Central Scotland

Games and Web 3.0

Dundee has a rich history in game development, with titles like Lemmings, Grand Theft Auto and Crackdown being developed within the city. This has enabled the region to become known as ‘the UK’s home of video game development’. With the likes of Outplay Entertainment and Rockstar North both having their headquarters in Dundee, it is clear that this vertical plays a major role in the city's economy. As a result there are various smaller studios within the city at various stages, some who are developing their own games, and others who provide work for hire services (mostly a mixture of both). There is also an excited movement from games into web 3.0 related products among some startups, and particular interest in this space.

Cybersecurity and ethical hacking

Abertay University has invested heavily in its Cyber Quarter which houses a dedicated cyber security testing lab as well as expertise from a range of areas such as law enforcement, legal, finance and technology industries on hand to assist businesses in protecting themselves against online threats. Furthermore, thanks to its links with organisations such as Cyber Scotland and the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC), Abertay is at the forefront of providing cyber security advice and training throughout Scotland – making this an increasingly attractive vertical for tech companies looking to set up shop in Dundee.

Creative

Dundee boasts an impressive creative sector due to its proximity to world renowned educational institutions such as Duncan of Jordanstone College and its vibrant cultural life, primarily exemplified by the presence of the V&A Museum. The V&A have previously run Design for Business accelerators, focussing on design thinking and innovative approaches to problem solving. Again, this vertical lends itself to innovation due to prominence of design thinking and cross over with mixed reality, animation and immersive design with tech.

Fintech

Edinburgh's fintech sector has flourished as a vibrant hub for financial technology innovation, benefiting from the city's rich financial history and strong ties to traditional finance. Supported by renowned universities and a collaborative culture, the sector has attracted a diverse range of fintech companies, leveraging technology to revolutionise payments, banking, and insurance. Notable successes, such as FreeAgent and Money Dashboard, have bolstered Edinburgh's reputation, while industry collaborations further fuel its growth, making it a leading global fintech destination.

LawTech

Edinburgh's lawtech cluster has emerged as a dynamic and thriving hub for innovation and technology-driven solutions in the legal sector. Building on the city's strong legal heritage and renowned universities, the cluster brings together legal professionals, technology experts, and entrepreneurs to drive advancements in legal services and access to justice. Edinburgh's lawtech ecosystem benefits from a collaborative culture, with initiatives like legal tech meetups and accelerators fostering networking and knowledge exchange. Startups and established companies in areas such as legal research, contract management, and legal analytics are leveraging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and enhance legal outcomes. Supported by government initiatives and industry collaborations, Edinburgh's lawtech cluster is positioned as a leading global destination for legal technology innovation.

Education

Energy

The Highlands and Islands continue to lead the way in terms of green energy conversion in response to the global climate emergency within the UK, with large offshore and onshore investments in wind turbines and their supporting infrastructure, as well as the development of wave and hydroelectric generation. Investment in infrastructure for connectivity to the national grid has brought with it sound levels of economic reward and greater levels of broadband connectivity across the region, opening up even more economic channels for development, such as the tech sector. Recent investment into the Inverness and Cromarty port authorities in the form of a Green Freeport seeks to repurpose manufacturing yards previously utilised for oil into a just transition towards the green economy and provides a significant opportunity for local tech development to support the sector.

Food and Drink

A burgeoning sector of the Scottish Economy, the Highlands and Islands are well placed within this vertical, producing quality products throughout the region with a strong competitive advantage due to their provenance. With products from Distilling and Brewing, Aquaculture production, Fisheries and Farming, many of these are processed and packaged locally for distribution within worldwide markets. Emerging technologies are playing a major role within this sector, with collaborative working from academia, regional economic development agencies and national stakeholders helping to improve competitiveness and growth.

Life Sciences

With more than 80 Life Sciences operating within the Highlands and Islands, employing approximately 2500 people, this is an often hidden, but large and very productive sector for the region, which is afforded significant support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise. With recent investments in a new Life Sciences Innovation Centre within Inverness to further collaboration between industry and academia, the sector is set to continue to grow. The vertical provides, in many cases, organisations with a high growth mindset, international outlook and high-wage positions in the local economy. Often sitting at the edge of technological development in their fields, the crossovers with the tech sector are evident and with continued growth comes a continued requirement for tech solutions to aid in the development of Life Sciences solutions.

