Quintiles Transnational Corp. plans to build a new office near Edinburgh for its product development business in Scotland, including Quintiles Laboratories, and its NovaQuest group. The company will add 150 jobs in Scotland during the next four years and is investing $13 million in the new building.

The new 112,000-sq.-ft. facility will be built in Livingston, West Lothian, near the company’s existing 36,500-sq.-ft. lab in Bathgate. Approximately 80,000 square feet will be used for the laboratory business and the product development and NovaQuest personnel will move into the new building and will occupy about 25,000 square feet. Quintiles will have 390 employees at the two locations.

“Our lab business is expanding globally and in Europe because of our proximity to clinical trial sites and our tight quality control,” said Thomas Wollman, senior vice president, Global Central Laboratories. “This new facility will enhance our level of customer service in the UK and Europe, just as our new central lab in Mumbai has improved service in India. We will continue to look for opportunities to strengthen our global central lab network.”

Quintiles will sign a 15-year lease for the facility and is receiving a $2.4 million Regional Selective Assistance Grant from the Scottish Executive. Under terms of the grant agreement, Quintiles has agreed to add 150 jobs.