Upcoming Events and Conferences

A Meeting with Kirsty McNeil, MP for Midlothian
You are invited to a meeting with Kirsty McNeil, MP for Midlothian on 4th April 2025 at 1pm in Midlothian. This is an informal meeting to discuss any concerns, issues or ask questions which might be relevant or affecting your business.
THIS IS A MEMBER ONLY EVENT
PLACES WILL BE ON A FIRST-COME-FIRST-SERVED BASIS

Edinburgh Science Festival 2025
This year’s Festival will explore the challenges of living on a planet with finite resources, through the lenses of science fiction and space exploration, with the theme Spaceship Earth.

Scottish Fermentation Network Event
Following refreshments on arrival, there will be a brief update on the network then an exciting mix of industry and academic presentations from current SFN members. This will be followed by an optional distillery tour and tasting event at Holyrood Distillery.

BSAS Conference 2025
The annual event for Animal Science, Agriculture, and Sustainability professionals. The theme of the BSAS Conference 2025 is Animal Science: Supporting livestock's role in a global society.
Researchers, industry professionals, policymakers, and media representatives are invited to attend this three-day conference which will bring together leading scientists, industry experts, and policymakers to explore the latest research, innovations, and policy developments in livestock science, climate resilience, and sustainable food production.

Blue Food Innovation Summit
Early-stage innovation is an integral part of the summit, from start-ups connecting with global producers, feed suppliers, health providers, retailers and investors to aquaculture leaders searching for next-generation solutions.
Midlothian Science Zone-based Aquanzo is one of the exhibitors and start-ups innovating in the aquaculture and blue food space.

Global Agriculture and Food Systems Symposium 2025 -The Future of Livestock in Global Food Systems
The theme for this year’s event is ‘The Future of Livestock in Global Food Systems’. The symposium will highlight work of GAAFS and other R(D)SVS staff and students, and our partners globally – spanning livestock’s role in nutrition and health, nature and climate change mitigation and adaptation, and in livelihoods and a just transition, in a range of contexts.

Scottish Complex Network Society (SCoNeS) Inaugural Meeting - sponsored by Higgs Centre and Roslin
The aim of this inaugural meeting is to bring together researchers interested in complex network science and in particular the interplay between mathematical and simulation-based analysis of complex network structures and available data.

EIE25
Hosted by the University of Edinburgh, EIE25 presents the leading spinouts, startups, and scaleups from Scotland’s top universities, all focused on tackling global challenges.
Working with key ecosystem partners, we’ll also showcase startups and scaleups at the forefront of Scottish tech innovation.

Glasgow Tech Week
Scotland's first Tech Week brings together founders, tech leaders, ecosystem builders, and the wider community, to celebrate the innovative work taking place within Glasgow’s tech, digital and creative ecosystem.
Glasgow City Innovation District has partnered with global businesses and SMEs across the city for a week of breakfast seminars, educational workshops, networking evenings and more.

Potatoes in Practice 2025
Potatoes in Practice (PiP), will take place on Thursday 7 August 2025 at The James Hutton Institute’s Balruddery Farm in Invergowrie, near Dundee. Hosted by the James Hutton Institute, in partnership with the SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College) and Agrii. The event will showcase a variety of demonstrations, cutting-edge research, trade exhibits, and a wealth of knowledge from experts in the field.

Midlothian & East Lothian Chamber of Commerce: Women in Business Lunch
The Lothians Women in Business Luncheon aims to bring ambitious women together to network, learn and grow. The Lothian Women in Business network is about building a strong supportive network for women in business through connection, opportunity, and community.
Emily McGowan of McGowan Marketing will discuss How to gain PR for your business. Gaining PR for your business isn’t only for big corporations—it’s a powerful tool for small and micro businesses too.

Midlothian and East Lothian Business Awards Ceremony & Dinner
The Awards celebrate the very best in Midlothian and East Lothian, and recognise the achievements of those who have demonstrated excellence in their field. Join finalists and local business and applaud the winners which will be announced on the night.

Midlothian Science Zone Business Forum: Wobble Genomics
Our next Business Forum will be led by Wobble Genomics, talking to us about the company’s ground breaking research in full-length RNA, from whole blood to provide more accurate information on the status of disease in cancer patients, and how this information can be used to detect disease and find better therapies.

Livestock & Aquaculture Innovation: Genetic Tools For A Sustainable Future
Be among the first to dive into the latest Thought Leadership Report in collaboration with Roslin Institute ‘Livestock and Aquaculture Innovation: Harnessing Genetic Tools For A Sustainable Future’, where they unlock the potential of genetic improvement technologies.

