US life sciences firm to create more than 150 jobs in West Lothian

A US life sciences firm is to create 156 jobs in a multi-million pound expansion move at its Livingston site.
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Clinical research company Q2 Solutions, which already employs more than 950 people in the town, is to develop a global centre of excellence in areas including genomics testing.

The inward investment, which is supported by a £3.8 million Scottish Enterprise grant, was announced just days after latest figures showed Scotland was the most popular UK location outside London for inward investment in 2020, for the sixth successive year.

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The expansion by Q2 Solutions over the next three years will enable it to offer an increased range of services to clients including leading pharmaceutical companies.

Clinical research company Q2 Solutions is to develop a global centre of excellence in areas including genomics testing.Clinical research company Q2 Solutions is to develop a global centre of excellence in areas including genomics testing.
Clinical research company Q2 Solutions is to develop a global centre of excellence in areas including genomics testing.

It sits alongside an ongoing £17m infrastructure expansion project at the campus.

Economy secretary Kate Forbes said the project “further underlines Scotland’s position as a global player in precision medicine”.

“Inward investment has a huge role to play in Scotland’s economic transformation. Our skilled workforce, research facilities and supportive investment culture are highly attractive to foreign companies.

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“The Scottish Government is building on that success with an inward investment strategy which focuses on sectors that can deliver high-quality jobs and future growth, including health innovation.”

Elaine Lowey, Q2 Solutions' general manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said: “Expanding our European operations in key technical areas supporting the development of new precision medications adds significant value to our global pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients.”

Q2 Solutions was formed in 2015 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of human data sciences company IQVIA, which employs a further 250 people at Livingston It is the largest life science employer in Scotland, having grown its workforce by 28 per cent in the last three years, and processes nearly five million biological samples from clinical trials across the world each year.

All Q2 Solutions' European laboratory services are operated from its Livingston campus, which includes its clinical trials materials and logistics departments, specimen handlers and quality assurance.

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Figures from EY last week showed Scotland secured 107 inward investment projects in 2020, a 6 per cent increase on the previous year, with 61 new projects - a five year high.

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