T he
Al e xa n de r
G r a ha m
Bell
C e nt r e
Th e A lexand er
Gr aham Bell C e nt r e
“Great discoveries and improvements invariably
involve the co-operation of many minds.”
Alexander Graham Bell, 1847-1922.
The new £6.5 million, custom-built Moray Life Science Centre, officially named
The Alexander Graham Bell Centre, will be a centre for excellence in life science
for the North East of Scotland and beyond.
Jointly funded by Moray College UHI, NHS Grampian, Highlands and Islands
Enterprise (HIE) and the European Regional Development Fund, the Alexander
Graham Bell Centre will provide facilities for, and expertise in, life science research
and education, within a space specifically designed to encourage innovation and
knowledge transfer amongst the academic, health care and business worlds.
The centre, based in Elgin, offers an exciting opportunity to co-locate with
like-minded businesses and potential partners in the digital health field. It was
designed to create an environment that stimulates commercialisation opportunities
by bringing together health and technology research, education, training and
patient care which will lead to new products and services in the marketplace.
Further benefits include access to a community of expertise, networking and
events, together with business development support from public and private sector
agencies including access to finance and advice.
In addition to the space occupied permanently by Moray College UHI and NHS
Grampian, there will be commercial units available for lease by SMEs, and fullyequipped conference facilities will also be available for hire by external organisations.
The Alexander Graham Bell Centre is a critical project for the Moray area, playing
a key role in the ambition to diversify the local economy and meet the aims of the
Moray Economic Strategy.
I n v e s t m e n t partn ers
The following local partners came together to jointly fund this project with
match funding awarded from the European Regional Development Fund.
Moray College UHI
Moray College UHI, part of the University of the Highlands and Islands, teaches
around 6,000 students, with provision ranging from bespoke pre-employment short
courses to PhD study.
The advent of the Alexander Graham Bell Centre offers new and exciting
opportunities for staff and students of the college, and those studying within relevant
health areas will learn in this state-of-the-art facility. The co-existence of the college,
NHS Grampian and other organisations within the centre will encourage greater
synergies in teaching and research and build on the existing close working
relationships with senior clinicians at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) Moray
Highlands and Islands Enterprise is the Scottish Government economic development
agency for the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Its purpose is to generate
sustainable economic growth and the organisation is dedicated to creating strong
communities and a vibrant economy. HIE prioritises seven key sectors of which life
sciences is one. This is because it is a significant growth sector in Scotland, which is
rapidly developing a reputation for excellence regionally, nationally and globally.
HIE is able to engage in investment in a variety of ways, by providing infrastructure,
financial assistance and access to experienced and knowledgeable staff including
specialists in life sciences.
NHS Grampian
NHS Grampian, which is one of the 10 principal Health Boards in Scotland, provides
healthcare services to the North-East of the country, covering the local government
areas administered by Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Morayshire Councils. It employs
around 17,000 staff who deliver services to half a million people spread across 3,000
square miles of city, town, village and rural communities.
NHS Grampian has extremely close links to academia, which have made the
board a centre of pioneering medical research in a number of fields. Elgin in Moray
is the site of Dr Gray’s Hospital and the principal general hospital is in the west of
Grampian. In addition, there are a further 14 community hospitals, situated in each
of the main towns.
Why Moray?
The Alexander Graham Bell Centre is located in Elgin on the Moray College UHI
campus. Elgin is the principle town in Moray, one of the smallest regions in Scotland,
but despite its size Moray offers spectacular scenery, a wide range of facilities and
an excellent quality of life.
Traditional industry plays a large part in Moray’s economy, operating hand-in-hand
with new industrial and commercial industries. Food and drink are significant with
the presence of global brands such as Walkers and Baxters, and the many distilleries
making Moray the whisky capital of the world.
The region’s other main industries include tourism, arts, culture, and agriculture, all of
which play an important part in the economy of Moray, both now and in the future.
In contrast to these more traditional industries, Moray is experiencing rapid growth in
life science activity, with particular strengths in digital healthcare. The region benefits
from a collaborative approach to healthcare, essential in delivering health, social and
economic benefits. Moray is striving to become an international centre of excellence
in digital healthcare, offering a wealth of opportunity for business growth in a thriving
and progressive environment with access to world-class expertise and capabilities.
Leading edge digital health solutions are being developed in the Moray area,
strengthened by a growing mass of activity along the A96 Inverness to Elgin
“corridor”, which can now be seen as one of the world’s first true digital healthcare
clusters, comprising 40 organisations, including private companies, non-government
organisations, health boards and academia.
Moray has a full health system from hospital to primary care practitioners and
social care, with the perfect mix of urban and rural communities coupled with
an advanced demography, involved patient group and world-class clinical and
technical expertise.
Moray also offers high employee retention rates with skilled local workforce, including
personnel currently based at RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss Barracks who provide a
broad occupational base and have proven transferable skills.
H o w t h e A l e x an der G raham B el l Centr e
ca n b e n e fit y o ur o rgan isation
The Alexander Graham Bell Centre is located in the heart of Elgin and offers three floors
of state-of-the-art facilities with the flexibility to meet a great variety of business needs.
The centre has been designed to assist businesses in developing new ideas, thinking,
products and services by bringing together the necessary disciplines under one roof.
Business support is available from Highlands and Islands Enterprise and partners in
the form of advice in developing, financing, marketing and growing your business as
well as discretionary financial assistance towards business development and growth
through grants, loans and equity. This supportive environment also provides access
to other sources of public and private funding and the ability to forge effective
connections in the digital health field and beyond.
There is a wealth of pioneering innovation, research and commercialisation activity
evident in the Moray region, where the digital health and life science communities are
highly networked and collaborative. Businesses, academia and healthcare exchange
best practice, experiences, and world-class knowledge for the betterment of health
and wealth creation.
F aci l iti e s a nd resources
There are a range of resources located within the centre which is built over three
floors comprising:
Ground floor
•A light and spacious entrance with gallery exhibiting the work of Moray School of Art
students and local artists
•A reception area located just off the gallery space, with a comfortable
and spacious café
•High quality conference facilities with breakout room, capable of accommodating
up to a maximum of 220 delegates. These facilities are available for booking. Bespoke
catering packages from the Hospitality and Tourism Academy are also available.
First floor
•Well-equipped classrooms and video conference suites
•A mezzanine balcony with a comfortable seating area for informal meetings
and opportunities for knowledge transfer
Second floor
•NHS research and training rooms
•A suite of five research and commercialisation rooms available for lease
The centre also benefits from a number of small informal breakout areas,
interview rooms and a relaxing garden.
Research and commercialisation rooms for lease
There are five research rooms, each able to accommodate up to eight people
and capable of being used flexibility to satisfy a range of learning and research
requirements. The rooms vary in size from 42.15 m2 to 47.21 m2. Each has been
furnished to accommodate combinations of two, four and six people with high
quality ergonomic desks, operators’ chairs, filing cabinet, and IT connectivity.
The layout of the furniture can be altered to meet individual specifications.
Rooms are available for lease from a minimum of one year to a maximum of five years.
Individual requirements may be discussed.
C o n tacts
For further information and bookings
in the Alexander Graham Bell Centre
please contact:
Hilda Puskás, Moray College UHI
on (01343) 576475 or
hilda.puskas.moray@uhi.ac.uk
Moray College UHI,
Moray Street,
Elgin, Moray
IV30 1JJ