North East Scotland
The Highlands and Islands region covers the mainland Scottish Highlands, Shetland, Orkney, and the Outer and Inner Hebrides. A relatively new ecosystem in terms of Tech, there are several vibrant key industries making progress here such as green energy, blue economy, food and drink, tourism, life sciences, creative industries, and space, all of which have significant or potentially significant tech aspects to them. Continuing investment in the region through the Islands Growth Deal; Inverness & Highland City - Region Deal and the newly awarded Inverness a Cromarty Firth Green Freeport Deal show a serious level of commitment by both Scottish and UK Government to encourage growth and innovation in an area that they have highlighted as one of digital opportunity.
The wider economy has strong agriculture, fishing, health & social care, life sciences and tourism as main players in addition to the associated service sector that supports the energy sector as well as the wider population.
The two universities, the University of Aberdeen, and Robert Gordon University, continue to attract students from all over the world and continue to build their reputations for developing world class talent in Aberdeen. The challenge remains how do we retain that talent in the region when there are significant labour shortages across all sectors in the local economy.
More widely across the region there are significant centres of population dotted across the landscape. These all have their own individual challenges with local industry in transition and areas on the local authority regeneration agenda. Small businesses struggle to adapt to digital due to the existing infrastructure in place. The challenge will be to provide clear pathways for accessing support to startups at every stage in the journey and with varying levels of technical understanding, as well as helping rural communities get a better understanding of the opportunities that there are in tech.
The Shetland Islands 200 miles to the north also has a link to the North East, historically through the fishing sector, but more recently and looking to the future in the Energy Sector. Shetland’s remoteness has been leveraged on the islands and this has created a fierce sense of independence, community, and innovation.
Key industries
Through Techscaler and other CodeBase programmes we support startups in every sector, however we’ve highlighted below some key industries that are significant in this region and have an existing foundation here. The existing investor landscape in Aberdeen and the North East does tend to focus on the energy industry.
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.
Agriculture and Agritech
North East Scotland’s food, drink and wider agriculture sector are an integral part of the North East Economy and account for 20% of Scotland’s food and drink production, in a region that accounts for 10% of Scotland’s population. The primary products are beef, pork, lamb and malting barley. Agritech is a significant opportunity as the sector strives to double output and exports by 2030, as well as increasing productivity.
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.
Life Sciences
The North East is home to leading life sciences research in biologics and a distinct cluster of clinical-stage biotech companies. The region’s goal is to harness these strengths and related asset base to develop one of the most exciting commercial life sciences clusters in the world. ONE BioHub Aberdeen is the new home for life sciences in North East Scotland. The intention is for it to be the place for researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs to translate world-leading science to the marketplace.
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.
Law
The North East has a varied legal sector with a number of law firms that offer services in commercial, family, employment and property law. Activity in the energy sector is strong as you would expect with a number of companies specialising in servicing the energy sectors requirements. Lawtech is an undoubted opportunity to engage with legal companies in the North East.
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.
What support is available to you in North East Scotland?
The Team
Head of Regional Engagement, Paul Clelland, is your first point of contact for the region. They’re here to help you find the right support through joining the Techscaler community and becoming a Techscaler member, and grow regional participation in the Techscaler programme.
Contact The Regional Team
Workspace
Hot Desking
Please contact ONE Tech Hub directly on their website or via info@onetechhub.co.uk.
Coworking
Please contact ONE Tech Hub directly on their website or via info@onetechhub.co.uk.
Office Space
Please contact ONE Tech Hub directly on their website or via info@onetechhub.co.uk.
Events & Meetups
Coworking day
CSO & Techscaler Partnership Webinar
Star
Community Support
We work with partners xxxxx to provide support in the area. Join us in the
Other regions
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about Techscaler. If you can’t find the answer to your question here please get in touch.
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Join Techscaler
If our education courses are of interest to you, apply for Techscaler membership. Membership is for people working in startups who are at all stages of the startup journey, from ideation through to scaling phase, based in Scotland, and with ambitions to grow their business. Fill in the application form and Team Techscaler will get back to you as soon as possible to let you know your suitability for Techscaler membership and benefits available to you.
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