Energy

Aberdeen has long been renowned as a global energy hub, critical in terms of the UK’s energy security and in terms of energy incumbents leading the energy transition. The oil and gas energy has loomed large in the region, and with the increasing demand for a “just” transition, the pressure is on for organisations to innovate and decentralise.

Fishing

Fishing has played a significant role in the history of the North East of Scotland. The two largest commercial fishing ports in Scotland and indeed the UK are in Peterhead and Fraserburgh and with half of Scotland’s fish landings being made in the North East it is another sector that makes a significant contribution to Scotland’s economy. Peterhead is Europe’s largest fishing port with over 151 million tonnes of fish landed there in 2021, over 50% of the total tonnage landed in Scotland.Technological applications in fishing revolve around more efficient location of stocks as well as trading landed stock more effectively in order to reduce waste.

Health & Social Care

NHS Grampian is one of the fourteen regional health boards of NHS Scotland. It provides healthcare services to Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, and Moray Health & Social Care Partnerships. With 17,000 staff across multiple locations and an ageing population in the region the health board faces multiple challenges particularly around recruitment and retention of staff. Technology will play a crucial role in improving the efficient delivery of care, maximising productivity and improving preventative and responsive care for people in the region.

Travel & Tourism

The North East of Scotland is an increasingly popular tourist destination that has seen considerable advances in marketing effort in this sector in recent years. There are a number of attractions including castles and museums which complement the region's fine coastal and mountain landscapes. Tourism generates in excess of £1 billion to the local economy and with an international airport located in Aberdeen and a newly opened cruise ship facility at the new Aberdeen South Harbour there is significant potential to grow this sector.Technology will help consumers continue to engage with content and improve their understanding of what’s on offer in the North East for visitors.

Agriculture

Agriculture is a primary industry of the South of Scotland. In 2019, Scotland's agriculture industry contributed around £1.3 billion to the Scottish economy and employed 67,000 people. Scottish Dairy accounts for 9% of UK milk production and in 2019, there were 843 dairy farms in Scotland with a herd of 50 or more dairy cattle. Over 65% of dairy herds in Scotland are based in SW Scotland, and the industry contributes a total value of £800m to the Scottish economy.[1] The Digital Dairy Chain project is supporting innovation and the digital transformation of the sector, and the Digital Growth Grant, delivered by Barclays Eagle Labs and CodeBase is supporting innovation in the agricultural sector.

TravelTech

South of Scotland has an abundance of natural resources and organisations developing and protecting the environment.  Galloway Forest Park, the largest in the UK, has Dark Sky Park status, with nearby Loch Ken Trust developing ways to preserve the natural beauty of the area and support sustainable local communities.  SW Scotland also plays host to Scotland’s only biosphere reserve, Galloway and South Ayrshire Biosphere, which promotes the natural resources of the region.  

Because of the bountiful nature in the South, we have plenty of hospitality, tourism and leisure businesses.  The new Rhins of Galloway walk, launched in 2023, the Southern Upland Way and the South Coastal trail in development, as well as the road trip route, South West Coastal 300 are just a few of the leisure offerings in the region.  

A bounty of heritage buildings and tourism offerings throughout the region means that tech has an opportunity in supporting the development and retrofitting of buildings to engage new audiences and create smart and usable spaces. 

The South of Scotland has an ambition to become a world destination for cycling.  In 2022, the British National Road Championships were held in Dumfries & Galloway and the 2023 UCI Cycling Championships, taking place across Scotland, with 4 races in the South of Scotland.  The newly formed Kirkpatrick cycle route stretching 250 miles from coast to coast across the South of Scotland, and the Mountain Bike Centre for Innovation in Innerleithen hosted by Napier University means that this part of Scotland has plenty of opportunity to develop tech in sustainable travel, leisure and tourism offerings.  

Space

Ambitions and plans are underway to create a horizontal spaceport in Prestwick, bringing massive opportunities to Ayrshire and building on strong existing aerospace activity in the region. Ayrshire is a centre of excellence in aerospace and engineering with over 50% of the Scottish aerospace workforce in the area, and world leading aerospace companies based here. Software and technology are key to the development of the space sector. Dumfries hosted the European Lunar Symposium in 2024. There are also several observatories across the South of Scotland, Crawick Multiverse and a Dark Space Planetarium in Kirkcudbright providing aspirational spaces for the space and astronomy sectors.