Work Starts on Edinburgh Innovation Hub

A ‘ground-breaking’ ceremony has taken place to mark the start of construction on an innovation hub designed to become a nationally significant centre for innovation driven business growth and to create new high value employment.

The Edinburgh Innovation Hub is a joint venture between East Lothian Council and Queen Margaret University (QMU).

Representatives of the council and university were joined for the ceremony by Donald Cameron, UK Government Minister for Scotland, and Richard Lochhead, the Scottish Government’s Minister for Small Business, Innovation, Tourism and Trade.

The 7,200 sqm Hub, which received planning permission last September, is expected to be completed in 2025. It will comprise flexible laboratory, office and fully equipped meeting and conference spaces for rent by high growth small to medium enterprises (SMEs).

The Hub will support and grow businesses driven by innovation, knowledge exchange and technology, bringing together research, industry and academia under one roof, creating opportunities for synergies and knowledge-sharing. Tenants will be able to rent accommodation packages, for move-in ready space, that fits their size and needs. The design of the Hub will enable tenants to take up more space as and when they need to.

The venture is supported by £28.6 million from the UK Government, £1.4 million from the Scottish Government and £10 million from East Lothian Council as part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal (ESES City Region Deal).

Councillor Norman Hampshire, Leader of East Lothian Council, said: “The start of construction on this project highlights our ambition to create a sought-after location for business growth and increase high value jobs for East Lothian. It aligns with our aim of making East Lothian the best place in Scotland in which to live, work and do business.

“By supporting the food and drink and other important economic sectors, including tech and life sciences, we can attract innovative businesses to one of Scotland’s fastest growing areas.

“The 52 acre Edinburgh Innovation Park adjacent to the Edinburgh Innovation Hub will transform a strategic economic development site, owned by East Lothian Council, into a nationally significant cluster of knowledge exchange, innovation and high value business growth.”

Sir Paul Grice, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of QMU said: “Along with driving economic development locally and nationally, the Hub will act as a gateway into QMU for businesses, increase opportunities at the University for industry-relevant research and knowledge exchange, promote an entrepreneurial culture, and increase the vibrancy of the area around the campus.

“The Hub is not just a new building, it will be a new business. Importantly, it will provide a much more bespoke and focused service than is currently offered by business parks, providing not only physical facilities but also the operational support SMEs need to work effectively and grow.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland, Donald Cameron said: “Construction starting on this UK Government and partners funded innovation hub is a hugely exciting milestone for the area. I can't wait to see the facility up and running as it will help boost the local and national economy through generating innovative business and employment growth. The UK Government is backing the facility with £28.6 million investment - part of our £300 million commitment to the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal. In total we are investing more than £3 billion to level up across Scotland.”

Scottish Government Minister for Small Business, Innovation, Tourism and Trade Richard Lochhead said: “This is an important milestone in the development of the Edinburgh Innovation Hub, which is being delivered with Deal partners and £1.4 million of Scottish Government investment.

“We are investing £300 million in the Deal across a range of projects, which will be crucial in helping us deliver a fair and sustainable wellbeing economy with good quality jobs at its heart.

“Our National Innovation Strategy for Scotland sets out our vision of how, over the next ten years, Scotland will become one of the most innovative small nations in the world – projects such as this are going to be crucial in fulfilling that ambition.”

The Hub will help to initiate development of the wider Edinburgh Innovation Park on land adjacent to the QMU campus. The development was granted planning permission in principle in March 2019, as part of a wider mixed use development, including new homes and a new primary school, business & industry use and community facilities.

More information on the Edinburgh Innovation Hub is on the website.

Fife Council Commits To ESES City Region Deal Community Wealth Building Pledges

Fife Council on behalf of the Fife Industrial Innovation Investment (i3) Programme, have become the first City Region Deal project to commit to the ESES CRD Community Wealth Building (CWB) Pledge.  

Fife’s Industrial Innovation Investment programme (i3) is being delivered as part of the ESES City Region Deal, with an aim to provide much-needed serviced employment land and new industrial, office and business spaces, as well as creating new skilled permanent jobs, short-term construction jobs over the 15-year lifetime of the City Region Deal. 
 
“Committing to these pledges demonstrates our dedication to accelerating inclusive growth and removing barriers to growth in our inclusive economy.” Gordon Mole, Head of Business and Employment, Fife Council.  
 
Fife Council have been proactive on their own community wealth journey and instil the core values of the 5 pillars of CWB in their day-to-day activity.  

Read the press release to find out more information about why committing to the pledge was important to Fife Council and how this will influence their activity going forward.

