News

Scottish biotech start-ups are struggling to commercialise
The MRI scanner. Insulin. Football dugouts. All cultivated in Aberdeen.
All having a global impact, providing inspiration for further innovation – and all a small snapshot of what just one Scottish city has given the world.
Source: Business Insider

University of Edinburgh launches UK-first innovation initiative
The University of Edinburgh has launched a new career development route for academics wishing to focus on commercialisation and engagement with industry.
Source: Business Insider

Higgs Centre for Innovation celebrates £25 million in investment
Companies based at the Higgs Centre for Innovation in Edinburgh have secured over £25 million in funding since the business incubation centre opened in 2018, creating over 150 jobs.
This achievement highlights Higgs’ role in supporting young businesses and fostering growth and innovation in the space and technology sectors in Scotland.

Scottish Biotech Innovator Secures Up To £1.1 Million Investment From Scottish Enterprise
Green Bioactives, a leader in the sustainable production of plant-based natural products through its proprietary Plant Cell Culture Technology platform, has secured grant of up to £1,097,016 from Scottish Enterprise. The grant will support an 18-month research and development initiative focused on the production and initial scale-up of natural products that are derived from plant cell culture, which will enable Green Bioactives to supply customers in waiting in the cosmetic and personal care industries.

Edinburgh and south east Scotland innovation action plan unveiled
A new action plan, which puts business growth and innovation at the forefront, has been launched.
Developed by Innovate UK, Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region, and Scottish Enterprise, the proposals aim for a resilient and investment-attractive economy by leveraging regional capabilities.
Source: Business Insider

India and Scotland ramp up regional approach to business ties
An Indian – Scotland Business Meet was hosted in Edinburgh 3rd – 6th March and started with an event at Edinburgh City Chambers aimed at fostering business ties between India and Scotland in renewable energy, life sciences, IT and innovation, and whisky.
Source: The Scotsman

Scotland can be the “engine room of UK growth”
The Secretary of State for Scotland, the Rt Hon Ian Murray, told an audience at the University of Edinburgh’s Informatics Forum on Friday morning that Scotland can be “the engine room of UK growth”.
Source: The Edinburgh Reporter

Scottish National Investment Bank: A catalyst for positive change
With an ambition to be transformative and provide development capital to Scottish firms engage in three core pillars – the drive to net zero, tackling place-based inequality, and supporting innovation – the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) set out its stall to before an audience of delegates from across the business spectrum in Glasgow today.
Source: The Herald

Project to restore 'vital' seagrass around Scotland
A £2.4m seagrass planting programme has been launched to help restore the plant in seas around the north of Scotland.
The project aims to plant 14 hectares (34.6 acres) of seagrass, often described as a "wonder plant" by conservationists, over the next three years.
Source: BBC

£10M Investment in New Space Facilities in Scotland
New space facilities will be constructed at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) to facilitate a major European Space Agency (ESA) mission in Scotland
The laboratory, funded by the UK Government’s investments in ESA, will be used to assemble the optical benches for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission.
Source: DIGIT