Dundee University is to be home to a new life science institute, dedicated to the research of cell signalling, as a result of a £10m Scottish Government grant announced yesterday by Alex Salmond.

Dundee is already a global leader in the study of the means by which diseases attach themselves to cells and spread through the body, and the university's foremost expert on the science, Sir Philip Cohen, is to head the new institute.

It is anticipated the grant can be used to attract further medical research funding. Welcoming the move, Sir Philip said: "Cell signalling is one of the largest branches of the life sciences and an area of great importance to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

"Dundee is recognised as a world leader in this field and the new institute will not only reinforce its position but also enable it to develop new strengths in emerging areas of cell signalling that will furnish the major drug targets of the future."

Among other initiatives announced yesterday by the SNP leader at his party's spring conference near Edinburgh was a summit of the chief executives of Britain's leading supermarkets to discuss how they can contribute to boosting the sale of Scottish produce, make the case for "a fair deal for Scottish farmers" in the supply chain and help public health efforts.

The bosses of Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury, Morrisons and Marks & Spencer are expected to attend, with the most likely date in September. The meeting can also be expected to include discussion of the Scottish Government's moves to cut down on cut-price alcohol marketing.

Mr Salmond announced there will be a further £3.8m of proceeds seized from criminals which is to be distributed to youth sports and arts, saying "it is bad news for criminals and great news for young people in Scotland".

He also announced that he is to take the Scottish cabinet "out of Bute House and around Scotland" during summer, linked with public engagement events.

He suggested ministers could meet in Glasgow, Dumfries, Skye or Inverness, where Lloyd George had convened an emergency meeting of the UK cabinet to discuss Irish home rule in 1921, because most of its members were shooting on Highland estates in August.

Saying that the SNP administration "doesn't shut up for London but stands up for Scotland", the First Minister used his speech to attack the UK Government's abolition of the 10p tax band, and its "fatal embrace" with Conservatives in seeking to preserve the council tax from abolition in Scotland.

"The Labour Party has lost its way, it has forgotten its values and abandoned its roots," said the First Minister.

"The politics of self-interest has become an art form and it is at the expense of the people they are elected to represent."

A Labour spokesman responded that the speech was more about independence than issues that matter to Scottish people. He said: "He had nothing to say about Scotland's skills needs, about modern apprenticeships, about tackling poverty and disadvantage or the impact of council cuts in Aberdeen and across the country. And he was silent about the SNP's broken election promises.

"Alex Salmond is failing to listen to the majority Scots who know that local income tax is a bad idea, making Scotland the highest-taxed part of the UK, and hitting hardworking taxpayers hardest," he added.