Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
£500k to expand recruitment firm
A DUNDEE life science recruitment firm that specialises in finding work for researchers is to expand its own workforce following a funding deal.
Entrust Resource Solutions puts scientists and clinical researchers into positions across the UK in early-stage in the pharmaceutical industry.
It has agreed a £500,000 funding package with the UK Governmentbacked British Business Bank.
Extra cash will let Entrust grow its workforce by 50%, as well as move into new cities across the UK and Europe.
Entrust employs 20 staff between its base in Dundee and its offices in Alderley and Oxfordshire.
The majority of its work involves placing people into roles in Scotland and the rest of the UK, with a number of other roles being allocated in Europe and the US.
Austin Clark, group commercial director at Entrust, said: “Life sciences is a key sector for the UK’s economic prosperity and shone under the spotlight throughout the pandemic, demonstrating what could be achieved with our expertise and facilities.
“In Scotland especially, there is a growing cluster of biotechnology and science companies, with firms setting up close to the pool of talent coming out of our worldleading universities.
“Our expertise lies in working with companies of all sizes to find the right people with the desired skills and qualifications to fill all kinds of roles from senior C-suite to entry-level technicians.
“It is a fast-moving sector with huge potential and we believe that one key hire can change people’s lives. The funding from the Investment Fund for Scotland and FSE Group is going to play a critical part in our next steps, helping towards our growth plans.”
The £150 million Investment Fund for Scotland was launched in October 2023 and offers loans ranging from £25,000 to £2m and equity investments up to £5m.
The fund is managed by the FSE Group. The British Business Bank is publicly owned.
Mark Sterritt, director at the British Business Bank, said more money is available for Dundee businesses looking to take advantage.
“It is great to see the impact that the Investment Fund for
Scotland has delivered for smaller businesses across a diverse mix of sectors in only six months, including Entrust Resource Solutions,” he said.
“The latest loans via FSE Group bring us to a milestone £5m, which is helping several businesses to achieve ambitions for growth and expansion.
“The fund was established to support new and growing businesses with investment strategies that best meet their needs, whoever they are and wherever they are based.
“We hope more ambitious businesses in Dundee will look to the fund as a way of supporting their plans.”