Jobs boost as PPD awarded £4.5m RSA grant

PPD, the North Carolina-based, Nasdaq-listed biopharmaceutical firm, has been awarded a regional selective assistance (RSA) grant of £4.5 million to create a further 390 jobs at Bellshill in Lanarkshire.

The research organisation specialising in clinical trial management for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical industries already employs 350 workers in Scotland.

Chief executive Fred Eshelman yesterday said the country offered "intellectual and technical resources that make it an important hub for our global clinical research operations".

Enterprise minister Jim Mather added that the new jobs were "a significant and very welcome investment".

He said: "The economic benefits not only impact on the local community, but also make a very positive step towards increasing sustainable economic growth in Scotland. The government has a clear aim to make Scotland a wealthier and fairer place to live and do business."

Located in Strathclyde Business Park, PPD expects to invest up to 15m to expand its operation further over three years, creating positions in biostatistics, data management, product development and clinical trial management and monitoring.

The latest expansion includes building a 34,000sqft facility adjacent to its existing offices, opened earlier this year.

The RSA amount is the second largest of the year in Scotland, after Morgan Stanley was given 6m to create 600 jobs.

The Executive's use of the RSA scheme, which allows governments to offer grants to inward investors under strict European rules, was heavily criticised last year when HSBC was given 1m to create 250 jobs in Scotland, soon after registering record profits of 10 billion.

Figures published last month revealed RSA funding in Scotland surged more than 55 per cent to 92.4m in 2006-7.