Life Sciences

Wales is competing on the global stage in life sciences. Our companies and world-leading university departments are driving research to create new technologies in this constantly evolving sector.

Companies based here include some leading players in our specialist areas such as: medical technology (Biomet UK, Huntleigh and Gyrus ACMI, an Olympus company); diagnostics (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Gen-Probe and OrthoClinical Diagnostics); wound healing (ConvaTec, ZooBiotic and Frontier Medical Group); and contract research organisations (Aptuit, Biotec Services International and Penn Pharma).

GE Healthcare in Cardiff is home to the company’s international centre for groundbreaking work in stem cell technologies and BTG, the UK’s biggest biotechnology group, is based in mid-west Wales. Wales also has the UK’s largest cluster of in-vitro diagnostic companies, and other leading companies in Wales include Albany Molecular Research, Inc. (AMRI), Quay Pharma and Quotient Bioresearch.

These are just some of the 330 life sciences companies here that employ over 15,000 people and contribute more than £1.3 billion to the Welsh economy. The sector has grown in Wales by over 19 per cent in the last three years, and the people working here are some of the finest scientific minds in the world.

Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Products Ltd relocated the majority of its manufacturing and distribution operations from Los Angeles to their Llanberis, North Wales site.

Ortho Clinical Diagnostics is drawing on a rich mixture of scientists, engineers and quality and regulatory personnel in South Wales and from the M4 corridor.

Biomet, global leader in the orthopaedics market, have their largest European subsidiary and UK headquarters in Bridgend, South Wales.

Larval therapy firm ZooBiotic was the first spin-out from an NHS trust in the UK and is now the dominant global player.