Scotland’s Life Sciences Conference and Awards Dinner
Scotland’s Life Sciences Annual Awards Dinner is the key event in the Scottish life sciences calendar. Now in its 25th year, it honours the top contributors in Scotland’s dynamic life sciences industry, recognising the individuals and organisations that have made significant impacts over the past year.

CGF-BBIA BioInvest Clinic
The CGF-BBIA BioInvest Clinic is a 7-hour 30-minute interactive session, bringing together pioneering entrepreneurs and expert investors. Hosted by Barclays Eagle Labs, this event provides an opportunity for start-ups to pitch directly to the CGF investment team, receive immediate feedback, and engage in valuable networking with fellow innovators.

Business Gateway Midlothian Coffee Morning
Meet and connect with other local businesses, discover the free support available from your local Business Gateway Midlothian advisers and enjoy a cuppa while you hear from fantastic expert speakers.

ASAB Winter Meeting 2024
This year's Winter Meeting of the Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB) will be held in Edinburgh on 12th and 13th December 2024, with the theme: Addressing Biases in the Field of Animal Behaviour.

Midlothian Science Zone Business Forum: Stress busting – the 1,2,3 approach
Join us for a Mental Fitness workout and help ease your business - and personal stress - in our final Business Forum of 2024, hosted at Edinburgh Technopole with guest speaker Kate Flory, Certified Confidence and Mental Fitness Coach.

Livestock horizons beyond food production
SCI’s ‘Livestock horizons beyond food production’ event caters to a broad audience interested in sustainability, agriculture, and innovation. Farmers and agricultural practitioners seeking sustainable livestock management techniques will find practical solutions.

Midlothian Science Zone Business Forum: Discover the new Agri Hub on Easter Bush Campus
Learn more about the new Agri-Tech Hub for Data-Driven Innovation (DDI), part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Deal, and showcasing additional office and meeting space that recently opened on the ground floor of the Charnock Bradley Building which support this.

Business Gateway Midlothian Coffee Morning
Meet and connect with other local businesses, discover the free support available from your local Business Gateway Midlothian advisers and enjoy a cuppa while you hear from fantastic expert speakers.

Moredun Aquaculture Day
A forum for industry, vets and academic researchers to investigate the problems facing the aquaculture industry and presenting solutions through a series of talks and discussions from some of the world’s leading researchers in fish health.

UKSPA 40th Anniversary Conference & Gala Awards Dinner
To celebrate UKSPA’s 40th anniversary, a major conference will be held at the University of Warwick.

Biomass Connect Demonstrator
Join Biomass Connect with Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and SAC Consulting for an opportunity to learn about growing biomass crops. The event will focus on showcasing a range of biomass crops and discussions on the agronomy, economics, and environmental impacts of different biomass crops, and how biomass crops can be integrated into existing land management systems for maximum benefit.

Food, Fowl and Family
The College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine welcomes you to an inaugural lecture showcase on the Easter Bush campus. Join three professors as they explore their work into the intersections of human health and animal welfare.

DYW Roadshow 2024
DYW Edinburgh, Midlothian and East Lothian’s DYW Roadshow will bring together employers, universities, colleges, and training providers with young people in our region - helping them to find their next steps. The free event will feature a range of organisations from key sectors across the region, many of whom will have live vacancies on the day.

Midlothian & East Lothian Chamber Business Expo 2024
Learn more about the new Agri-Tech Hub for Data-Driven Innovation (DDI), part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Deal, and showcasing additional office and meeting space that recently opened on the ground floor of the Charnock Bradley Building which support this.

The Scotsman Data Conference 2024
Data and artificial intelligence has played an increasingly prominent role in elections in recent years. 2024 is packed with democratic elections, in countries including the UK, United States and India, but what impact will data and AI have - both positive and negative?

Industry Leadership (ILG) Symposium
Scotland’s first Industry Leadership (ILG) Symposium includes a combination of presentations and ILG videos that will provide the audience with insights into the priorities and focus for Scotland’s 15 key business sectors.

A3 Scotland 2024
This not-for-profit two-day conference in Inverness for the Animal Health, Agritech and Aquaculture (AAA) sectors will include plenaries, breakouts, investor panel and start up pitching, as well as sessions on funding, international showcase, skills and emerging solutions in AI, robotics, and sensors.

Business Gateway Midlothian Coffee Morning
Meet and connect with other local businesses, discover the free support available from your local Business Gateway Midlothian advisers and enjoy a cuppa while you hear from fantastic expert speakers.

MSZ Business Forum - June 2024
Midlothian Science Zone (MSZ) Business Forum is hosted several times a year to encourage engagement and collaboration between organisations 'in the zone'. We aim to bring together a wide range of businesses to identify shared support needs, collaborative opportunities and share knowledge across the region; signposting to research, expertise and business services.