Aberdeen has a long history of life sciences innovation and commercialisation. Today, ONE Life Sciences is using this heritage as a focused growth platform for companies that need scientific depth, clinical connectivity and practical scale-up support.
By bringing together infrastructure, expertise and entrepreneurial support it is helping the next generation of life sciences companies start, grow and compete globally from the north-east of Scotland.
The ambition is not to recreate other established UK biotech clusters but to build on Aberdeen’s own strengths and links to create a connected ecosystem in which scientific discoveries can become successful businesses.
Aberdeen’s strengths in life sciences innovation
ONE Life Sciences connects the region’s life sciences community, with the University of Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University, NHS Grampian and the wider clinical and research infrastructure. For founders, this creates a route to specialist scientific expertise, highly-skilled graduates, researchers, clinicians and, where appropriate, patients and clinical environments.
The region has strengths across neuroscience, microbiology and the microbiome, immunology, next-generation imaging and medtech supported by a long-standing track record of translating research into commercial opportunities.
This mix gives Aberdeen a clear proposition: deep scientific specialisms, clinical access and room for companies to scale without immediately having to absorb the cost base of larger, more crowded UK life science ecosystems.
Companies already demonstrating the global potential of this ecosystem include TauRx, which has its roots in Aberdeen and has attracted significant international investment to support the company as it pioneers a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
As the landscape shifts, it’s crucial that government, regulators and professional bodies keep the public interest at the heart of any decisions
Supporting life sciences companies from start-up to scale-up
Creating successful life sciences companies requires more than scientific expertise. Founders need access to laboratory infrastructure, commercial guidance, funding networks, mentors and peers in addition to the flexibility to expand as their businesses develop.
ONE BioHub, part of the ONE Life Sciences ecosystem and a home for north-east Scotland’s life science community, provides that launchpad.
Connecting founders with laboratories, expertise and funding
Located at Aberdeen’s Foresterhill Health Campus, it supports start-ups and high-potential life science companies looking to rapidly scale and grow, with flexible laboratory and office space ranging from hot desks and shared facilities through to dedicated laboratories and scale-up space.
The support extends beyond the physical infrastructure. Founders can access mentoring, commercialisation and regulatory expertise, funding networks, technical resources and founder-to-founder learning, alongside leading programmes, including the MIT Entrepreneurship Development Programme.
LotusDx and Scottish Brain Sciences join Aberdeen’s growing cluster
One of ONE BioHub’s newest tenants is LotusDx, a diagnostics start-up developing at-home testing kits for sexually transmitted infections.
“When I first visited ONE BioHub, I immediately felt it was the right place for LotusDx,” says Ali T, CEO and co-founder, LotusDx. “Since moving to ONE BioHub, I’ve had productive discussions with senior people at NHS Grampian who have the knowledge and power to work on the things that we want to work on.”
Further along that journey, and demonstrating how the north-east of Scotland can support companies at different stages, is Scottish Brain Sciences, which is developing innovative approaches to neuroscience research and clinical trials.
“The people of the north-east deserve early access to breakthroughs in brain health and dementia research. Our new site at ONE BioHub ensures that people in the north-east can take part in trials, receive advanced assessments, and contribute to discoveries that could change the future of Alzheimer’s disease,” comments professor Craig Ritchie, CEO and founder of Scottish Brain Sciences.
Taking north-east Scotland’s biotech innovation to global markets
“Here in Aberdeen, we’re not just incubating early-stage ideas for new medicines, we’re taking them all the way from invention to regulatory submissions and launch-readiness,” says Deborah O’Neil, CEO of NovaBiotics and chair of ONE Life Sciences and BioAberdeen. “The drug discovery and development ecosystem in the north-east of Scotland has the ambition and capability to translate biotech innovation to marketed products.”
That ambition is drawing attention beyond the region. New tenants are arriving at ONE BioHub, drawn by the combination of scientific depth, clinical proximity and space to scale without the cost pressures of more crowded UK clusters.
For a city with Aberdeen’s research heritage, the next chapter of its life sciences story is only just being written – and the north-east of Scotland is where it’s happening.
Bio Buzz at ONE BioHub event on 15 October 2026
ONE BioHub will host its monthly Bio Buzz life sciences meet-up on Thursday 15 October 2026, from 8.30am to 10.30am. The drop-in event gives researchers, innovators, founders and industry professionals opportunities to connect, explore ONE Life Sciences’ commercialisation and growth support, and tour ONE BioHub’s laboratories and workspaces. Fine out more via this link: https://onebiohub.com/events/bio-buzz-at-one-biohub-july-dccdh-jzs7d-xnycm
FAQs
What is ONE Life Sciences?
ONE Life Sciences connects north-east Scotland’s life sciences community, bringing together companies, founders, researchers, clinicians, universities and specialist support to help new ventures start, grow and compete internationally.
What support does ONE BioHub provide for life sciences companies?
ONE BioHub provides flexible laboratories, offices, shared facilities and scale-up space, alongside mentoring, commercialisation and regulatory expertise, funding networks, technical resources and entrepreneurial development programmes.
Where is ONE BioHub located?
ONE BioHub is located at Aberdeen’s Foresterhill Health Campus, close to the University of Aberdeen, NHS Grampian and a concentration of clinical and medical research expertise.
Which life sciences companies are based in or connected to Aberdeen?
Companies demonstrating Aberdeen’s life sciences capabilities include TauRx, NovaBiotics, LotusDx and Scottish Brain Sciences, working across areas including Alzheimer’s disease, drug development, diagnostics and neuroscience research.
Partner Content in association with ONE Life Sciences