A new £4.5 million life sciences facility has been officially opened in the Highlands by John Swinney.

The Deputy First Minister met companies already working in the Inverness Campus, called Solasta House, on Monday.

Eight firms are housed in the building so far, which is expected to be 75% full by summer, and Mr Swinney was given a first-hand look at research and development activity on site.

He said: “It gives me great pleasure to open Solasta House, which represents the latest stage of the development of the Inverness Campus and reaffirms our commitment to invest and grow the £5.2 billion Scottish life sciences sector.

“The new laboratory and business space will support the development of innovative products and services in health science and technology, such as those demonstrated at today’s business showcase, and bolster the region’s reputation as a place for state-of-the-art facilities and company growth support.”

John Swinney
John Swinney officially opened the Inverness site on Monday (David Cheskin/PA)

More than 900 employees are based at the campus with future plans including the development of a new hotel and collaborative work with the University of the Highlands and Islands.

Professor Lorne Crera, Highlands and Islands Enterprise chair, added: “We have been developing Inverness Campus with a strong ethos of collaboration between commercial, research and education activities and an emphasis on life sciences.

“Of equal importance to us is that activities here should benefit communities and economies across the region.

“I am delighted that the Deputy First Minister has been able to see some examples of that today, as well as meeting some of the young people attracted to the region by the opportunities presented by the growth in life sciences and technology.

“The growth of activity here reflects the attraction of Inverness Campus to investors and businesses, as well as the continued growth in the life sciences sector in our region.”