Stem Cell research gets State funds, NCR and Wood Group workers lose their jobs - and future ?

Ohio based National Cash Register (NCR) will end a 60 year link with Dundee soon and move manufacturing of their Hole in the Wall ATM machines to Budapest and 650 jobs will go at their Wester Gourdie plant. Wood GroupPLC the oil field services company have announced 50 job losses at its Dundee turbine services operation this week as the North Sea oil fields shrink and production declines. Q3 2006 DTI Energy Statistics show Total indigenous UK oil production down by 10.2 % to 17.3 million tonnes compared with Q3 2005. 2 new fields started up in September - insufficient to make up for production declines in older fields.

Again the UK was a net importer of oil and oil products in Q3 2006 by 2.5 Mn tonnes. (Q3 2005 = 2.3 Mn tonnes)


NCR who have 1/3rd of the market in Europe are chasing lower labour costs and more central distribution in Europe as well as being located nearer fast growing emergent Eastern European markets.

In Edinburgh the Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine a centre for stem cell research, and funded by the Scottish Executive (£24Mn), Edinburgh University(£19Mn) and Scottish Enterprise (16Mn) will rise soon in Little France, next to the Centre for Biomedical Research by the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary , to congest the city centre further when it opens in 2010.

It is claimed that 650 jobs will be created initially with 220 researchers and eventually up to 6,000 jobs as associated suppliers , firms cluster in the area and generate £18 million per year for the Scottish economy.

Jack McConnell claims, "This could result in thousands of jobs and a huge economic benefit for Scotland."