to the members of the Industry Advisory Group for their tremendous contribution to the success of life sciences in Scotland, a sector I believe is of crucial importance to creating a wealthier and fairer Scotland.

“I very much look forward to working with others in order to sustain an environment in which both fledgling enterprises and established businesses can continue to flourish.”

Joint Chair, John Brown said:

“I am delighted to join Nicola Sturgeon as joint chair of the new Life Sciences Advisory Board (LiSAB) and would like to add my thanks to my IAG colleagues for their commitment and contribution over the years.  LiSAB will be central to the development of a collaborative strategy for life sciences in Scotland which creates the right environment to enable our talent and technology to continue to prosper in the global life sciences marketplace.  I look forward to working with DFM and colleagues from the life sciences community in addressing the challenges in the year ahead.”

Membership of LiSAB will be made up of CEOs and senior managers from a range of related sectors, including pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, research organisations and medical devices and diagnostics companies.

To ensure that the whole Scottish community is well informed and given the best possible environment to collaborate to positive effect, representatives from Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Scottish Government, Universities and the NHS have also been invited  to join the Board.

LiSAB’s remit is;

• To set the overall strategy for the growth of the Life Sciences sector in Scotland.
• To advise Ministers, government, Scottish Enterprise, HIE and the wider public sector on key issues the industry is facing, both in Scotland and internationally.
• For members to contribute to the activities of the Life Sciences Alliance to support alignment with the industry-led strategy.

Rhona Allison, Director of Life Sciences at Scottish Enterprise welcomed the setting up of LiSAB and the establishment of a joint Chair, saying, “It is essential for all those involved in the Life Sciences community that we continue to operate in a joined up way with those directing policy at the highest level.

“The presence of the Deputy First Minister as joint chair of the Life Sciences Advisory Board, in conjunction with John Brown’s detailed knowledge and contacts within the sector, delivers the best possible chance for Scottish scientific innovation to flourish and make a full contribution to the future health and wealth of our nation.”

The Scottish Enterprise Annual Life Sciences Dinner and Awards ceremony for 2009 takes place at the EICC on the evening of Thursday 5 February.

A full list of award nominees is available from eleanor.marshall@bigpartnership.co.uk