For more information on the Community Wealth Building framework and pledge, visit the Community Wealth Building website 

GOVE TOURS EDINBURGH’S NATIONAL ROBOTARIUM TO SEE LEVELLING UP AND SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION IN ACTION

Secretary of State for Levelling Up Michael Gove today (24 February 2022) toured a state-of-the-art research facility for robotics and artificial intelligence in Edinburgh, which is backed by £21 million in UK government funding.

Mr Gove saw some of the innovative research projects being developed at the National Robotarium including a demonstration from the facility’s resident robot dogs. These four-legged robots will be used to support people working in hazardous environments like energy inspection and disaster recovery as well as making the construction process safer, more efficient, and sustainable.

The funding, which is provided through the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal with an additional £1.4 million from the Scottish Government, is supporting the National Robotarium to create cutting-edge solutions to many of the challenges we face in everyday life. Examples of projects include the development of a train cleaning robot that can complement existing staff while reducing health risks, a robotic coach to aid the process of long-term rehabilitation after stroke, and underwater robots to support safer inspection and repair of offshore wind turbines. Mr Gove also heard more about the facility’s growing partnerships with industry, healthcare organisations and its support for entrepreneurship.

Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Michael Gove MP said:

“Levelling up is not going to be an easy task. To be successful, it requires a huge collaborative effort as we have seen here in Edinburgh where governments, local authorities, partners from academia and private sector come together to delivery real results.

“The National Robotarium is the perfect example of what is possible when we work together, and it has been fantastic to see some of the innovative projects being developed here that genuinely have the potential to change people’s lives for the better.”

Based at Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh campus, the new facility is due to be completed this year, bringing with it jobs and prosperity to the region.

The Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal draws on a combined total of £600 million in funding from both Scottish and UK Governments to invest in projects over a 15 year period focussing on research, employability and skills, transport, culture and housing.

Professor Mark Biggs, Vice-Principal, Heriot-Watt University said:

“Backed by the combined experience of Heriot-Watt and the University of Edinburgh, we’re demonstrating how Scotland and the UK can lead global developments in robotics and AI, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and addressing some of industry and societies biggest challenges.

“We look forward to working closely with governments to ensure the National Robotarium makes a positive impact by accelerating growth, attracting investment and acting as a catalyst for entrepreneurship and job creation.”

This comes less than a month after the UK Government set out an ambitious plan to level up the whole of the United Kingdom. In addition to existing City Region and City and Growth Deals, our Levelling Up White Paper set up further plans to harness innovation, including £100 million in funding to set up three innovation accelerators across the UK, including one in Glasgow. These will create “Silicon Valley” set ups which will harness research and development in the area.

We have already seen investment as part of the UK Government suite of levelling up funds. £1.7 billion was invested throughout the UK in round one of the Levelling Up Fund including £172 million on 8 projects in Scotland.

While in Edinburgh, Mr Gove also visited the flagship UK Government Hub in Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth House, and spoke at the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and Improvement Service Annual Conference 2022. He also appeared before a Scottish Parliamentary Committee.

Further information

· The National Robotarium is a world-leading research facility for robotics and artificial intelligence, the largest and most advanced of its type in the UK. 

·  Opening on Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh Campus in 2022, the purpose-built building will have unrivalled facilities, adding high precision manufacturing and dedicated laser labs to existing laboratories in ocean systems, human-robotic interaction and assisted living.

· Home to world-leading experts in data analytics, the National Robotarium is exploring collaborative interaction between humans, robots and their environments, translating cutting-edge research into new technologies, underpinned by an ethical approach.

For more information, please visit www.hw.ac.uk/nationalrobotarium

Follow Twitter: @NRobotarium / LinkedIn: @The National Robotarium

Tourism and food & drink among sectors pegged to benefit from data innovation

The potential of digital technology and innovation for organisations in Fife and the Scottish Borders has been highlighted in white papers from the City Region Deal’s Data-Driven Innovation (DDI) initiative.

The reports explain the potential for both local authority areas to harness DDI and boost sectors, including food and drink, renewable energy, and tourism, and in the delivery of public services, from remote healthcare through to demand-led public transport.

Delivered by the University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University as part of the City Region Deal, the DDI initiative aims to enhance data capability across key industry sectors to establish the city region as the Data Capital of Europe.

Jarmo Eskelinen, director of the DDI initiative, said: “The DDI initiative is already helping diverse sectors share ideas, challenges, and experiences to support south-east Scotland’s tech and innovation ecosystems. But DDI’s potential is not limited to organisations that traditionally rely on digital technology. By better gathering and analyse of information, many organisations can develop products and services to better meet the needs of their customers.”

