The Scottish Government has set an ambitious target for the nation’s life sciences sector — to achieve £25 billion in turnover by 2035. Its newly published ‘Life Sciences Strategy for Scotland: 2035 Vision’ outlines a roadmap for growth built on collaboration, innovation, and sustainable manufacturing.

For BHTA members operating in the life sciences and medical technology sectors, this strategy highlights several areas of direct relevance — from health technology development, to advanced manufacturing, and closer NHS collaboration.

Launching the strategy, Scottish Government Business Minister Richard Lochhead said: “Our ambition is to make Scotland’s life sciences industry the best in the world. With a highly skilled workforce, world-class research base, and an already thriving ecosystem, this strategy provides the framework to deliver sustainable economic growth while improving health outcomes.”

A growing and diverse life sciences landscape

The Scottish Government defines the life sciences sector broadly, covering human, animal, microbial, and plant sciences. Many of these areas overlap directly with the expertise of BHTA members involved in medical devices, digital health, assistive technologies, and healthcare manufacturing.

Key growth areas highlighted in the strategy include:

• HealthTech – covering the design and manufacture of medical devices, diagnostic tools, digital health solutions, and software. Examples include imaging systems, AI-driven diagnostics, wearable monitoring devices, and patient care technologies.
• Advanced Manufacturing – embedding sustainable and digital production methods across life sciences, supported by innovation centres such as the Medical Device Manufacturing Centre, and the Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre.
• Digital, Data, & AI – the creation of AI Scotland, a new national body to coordinate artificial intelligence initiatives and accelerate innovation in health and MedTech, including an SME adoption programme.
• Industrial Biotechnology – sustainable materials and processes with applications in wound care, implants, and drug delivery systems, aligning with Scotland’s wider net-zero ambitions.

These sub-sectors form a strong foundation for Scotland’s “Northern Star” network of life sciences clusters, spanning centres in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, and Aberdeen, with innovation hubs across the Highlands and Islands. Each region contributes to a nationwide ecosystem supporting manufacturing, digital health, and R&D collaboration.

Opportunities for collaboration and innovation

For BHTA members — especially medical device manufacturers and healthcare technology providers — several initiatives within the strategy are particularly relevant:

• Regional Innovation Hubs – Three NHS-led hubs will support Scottish SMEs in testing, validating, and scaling innovative technologies aligned with NHS priorities. This could streamline pathways for BHTA members to bring products into clinical use.
• Accelerated National Innovation Adoption (ANIA) Pathway – A mechanism to assess and adopt transformative medical technologies at scale across NHS Scotland, offering a faster route to market for approved innovations.
• Cluster Development Organisation – A new industry-led body will coordinate Scotland’s life sciences network, fostering collaboration between academia, businesses, and government.
• Infrastructure and Lab Space Expansion – Planned investment will address capacity constraints for start-ups and manufacturers by developing new laboratory, and production facilities across key Scottish regions.

These initiatives collectively aim to strengthen the connection between innovation, regulation, and adoption — helping manufacturers translate new ideas into accessible products that improve patient outcomes.

Additional areas of relevance to BHTA members

The strategy also places a strong focus on areas that align closely with the priorities of BHTA members:

• Integration with the NHS – Through initiatives like Scotland Innovates and the ANIA Pathway, companies will have more structured routes to engage with the NHS. This is particularly relevant for BHTA members developing devices, assistive technologies, or digital solutions that can improve patient care.
• Sustainability in manufacturing – With Scotland targeting net zero by 2045, the strategy encourages greener production methods, and sustainable design principles. Many BHTA members, particularly those in assistive technologies and mobility equipment, are already advancing this agenda through product innovation and resource efficiency.
• Skills and workforce development – Updated apprenticeship frameworks and partnerships between education and industry will help build the next generation of skilled workers in medical technology and healthcare manufacturing. This focus supports the long-term growth of BHTA member companies.
• Digital health and data use – The establishment of Research Data Scotland and AI Scotland provides new opportunities for members working with digital health solutions, or AI-based devices, to leverage health data ethically and effectively for innovation.

By combining these elements, the strategy sets the stage for a more connected, data-driven, and sustainable life sciences sector — one in which medical device and technology manufacturers play a vital role in driving innovation and improving health outcomes across Scotland.

At the recent British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA) Conference 2024, Andrew New, CEO of NHS Supply Chain, explored how NHS Supply Chain will change over the next five years to make it better to work in and with.

The BHTA Conference 2024 focused on the UK healthtech landscape over the next five years. It was a chance for BHTA members to hear from senior government and NHS speakers about how the changes made today will impact the future of the health service.

Andrew explained the fundamentals of the organisation: “NHS Supply Chain exists to try to simplify the way marketplaces work; to try to engage trusts on a collective basis so we get consistent decision-making, and it’s not sporadic as it has been historically; and to make these markets work more effectively.

“We’ve been doing a lot over the last year or so to reorganise the way we work at the same time as continuing to run very fast in delivering the benefits that all of our supply base offer to the NHS. None of this can be done without the whole system working together, and that’s a key principle of everything we’ve done.”

Andrew highlighted that NHS Supply Chain initially started out doing a fantastic job of focusing on what it was asked to do but not doing the job the NHS needs in the future. The slide below details some of the areas where NHS Supply Chain has built on solid foundations to ensure it is fit for the future.

In one year, NHS Supply Chain and suppliers have achieved a lot, Andrew explained. Headline achievements include:

• Delivered £373 million of capital savings
• Achieved circa £4 million of savings from value-based procurement opportunities
• Strengthened resilience for the NHS
• Successfully segmented 1,561 suppliers and commenced a supplier management programme

He underlined that there is an opportunity to save £40 million across the NHS, but there is a backlog of work, and it requires clinical intervention.

Andrew shared NHS Supply Chain’s strategy and corporate priorities. See the slide below for further details.

One key point from Andrew’s presentation was around NHS Supply Chain’s work to enhance the clinical voice across the organisation.  

“We need to enhance that voice both in the conversations we have with trusts as well as with suppliers,” he continued. “We’ve brought in a new national clinical director, Michelle Johnson, who is bringing together a clinical community to make sure we have clinically led decision-making everywhere. That is hugely valuable to us as an organisation, and we’re already seeing the benefits.”

NHS Supply Chain is going to clinically segment products in terms of priority, importance, value, and making a difference in healthcare outcomes. The organisation also wants to simplify prices so that there are not 10 different prices for the same thing.

See the slides below for an outline on the work NHS Supply Chain is doing to transform its commercial capabilities, strengthen the supply chain, and improve processes.