Heriot-Watt's Medical Device Manufacturing Centre secures seven-figure funding boost from Scottish Enterprise

Scotland’s life sciences sector has been given a step up with new funding for the Medical Device Manufacturing Centre (MDMC).

From left: Duncan Hand, director of the MDMC, in conversation with wellbeing economy secretary Neil Gray. Picture: contributed.

A pioneering facility based at Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University that helps turn medical device concepts into commercial products has been given a £3.35 million funding injection from Scottish Enterprise.

The boost, set to help the Medical Device Manufacturing Centre (MDMC) continue its work developing novel medical device innovation and improve the industry’s sustainability, has just been confirmed by Neil Gray, the Scottish Government’s wellbeing economy secretary, who was given a tour of the facility.

Additionally, the money will help to address current challenges facing organisations like the NHS, exploring the inclusion and development of degradable or reusable polymers. More work will also be done on the real-time evaluation of the carbon footprint of manufacturing processes and the safer removal of greenhouse gases in the health service. Furthermore, extra support will be given to earlier-stage entrepreneurs in healthcare who are part of Scottish Enterprise’s High Growth Spinout Programme, seen as a step towards closer integration of innovation in the health and care sectors.

Gray said: “This funding will not only drive innovation across the healthcare landscape, but help produce more sustainable medical devices as we continue our transition to net zero. Having previously supported the MDMC through the Scottish Government’s Advancing Manufacturing Challenge Fund, it is fantastic to see these state-of-the-art facilities continuing to encourage collaborative working.”

Professor Marc Desmulliez, manager of the MDMC that has worked with more than 150 smaller medical device companies in Scotland since its launch in 2020, said: “This significant funding from Scottish Enterprise will enable us to continue to support and elevate Scottish medical device innovation, creating new and ground-breaking medical devices with global impact. This next growth phase for the MDMC will further accelerate Scotland’s offering in this crucial sector, maintaining our world-leading stance in the field of medical device-creation with a renewed focus on sustainability and environmentally sensitive manufacturing techniques.”

Lindsay Methven, head of major programme management at Scottish Enterprise, said the latest financial firepower boost takes the agency’s total project funding to almost £5m – “and demonstrates our ambitions for MDMC and its role in transforming Scotland’s economy by helping to grow the number of entrepreneurs building stronger, scalable innovative medical technologies businesses”.