Merck has invested €35m in biosafety testing at its Glasgow and Stirling sites, creating nearly 500 new jobs and bringing its workforce to more than 1,200 across the two sites.
The centrepiece of the investment is a new 1,200 sq m facility in Glasgow, which will house molecular biology and sequencing services.
The company will expand testing capacity in its current buildings with biosafety testing, analytical development and viral clearance suites.
Biosafety testing is a critical step in the drug development and manufacturing process that ensures drugs are safe, efficacious and meet regulatory requirements.
“We remain committed to ensuring the safety of the world's medicines through our state-of-the-art testing solutions for our customers around the world that drive new treatments,” said Dirk Lange, head of life science services at Merck Life Science.
“Since mid-2022, we have invested more than €350m in our global testing network to meet the growing demand for these services.”
David McClelland, site head and managing director for the Scottish sites, commented: “Merck has a wealth of testing expertise spanning over 75 years, including 33 years here in Scotland.
“The biosafety testing services at our sites in Glasgow and Stirling have been experiencing strong, double-digit growth for several years - this investment is a significant announcement for Merck in Scotland and an acknowledgment of the great work of our on-site teams.”
Stuart Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Life Sciences Association, added: “We will work alongside Merck to ensure they have all the resources they need to deliver a successful project.
“Making sure we have the skilled people to fill these jobs is a priority for us and it is excellent to be working with Glasgow Caledonian University, Stirling University and Forth Valley College, amongst others, to ensure we have students graduating with more than just an appreciation of the world class regulatory environment they’ll be working in.”
With its BioReliance testing services portfolio, Merck performs more than 20,000 studies in the UK annually, for more than 500 clients globally.
Founded in in 1668, Merck now operates across life science, healthcare and electronics, with more than 64,000 employees worldwide. In 2022, it generated sales of €22.2bn in 66 countries.
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