Toshiba launches new R&D programme in healthcare imaging informatics in Edinburgh
Major Scottish investment announced at life sciences awards dinner
Scotland’s life sciences sector received a major boost last night (Thursday 3rd February 2011) when Toshiba Medical Visualisation Systems announced the launch of a major new R&D programme in healthcare imaging informatics at its Edinburgh facility.
The project is being supported by a £3 million R&D grant from Scottish Enterprise and will allow the company to grow its R&D capability in Scotland, creating 26 new jobs.
The funding will be used to help Toshiba Medical Visualisation Systems (TMVS) and its parent company Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation to establish a new team to develop Healthcare Imaging Informatics Technology that provides advanced medical imaging.
The Edinburgh facility will become responsible for building and developing everything needed for world class Clinical Applications; Image Analysis algorithms, clinical development frameworks to increase productivity and Clinical Applications of Medical Imaging Modalities.
It is hoped TMVS Scottish operation will become established as the leading centre of its kind within the company, and increase its team in Edinburgh to over 100 people within the first three years.
The Clinical Applications to be developed by TMVS will provide cutting edge medical imaging solutions to improve the quality of treatment provided to patients and to reduce the cost of providing that treatment.
The announcement was made at the prestigious Scottish Enterprise Life Sciences Awards 2011 held in Edinburgh last night (Thursday 3rd February 2011).
Speaking at the event Lena Wilson, Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise said: “This is one of the biggest life sciences R&D projects we’ve ever supported and it demonstrates the real capabilities that Scotland has within the sector for attracting and supporting life sciences companies at a global level.
“Toshiba Medical Visualisation Systems is part of a global operation with a number of R&D centres worldwide. The fact that it is establishing this new centre in Scotland is further proof that Scotland can compete with the best in the world.”
Fredric J. Friedberg, President, TMVS said: “Toshiba could not be more pleased with its decision to establish a key global R&D center based in Scotland. Our access to top talent, universities and research collaborators, coupled with the terrific support and vision of the Scottish government has been outstanding.”
The Scottish Enterprise Life Sciences Awards celebrated the achievements of a number of successful organisations and individuals over the last year. The winners were:
- Best new life Sciences company in Scotland
CarieScan Ltd
- Innovation Award
Lynn Garrett , NHS Argyll & Bute as part of NHS Highland
- Life science business leadership
Dave Tudor, GlaxoSmithKline, Montrose
- Outstanding contribution to the growth of Scottish Life Sciences
Professor Sir Ian Wilmut, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Edinburgh
- SHIL award for best innovation originating in NHS Scotland
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde for its Epaware product
Attended by over 750 people from the life sciences community across Scotland, the awards are a key highlight in the sector’s calendar.
As well as celebrating achievements, the awards also highlighted the ongoing work of Scottish Enterprise and its partners to capitalise the sector’s strengths to grow and develop a sustainable life sciences sector across Scotland.
Congratulating the winners, Rhona Allison, director of Life Sciences at Scottish Enterprise said: “All of the winners of tonight’s awards have been recognised for the valuable contribution they are making to the growth of the sector in Scotland and they should be proud of their success.
“The challenge for now is to build on this momentum and look at where the global opportunities exist for Scotland’s life sciences sector in the future. We need to work with our companies to identify and respond to these opportunities – helping them secure investment, innovate more and crucially – export to new markets.
“We will be working closely with partners in life sciences community to ensure that we take full advantage of these opportunities to attract new talent and investment and create jobs for Scotland.”
The winners of the Scottish Enterprise Scottish Life Sciences Awards 2011 were:
Best new life Sciences company in Scotland
On receiving the Best New Life Sciences company in Scotland award, Graham Lay, chief executive officer of CarieScan Ltd said:
“On behalf of CarieScan and the team I am delighted to receive the Best New Life Sciences Company in Scotland Award. We have worked hard and made real progress particularly over the past 2 years, during which CarieScan signed its first distribution deals in the UK, USA and Canada. We could have not done this without the great support that we have received from Scottish Enterprise.
The Company is geared for even greater success over the coming year for our dental decay detection device, the CarieScan PRO, with further distribution deals close to completion enabling us market access in Europe.”
Innovation Award, NHS Argyll & Bute
Lynn Garrett , NHS Argyll & Bute as part of NHS Highland for the Innovation Award:
Derek Leslie, general manager of Argyll and Bute CHP, NHS Highland said:
“Lynn is a very worthy recipient of this Scottish Enterprise Life sciences Innovation award nomination and we are delighted that her significant contribution to healthcare in Scotland has been recognised.
She has demonstrated vision, leadership and tenacity in delivering the successful outcomes of the Argyll and Bute Telehealth Project. Her focus throughout has been on improving services for local patients, their carers and families and communities throughout Argyll and Bute.
This project, under Lynn’s leadership, has illustrated how technology can make a very real difference to the health outcomes and the quality of life for people with long term conditions who live in remote and rural areas.”
Life science business leadership, GlaxoSmithKline
Dave Tudor, who was site director at Montrose before moving to a more senior post within GlaxoSmithKline manufacturing in January, said that it had been a pleasure to lead such a positive management team and workforce which had risen to a wide range of challenges as the site consolidated a £25 million trading improvement moving from operating at a loss to being well into profit.
“Having made great strides in achieving lean manufacturing, GSK Montrose now has ambitious plans to become one of the company’s greenest and most sustainable facilities, including harnessing wind and tidal power to become self-sufficient in electricity and to be carbon neutral.”
Outstanding contribution to the growth of Scottish Life Sciences
Professor Sir Ian Wilmut for Outstanding contribution of the growth of Scottish Life Sciences award, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Edinburgh:
“I am delighted and honoured to receive this award and do so on behalf of everyone who has been involved in my research and in developing the new Centre for Regenerative Medicine. Regenerative medicine will make a great contribution to human health as well as wealth and job creation in Scotland by bringing together an understanding of stem cell biology with the techniques of modern genetics, chemistry and automated tissue culture.
“It is also important to acknowledge the crucial role of Scottish Enterprise and successive Scottish Governments in creating the new facility and building links between academics like myself and commercial partners within Scotland and around the globe. I have benefited greatly from their advice and support.”
SHIL award for best innovation, originating in NHS Scotland
Martin Izod, part of the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde team, said: “I am delighted to accept this award on behalf of the team behind the Epaware project. This award recognises the quality of work that can result from collaboration between the NHS and businesses in Scotland. It is hoped the Epaware product will make a real difference to people with conditions such as epilepsy, their carers and their families. It has been a pleasure to be involved in the project.”