£9.3 million initiative brings business and academia together

7 Oct 2014 04:20 PM

Launch of Construction Scotland Innovation Centre 

The new Construction Scotland Innovation Centre will become the engine behind business innovation growth and a leading centre for construction expertise, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said today.

The centre will provide the 31,000-plus businesses involved in the sector with a one-stop shop for accessing a team of academic experts and public support.

The Construction Scotland Innovation Centre has been supported by Scottish Funding Council with a total funding package of £9.3 million with additional financial support from the private sector. The centre is being delivered in partnership with Scottish Enterprise, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and 11 Scottish universities.

Launching the new centre at Construction Scotland Annual Conference the Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:

“Scotland has many creative, innovative companies and academic institutions capable of identifying growth opportunities and delivering industry solutions.

“We are supporting the international competitiveness of our universities by investing over £1 billion in higher education. We are also investing through the Scottish Funding Council £124 million over 6 years in a network of Scottish Innovation Centres allowing us to boost labour productivity and build on our highly-skilled workforces.

“Innovation Centres are about developing the best environment for businesses and academia to interact, taking innovative ambitious projects of excellence that have the potential to bring millions more to the economy and create thousands of jobs.

“The construction industry underpins all of Scotland’s key sectors and therefore underpins the success of our whole economy. Working together we can create the best environment for our businesses to thrive in partnership with academia to achieve our goals and aspirations for the sector.”

Chair of Construction Scotland Ed Monaghan said:

“The Innovation Centre will be instrumental in placing Scotland firmly on the map. Construction already strongly influences the quality of the environment that we live and work in and now more than ever it is essential that we work in together.

“It is essential that developments taking shape on projects around the country are connected to the academic capability and innovation in our higher education sector as this will ensure that an innovative culture pervades our industry.

“The role of the Innovation Centre is to transform that mindset and ensure innovation becomes business-as-usual, creating a sector that is sustainable and one that generates greater economic impact for Scotland.”

Notes To Editors

Edinburgh Napier University, which developed the bid alongside industry and other university partners, will carry out the administration of the centre.

Construction Scotland was established as the voice of the construction industry in Scotland bringing together industry, public sector and academia