First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced £1.5 million funding for pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) towards the extension of their plant in Irvine, creating 55 new jobs.
The company will receive a Scottish Enterprise Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) grant to extend their Potassium Clavulanate (Clav) Plant, which produces penicillin.
The Irvine facility has been expanded to meet the growing demand from the developing world and emerging markets for antibiotics and forms part of the company’s total investment of more than £200 million between their sites in Irvine and Montrose since 2013.
Speaking at the official opening of the new facility in Irvine, the First Minister said, ‘GSK is a global leader in the development of medicines and a great example of a highly innovative company that is benefiting from what Scotland has to offer as an attractive location of choice for global life sciences companies.
‘Their further investment in Scotland is testament to our thriving life sciences industry and its position as a key growth sector for the Scottish economy. Their continued commitment across their sites in Scotland is proof of the skill and value of the Scottish workforce.
‘Last week I launched, A Manufacturing Future for Scotland – an action plan outlining our commitment to delivering new initiatives that stimulate innovation, improve productivity and increase investment in the Scottish manufacturing sector in order that it can better compete globally.’
