US pharmaceutical giant Quintiles Transnational has announced plans to establish a new office in Edinburgh.
The company, which already employs 390 people in Bathgate and Livingston, also says it will create 150 new jobs across its business over the next four years.
A $2.4 million (about £1.2 million) Scottish executive regional selective assistance grant has enabled the $13 million (about £6.5 million) investment and the additional jobs form part of this agreement.
The new 112,000-square-foot laboratory facility will be built in Livingston, West Lothian, near Quintiles' existing 36,500-square-foot laboratory.
It will accommodate the company's product development business, including Quintiles Laboratories and NovaQuest.
Thomas Wollman, senior vice president of Global Central Laboratories, said: "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."
He added that the assistance of the Scottish executive, West Lothian Council and Scottish Enterprise had been "instrumental" in the decision to choose Livingston.
Quintiles Transnational employs 18,000 people across more than 50 countries.
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