News
Edinburgh research organisation receives £3.6 million for AI health project
An Edinburgh-based research organisation has been awarded £3.6m from Scottish Enterprise for a project that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to improve medical scans and speed up data analysis.
Canon Medical Research Europe’s (CMRE) new project will cost around £14m in total, and is expected to benefit both patients and health services.
Source: Business Insider
Scottish Health-Tech Trade Mission Heads to Japan
A trade mission from Scotland’s health technology sector is set to visit Japan next week to strengthen trade and innovation ties and promote Scottish expertise on the world stage. Led by health secretary Neil Gray, the delegation will feature a host of forward-thinking health-tech firms highlighting Scotland’s strengths in digital health and life sciences at a series of events, including Japan Health 2025 in Osaka and a programme at the UK Pavilion at Expo 2025.
Source: DIGIT
Future Trends for Scotland: findings from the 2024-2025 horizon scanning project
The “Future Trends for Scotland” report sets out 60 trends that are likely to be important to Scotland over the next 10-to-20 years and includes the project methodology. The supporting Trend Pack articulates the evidence and interview insights that informed each trend in the report.
Source: Scottish Government
Ministers publish ‘horizon scanning’ report looking at future trends and how they might inform policy in Scotland
Ministers have published a new ‘horizon scanning’ report looking at future trends and how they might inform policy in an ‘increasingly complex and uncertain world’. The Future Trends for Scotland report looks at 60 global trends spanning areas including politics, the economy, society, technology, health and the environment, to inform strategic decision-making over the next 10 to 20 years.
Source: Futurescot
Boosting university spin-outs
New initiatives taking advantage of Scotland’s world-class reputation as an innovation nation have been announced by the Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes. A new package of funding has been launched to help transform Scottish university and college spin-outs into growing businesses. Just over £4.5 million will be split across the Proof of Concept Fund, the Spinout Pipeline Project, the Entrepreneurial Campus Blueprint, and a scheme to help prepare future generations for careers in tech-based businesses.
Expert government body created in bid to make Scotland 'leading tech nation'
A new government body has been created to ensure that Scotland is a leading tech nation on the global stage.
The Scottish Technology Council will assist ministers in maximising the country’s multi-billion pound technology sector.
Source: STV
Scotland chosen to create 'circular construction hub'
Scotland is set to pioneer a new initiative that aims to increase uptake and accessibility of reused construction materials and showcase the sector as an investment opportunity.
It is one of four in Europe selected to model a Circular Construction Hub – a second-hand marketplace for materials used in building and infrastructure projects.
Source: Business Insider
Ana Stewart appointed as chief entrepreneur
Ana Stewart has been appointed as the Scottish Government’s new chief entrepreneur.
She will take up the role until July next year, acting as the chief advisor to government on growing the start-up and scale-up economy.
Source: Business Insider
Growth target: Can Scotland's life sciences sector hit £25bn by 2035?
By its own measure, Scotland’s life sciences sector is an overachiever. Leaders hoped it would reach a turnover of £8bn by 2025. Reaching that target, set in 2017, meant doubling the value of the sector within just eight years, driving growth in everything from drug development to agriculture.
Source: Holyrood
Scottish Secretary focusses on jobs and investment in USA visit
Jobs and investment in Scotland will be top of the agenda today [Thursday 3 April] when Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, Lord Mayor of London Alastair King and Scottish Financial Enterprise Chief Executive Sandy Begbie meet key sectors in a series of meetings in New York during Tartan Week.