We consider the factorisation properties of on-shell QCD amplitudes with massive partons in the limit when all kinematical invariants are large compared to the parton mass and discuss the structure of their infrared singularities. The dimensionally regulated soft poles and the large collinear logarithms of the parton masses exponentiate to all orders. Based on this factorisation a simple relation between massless and massive scattering amplitudes in gauge theories can be established. We present recent applications of this relation for the calculation of the two-loop virtual QCD corrections to the hadro-production of heavy quarks.

PACS numbers: 12.38.Bx, 13.85.--t, 14.65.Ha