Precision Medicine Scotland Innovation Centre will receive up to £9.5m in public funding for the next five years to support the growth of the precision medicine industry in Scotland and its contribution to the NHS.

The precision medicine industry is estimated to be worth over $130 billion by 2025.

The funding will be invested over the next five years by the Scottish Funding Council and Scottish Enterprise. It will support the growth of precision medicine in Scotland through industry-led projects managed by the Precision Medicine Scotland Innovation Centre (formerly the Stratified Medicine Scotland Innovation Centre).

The Precision Medicine Scotland Innovation Centre will use the funding to support the implementation of precision medicine in the NHS and to accelerate the growth of the industry in Scotland. It will also work to raise Scotland’s international profile in the field of precision medicine and increase the number of people with the qualifications and skills required by the industry.

The initiative’s backers believe that precision medicine - where medical decisions, treatments, practices, and products are tailored to individual patients – can also deliver substantial savings for the NHS in Scotland.

In addition to the funding from the Scottish Funding Council and Scottish Enterprise, the Precision Medicine Innovation Centre expects to be able to attract around £4.2m of income from other sources.

John Swinney said: “Scotland has the potential to be a world leader in the field of precision medicine and this new £9.5m investment will build on the success of our earlier work within phase one. The funding announced today - £7.5m from the Scottish Funding Council and up to £2m from Scottish Enterprise – will be used to support the use of precision medicine in the NHS and to accelerate the growth of the industry in Scotland.

“It will also be used to promote the progress Scotland has made within precision medicine and attract people with the right qualifications and skills to work and study within the field here.

“The Scottish Government is committed to accelerating the development and implementation of precision medicine to bring health and wealth benefits for generations to come.”

The newly launched phase 2 of the Precision Medicine Scotland Innovation Centre will continue to act as a catalyst for partnerships between industry, academics and clinical experts. In phase 1 the Innovation Centre produced a number of large scale exemplar projects in areas including ovarian cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, oesophageal cancer and multiple sclerosis.

David Smith, director of national opportunities at Scottish Enterprise, commented: “The precision medicine industry is estimated to be worth more than $130bn globally by 2025, so work in this area presents a significant opportunity to strengthen the Scottish economy by enhancing our reputation as a global leader.

“At Scottish Enterprise we are also passionate about improving wellbeing for all of Scotland’s citizens, so we’re pleased that the centre will work alongside industry, academics and clinical experts to deliver better healthcare outcomes for patients.”