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.”

Podcast: Can data help families in the City Region escape poverty and social isolation?

The latest instalment in the podcast series between the City Region Deal's Data-Driven Innovation programme and the Scotsman examines how data can support families in the Edinburgh city region suffering from poverty and social isolation. 

A new project, the City Region Deal's Intensive Family Support Service, is harnessing data to ensure the benefits of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal - especially new job opportunities  - are fairly spread throughout society. 

Sarah Galey-Horn of the University of Edinburgh discusses how the new project is seeking to find great examples of family support, and to share that brilliant work across the region.  She is joined by Kate Kelman of the Capital City Partnership and Laura Millar from Fife Gingerbread to explain how data is used and how expertise is pooled to make the lives of families across the city region better. The panel also explore how the pandemic has changed their approach to tackling this issue. From Fife Gingerbread organising evenings for lone parents on zoom to parents building support networks online. 

To listen to the podcast, please click on this link.

Work Gets Underway on City Deal Project in Kirkcaldy

Fife’s flagship Industrial Innovation Investment programme has now begun construction work on seven single storey business units on land to the east of Midfield Drive, within Dunnikier Business Park, Kirkcaldy.

The modern buildings include solar panels and are located at an established and popular business location in the town, close to key transport links including public transport.  The units are scheduled for completion in the autumn, and will boost economic development opportunities within Kirkcaldy, and provide small business space to local enterprises with growth ambitions. 

The project is part of a wider investment programme, the Fife Industrial Innovation Investment (i3) programme, which will deliver new buildings and serviced sites across Mid and South Fife.  It will support the creation of 1,000 new skilled permanent jobs and almost 600 short-term construction jobs.  It also aims to attract around £30 million in private sector investment. This will be facilitated by joint working between the region’s universities, Fife businesses and Fife Council to deliver high value jobs. The programme is part of the £1.3 billion Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, a partnership of local authorities, universities and colleges, and the Scottish and UK Governments to deliver a 15-year programme that will transform the regional economy.

Neil Crooks, Convener - Kirkcaldy Area Committee, Fife Council: "I am pleased that this project is now underway, and that Kirkcaldy is one of the first towns in Fife to benefit from investment from the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal. 

“Our focus in Fife is firmly on fairer economic growth, where everyone benefits from good employment opportunities.  I’m looking forward to seeing tenants getting in and getting going when these units are finished next autumn.  That’s what this investment is really about, supporting growing businesses that can invest in their workforce to create and sustain good jobs.  The properties themselves are being built with future challenges and opportunities in mind, so the companies locating here will have premises that can adapt with their business model.”

The Fife Industrial Innovation Investment programme will be delivered in three phases. Phase one, which runs until March 2022, includes projects Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy, Lochgelly, Dunfermline and Dalgety Bay and will deliver a mix of completed buildings to let and serviced land available for immediate investment by new or existing businesses.

Altany Craik, Convener - Economy, Tourism. Strategic Planning & Transportation Committee, Fife Council, added: “This project is the first visible sign in Kirkcaldy of the positive changes that the City Region Deal will bring to Fife.

“Through the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal regional partners will secure more than £1.3 billion of investment for the city region over the next 15 years.  We believe that this can create clear opportunities for genuine inclusive economic growth and investment in Fife. 

“The Deal focuses on growing the regional economy through collaboration and by being outward-looking, building on the region’s existing strengths in key sectors and industries. Our Fife Industrial Innovation Investment programme will increase the supply of serviced employment land and new industrial, office and business space in Fife.

"Through the wider City Region Deal Fife businesses will have increased opportunities to build-on the value they generate from their data by adopting digital technologies, and use this to create new products, and generate both new supply chain arrangements and new business models - creating and safeguarding jobs."

Leasing enquiries can be made to business.property@fife.gov.uk

Contact Information

Fife Council

01592 583312

Fifecouncil.news@fife.gov.uk