The two reports are the product of research by academics at the University of Edinburgh working in close collaboration with Scottish Borders Council and Fife Council.

The newly published consultation on the Regional Prosperity Framework for the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region sets out the basis on which partners are likely to mount future regional investment bids. Data will be vital, in capturing insights for any such bids and in driving prosperity and well-being as investment programmes are developed and delivered.

As partners in the City Region Deal, experts at the University of Edinburgh’s DDI initiative stand ready to help the region achieve these objectives.

£40m City Region Deal funding unlocked for Edinburgh Innovation Park

The business case supporting development of a flagship food & drink innovation hub in East Lothian has been given the green light by officials, unlocking £40m City Region Deal funding for Edinburgh Innovation Park. The full business case was passed by Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal Joint Committee after a presentation by joint venture partners for the development, Queen Margaret University (QMU) and East Lothian Council.

The Food and Drink Innovation Hub is supported by £28.6 million from the UK Government, £1.4 million from the Scottish Government and £10 million from East Lothian Council as part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal.  The deal is a £1.3 billion regional investment programme jointly funded by the UK and Scottish governments and regional partners.  

Closely aligned to the University’s strengths, the hub will focus on food and drink related innovation within the context of health and wellbeing and will include serviced laboratories and office accommodation as well as facilities for events. It will accommodate facilities of the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation, already a successful research partner to the food and drink sector, and will offer access to equipment, knowledge and skills to support product development and product launches.​ As well as bricks and mortar, there will be a full programme of activities to foster innovation, boost female entrepreneurship, and address market and societal need.

The innovation hub is in a prime strategic location next to the QMU campus on the boundaries of both Edinburgh and Midlothian. The hub will be the anchor for Edinburgh Innovation Park which will be developed over time to create a nationally significant centre of knowledge exchange, innovation and high value business growth.

Work will commence immediately to select the design team and finalise designs for the hub. Construction is expected to begin early in 2023 and will be completed in 2025.

Sir Paul Grice, Principal, Queen Margaret University said:

“This is great news for East Lothian, and for Scotland’s food and drink sector, especially as it relates to society’s health and wellbeing. The committee’s approval to release £40 million City Deal funding will aid economic recovery from the impacts of the pandemic by bringing quality jobs and investment to the area, and by supporting an important sector through research, knowledge exchange and skills training. Together with our joint venture partners East Lothian Council, we can now move forward to realise our vision of a strategic, sustainable development that will promote inclusive growth.”

Councillor Norman Hampshire, depute council leader, said:

“I’m absolutely delighted to reach such an important milestone for this exciting project which will promote inclusive growth locally and regionally and create a significant number of new jobs and skills pathways. East Lothian, Scotland’s food and drink county, is the perfect location for a Food and Drink Innovation Hub.

“The importance of growing the economy has been heightened by the challenges of the pandemic and the need to focus on securing a strong recovery. In one of Scotland’s fastest growing areas, we must provide opportunities for good-quality, local employment as well as opportunities for young people.

“This is Phase 1 of our plans for the wider Edinburgh Innovation Park providing a unique opportunity to transform a strategic economic development site, owned by East Lothian Council.

“Working with our partners, the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal and Queen Margaret University, this project will deliver significant benefits for the people of East Lothian.”

James Withers, Chief Executive of Scotland Food and Drink, said:

“Despite the challenges the industry has faced over the last year, Scotland’s food and drink sector has huge opportunities ahead of it, both in markets locally and globally. Pivotal to grasping these opportunities is innovation and increasing the collaborative working between Scotland‘s universities, research base and our food and drink producers. This investment is exactly the kind of catalyst to make that happen.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart said:

"Scotland already has a global reputation for quality food and drink and this new hub will cement its place as a world in leader with a focus on the new fields of health and wellbeing.  This will bring new companies and investment to the area and create jobs.  

"Across Scotland the UK Government is investing more than £1.5 billion into City and Growth Deal projects, helping communities to build back better from the pandemic."

The Scottish Government’s Economy Secretary Kate Forbes said:

“I’m very pleased to see progress being made in the delivery of the food and drink innovation hub, funded through the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, that will bring high quality jobs to the area as well as increase skills and foster innovation in the food and drink sector.

“City Region and Growth Deals will be a crucial part of our economic recovery from the pandemic as we work towards a fairer and more inclusive Scotland. We are investing £300 million over 15 years to the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal across transport, housing, culture, innovation and skills to help achieve this.

“This is a crucial time for business, trade and investment in Scotland and investing in our communities will ensure every part of Scotland recovers from the pandemic, helping build an economy for everyone.”