A £50m ($79m) venture fund, backed by the universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen, which aims to support life sciences and health technology, has been launched in Scotland.
Fund manager Rock Spring Ventures said it has more than £25m ($39m) secured from investors. Initial backers include the European Investment Fund (EIF), Scottish Enterprise, Strathclyde Pension Fund, and Rock Spring.
The Edinburgh-based fund will be used to provide financial support to young companies in the healthcare industry, including those being spun-out from UK universities.
Sinclair Dunlop, managing partner at Rock Spring, said: We are particularly excited to be partnering with a unique investor group that includes three of Scotland’s world-class universities to provide the capital needed to realise the full potential of their spin-out companies.”
Fund co-manager Kyp Sirinakis added: “We believe early-stage life science and health technology companies in Scotland and the rest of the UK offer the potential for strong financial returns to our investors.”