Prosthetic technologies firm to invest £5.6 million in Scotland

Designer and manufacturer of world-leading prosthetic technologies, Össur, has cemented its commitment to Scotland with an agreement to invest £5.6 million over a three year period to develop ground-breaking myoelectric prosthetic hand and arm solutions at its Touch Bionics operations.
The Company‘s investment is being supported by a £1.3 million grant from Scottish Enterprise, to see Touch Bionics deliver on highly innovative R&D projects, and enabling an additional four new high value R&D jobs at its Livingston facility.

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Touch Bionics, which was acquired by Iceland-based Össur hf. in 2016, has worked closely with Scottish Enterprise for the past 15 years receiving support in areas such as product development, regional selective assistance (RSA) and through its investment arm, the Scottish Investment Bank.
Welcoming the announcement during a visit to Touch Bionics, Scottish Government Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, Paul Wheelhouse, said: “Scotland has built a strong international reputation for innovation and the creation of high value jobs. Our aspiration is to continue leading innovations in life sciences and our Programme for Government saw business Research & Development grants boosted by 70%.
“Encouraging companies to invest in innovation and increase their international reach is a priority for us, and Touch Bionics with its ground-breaking work in prosthetic technology is a fantastic example of this, helping enable people to perform everyday activities with ease.
“The company is working with Scottish Enterprise in a productive collaboration, supporting its drive to expand its global business here in Scotland and bring its future plans to fruition.”
Össur has continued investing in Touch Bionics’ research and development (R&D) operations.  As a result, the Touch Bionics product line, as well as the organisation’s overall capabilities for accelerating innovation in upper limb prosthetic technologies, has continued to grow.
“We thank Scottish Enterprise for their generosity, which has directly contributed to the transformation of upper limb prosthetics over the past decade. The continuing support from both Scottish Enterprise and Össur has enabled Touch Bionics solutions to continue accelerating the innovation of potentially breakthrough technologies, so we may help even more people with upper limb loss,” said Hugh Gill, Vice President of Research & Development for Touch Bionics solutions.
Michael Cannon, Head of Innovation and Enterprise Services at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Össur’s decision to invest in this ground-breaking technology in Scotland is testament to the strength of its highly skilled and innovative workforce, manufacturing expertise and forward thinking, ambitious leadership team. Over the years, we’ve watched this successful company grow from strength to strength and I’m delighted to see it secure this important investment to help it continue to achieve its full growth potential in Scotland.
“Helping more companies to invest in innovation to help grow their business and increase their international activities continues to be a priority for us, and Touch Bionics is a fantastic example of the benefits than can be achieved when put in practice.”
During the visit, Mr. Wheelhouse had the opportunity to meet university student Patrick Kane who wears an i-limb® upper limb prosthesis from Touch Bionics. Patrick was eager to learn about the innovative product development that will be coming out of the Livingston facility. Selected as a Torchbearer for the London 2012 Olympics, Patrick is keen to live life to the fullest and take advantage of cutting-edge technology.

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