Scotland's innovation landscape and supporting infrastructure

Scotland’s entrepreneurial success is powered by more than talented founders alone… Behind every innovative business is a network of organisations helping entrepreneurs develop ideas, access expertise, embrace new technologies and bring products and services to market. Find out about all these fabulous organisations and more in the Scottish Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and unlock new opportunities to drive innovation-led growth in your business.

The first call for the RAMP: Raw Materials Partnership for the Green and Digital Transition programme has been launched. It is a partnership under Horizon Europe that focuses on research and innovation regarding sustainable and efficient raw material supply. 37 funding agencies from 25 countries are participating in the first Joint Transnational Call, including VLAIO - Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Pre-proposals can be submitted until 22 September 2026. https://lnkd.in/ebx4miHK

Ecosystems don't build themselves. It takes coaching, connections, and people on the ground who know their region. 🤝 That's the work of the FIERCE Project Ecosystem Building Programme: helping innovation intermediaries strengthen Local Entrepreneurship Initiatives and plug them into EU-wide networks. 🚀 Working with an innovation intermediary or local entrepreneurship initiative? Find out how to get involved: https://lnkd.in/gNm4r6Hu #FIERCEProject #Innovation #Ecosystem #RawMaterials

Ecosystems don't build themselves. It takes coaching, connections, and people on the ground who know their region. 🤝 That's the work of the FIERCE Project Ecosystem Building Programme: helping innovation intermediaries strengthen Local Entrepreneurship Initiatives and plug them into EU-wide networks. 🚀 Working with an innovation intermediary or local entrepreneurship initiative? Find out how to get involved: https://lnkd.in/gNm4r6Hu #FIERCEProject #Innovation #Ecosystem #RawMaterials

🤝 Building stronger innovation ecosystems means going beyond supporting individual organisations. The 𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐄 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞 works with 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 to strengthen local innovation ecosystems through coaching, strategic guidance, and networking. By supporting the development of 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬, the Programme empowers local entrepreneurs, fosters partnerships and promotes sustainable, community-driven growth, while connecting local actors with EU-wide networks for knowledge exchange. 🚀 Ready to get involved? Learn more here 👉https://lnkd.in/gNm4r6Hu #FIERCEProject #HorizonEurope #EUSpace #Ecosystem #Innovation   Q-PLAN INTERNATIONAL Novaspace FundingBox Europa Media Tech Tour EIT RawMaterials DREVEN

Is Europe's growth engine slowing down? Not quite. The 2026 European Scaleup Monitor shows growth rates cooling across high-growth firms after several exceptional post-pandemic years. But Professor Veroniek Collewaert (she/her), who co-authors the research, is clear: this is normalisation, not decline. Current growth levels remain well above pre-pandemic levels. And the geography of European growth is shifting. Southern Europe, especially Portugal and Greece, is becoming one of the continent's most dynamic regions, while some traditional leaders like Germany have seen their share of fast-growing firms fall. Vlerick is a founding member of the European Scaleup Institute, the collaboration behind this annual research. "What matters is not only the percentage of companies growing fast, but the absolute number of companies behind those percentages," says Collewaert. Read the full findings. Link in the comments. #Entrepreneurship #ScaleUp #Research #Vlerick

Space Park Leicester calls on ambitious innovators to seize European Space Agency business opportunity Innovative start-ups and ambitious entrepreneurs with ideas that could transform the future of space technology are being encouraged to apply for one of Europe's most prestigious business incubation programmes before the next application deadline on 28 August 2026.... https://lnkd.in/ei4T6hrt

It was a privilege to represent Enterprise Ireland as a judge at the Innovate4Sustainability Pitch Competition, celebrating the next generation of innovators developing solutions to some of our biggest sustainability challenges. The quality of the pitches was genuinely impressive. It was encouraging to see students thinking beyond research and technology to address real societal and environmental problems through innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercial potential. Events like this reinforce why that mission is so important. Today's student projects have the potential to become tomorrow's high-potential startups, creating economic value while addressing global challenges. Ireland has built an innovation ecosystem where universities, industry, government, and enterprise agencies work together to translate research into real-world impact. With strengths in ICT, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, MedTech, and sustainability, Ireland is well positioned to develop globally competitive solutions aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The future of sustainable innovation in Ireland is bright, and after seeing the passion, creativity, and ambition on display, I'm excited to see how many of these ideas evolve into successful ventures with global impact. A sincere thank you to the organisers, fellow judges, mentors, and all the participants for an inspiring event. I look forward to following your entrepreneurial journeys. Gloria Rull | Gavan Cleary | Claire Mc Bride | Mark Peters | Enterprise Ireland | Technological University Dublin | South East Technological University | University of Galway | Higher Education Authority (HEA)  #EnterpriseIreland #Innovation #ResearchCommercialisation #Sustainability #UNSDGs #ClimateInnovation #Entrepreneurship #Startups #HigherEducation #Ireland #Innovate4Sustainability Press release: https://lnkd.in/eQZhdzEh

The DAIR Innovation Network continues to grow with the addition of Sheridan College and The Bench Advisory Group 🧩 Their combined strengths in education, applied research, entrepreneurship and investment bring new perspectives to a network built around connection, collaboration and action. Explore the full Innovation Network today at: https://lnkd.in/gy2r5y_2 By joining the network, organizations become part of a collaborative ecosystem connecting industry, academia and investment to strengthen innovation pathways, accelerate growth and create meaningful impact across Canada’s aerospace and advanced manufacturing sectors. 📈

I'm excited to see Sheridan College join Downsview Aerospace Innovation & Research (DAIR). One of the things that impressed me most about DAIR is its focus on bringing together industry, academia, and innovation partners to tackle shared opportunities and challenges. Those connections create real value—not only for organizations, but also for students preparing to enter the workforce. I'm particularly looking forward to opportunities for Sheridan students through co-op and internship work-terms, applied research projects, workplace simulation initiatives, industry networking, and workforce upskilling. For students in our Engineering degrees, skilled trades programs, supply chain and related fields, this connection helps strengthen pathways into Canada's growing aerospace and advanced manufacturing sectors. Thank you to the DAIR team for the warm welcome. Looking forward to collaborating with fellow members and seeing what we can accomplish together. Shahrzad Farzinpak Marko Jovanovic Matt Rempel, MBA, EdD Amjed Majeed, Ph.D., P.Eng. Dev (Dave) Baichan, MBA, RSE Carolyn Moorlag