Big Ideas

The Calling summit promises to unlock Scotland’s leadership potential
“I have always believed leadership is not a badge you wear; it is the impact you create” – Peter Vardy

Heriot-Watt PhD students Arran Sykes and Harmony Li in conversation regarding a quantum sensing system. Picture: Chris Watt Photography/Heriot-Watt University

How a Scottish university is developing the 'near unhackable' quantum internet

'We're just scratching the surface with this, so the potential for growth is there,' says Greenock of Go Swag. Picture: contributed.

How this entrepreneur aims to turn gift boxes into the next Scottish unicorn

The grand front entrance of the new Edinburgh Futures Institute, the result of a major 'recycling' project which has transformed the historical Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh building into a state-of-the-art innovation hub and public space

Inside story: Look what happened to Edinburgh’s grand old Royal Infirmary

Researchers have been conducting virtual-reality and real-life tests to assess the best way of communicating to cyclists the intentions of self-driving vehicles

How can cyclists avoid crashes with driverless cars?

'Throughout my career I’ve been extensively involved with transformation projects enabled by technology,' says the NMIS CEO. Picture: contributed.

Interview: Chris Courtney, CEO of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland

Ocean Winds has erected the first turbine at its Moray West offshore wind farm in the north-east of Scotland, with workers operating out of the Port of Nigg

First giant turbine standing tall at new offshore wind farm

Gareth Williams is the co-founder and former chief executive of Skyscanner, the Edinburgh travel search site that was acquired by Chinese giant Ctrip Group in 2016. Picture: Chris Watt/Visual Media

Skyscanner co-founder to mentor intern as part of prestigious scholarship scheme

'This additional funding will support our goal to push on into an operational launch phase and scale our business when the time comes,' says Orbex. Picture: contributed.

One giant leap for Scotland's space sector as firm secures SNIB funding boost

Join The Scotsman for a day of insightful discussions and debate on the challenges and opportunities the expansion of green energy presents for the Highlands and Islands at a special conference being staged in Inverness on June 5

The future of green energy and what it means for the Highlands and Islands

There was a SpaceX Starlink rocket launch every two days in 2023 and other companies and nations are rushing to compete – the number of satellites is doubling every two years, with no sign of stopping. Picture: Max Alexander

Why we need to be custodians of the cosmos as space race gathers momentum

Keynote speaker Anne Lise Kjaer addresses the conference. Image: Sandy Young Photography

Ad Feature Scottish National Investment Bank: investing in people and the planet

Explainer Disco inferno - how Glasgow clubbers are fuelling trendy gig venue

The Berwick Bank offshore wind farm would see 304 giant turbines built in the outer Firth of Forth, around 22 miles away from St Abbs head national nature reserve – an important breeding ground for globally significant seabird species. Picture: NTS

UK’s biggest offshore wind farm needs rethink, conservationists warn

Willie Watt, chair of the Scottish National Investment Bank. Image: Nick Mailer

Ad Feature Building innovative strategies across Scotland

Sir Tom says: 'This is by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs; tailored to meet their needs and support them through accelerated growth.' Picture: contributed.

Sir Tom Hunter-backed initiative launches new search for 'next Scottish unicorn'

From left: Roy Hotrabhvanon and Hayden Ball of PlayerData who feature on the Under30s list. Picture: Stewart Attwood.

In depth: Scotland represented on prestigious ranking of young entrepreneurs

A hand on a radiator.

Are Scots in home hydrogen test project being kept in the dark over risks?

MSP Richard Lochhead says: 'Through the delivery of the Inward Investment Plan, the Scottish Government will continue to help ensure we make the most of our competitive advantages and strengths to maintain our position as a leading destination for inward investment.' Picture: contributed.

Firms progressing projects with Scots unis amid bid to grow inward investment

Temple Melville, CEO of The Scotcoin Project CIC, says the new initiative provides 'a new constituency of people and charitable organisations to support'. Picture: contributed.

'Scotland’s only search engine and only cryptocurrency' unveil new partnership

Water that collects in abandoned coal mines could be utilised to provide green heating for homes as part of a pioneering trial in Edinburgh. Picture: Neil Hanna

How supercomputers and abandoned coal mines could be harnessed to heat your home

Phillip Chambers, CEO, Orbex and Miguel Belló Mora, executive chair, Orbex. Picture by Abermedia

Sutherland Spaceport firm makes heavyweight hires ahead of 'incredible journey'

The winners of the 22nd round of Scottish Edge, who share the £1.5 million prize pot. Picture: contributed.

In depth: Scottish Edge unveils 'bold, brave and brilliant' 22nd round winners

Tom Walker is head of wind at renewables multinational Statkraft, which operates several onshore wind and solar assets in Scotland and the UK has recently opened a new headquarters in Glasgow

How wind sector deal will help meet an era-defining challenge

Arran Dewar, executive director of SIS Ventures, says: 'I am particularly pleased with the steps taken by our investee companies towards commercial growth and progress on delivery of impact.' Picture: Stewart Attwood.

In depth: key Scottish impact investment vehicle reveals positive impact to date

Alex Lusty stresses that she and Equity Gap are keen to foster female entrepreneurs. Picture: Lisa Ferguson.

Interview: Alex Lusty on Equity Gap's work turbocharging ambitious firms

Scottish Enterprise boss Adrian Gillespie has welcomed the record year 'as spin-outs are vital for Scotland’s economy'. Picture: contributed.

Scottish Enterprise notches up support of record number of academic spin-outs

The British Business Bank's £150 million pot aims to unlock additional funding to help smaller businesses in Scotland to prosper. Picture: contributed.

British Business Bank officially launches £150m fund to turbocharge Scots firms

The Scottish cohort selected for Lisbon attended a launch at sponsor Johnston Carmichael in Edinburgh, alongside Foras co-founders Dec McLaughlin, Caro Melendez, and Nick Murray. Picture: contributed.

Delegation of 48 Scots selected for entrepreneurship-focused visit to Lisbon

'As part of a people-first approach to AI, it will always require some human intervention to promote our values as moral beings.' Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto.

The importance of showcasing AI's ethical integrity - Rachel Aldighieri comment

Turbines are currently being removed from Hagshaw Hill wind farm in Lanarkshire, one of the first commercial schemes in Scotland. Picture: Sandy Young/scottishphotographer.com

How repowering first-generation wind farms can ramp up green energy output

The world's oceans already soak up around a quarter of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but this absorption causes acidification that harms marine life such as corals and shellfish

How scientists aim to boost the ocean’s ability to fight climate change

The HonuWorx mothership, part of a subsea robotics project backed by the Net Zero Technology Centre in Aberdeen - the go-to tech hub for the North Sea energy industry

Boss of Scotland's net zero hub on why oil use can't just be switched off

James Watt, above, set up the Aberdeenshire beer-maker in 2007 along with fellow co-founder Martin Dickie. Picture: Andy Fallon

BrewDog flying high with expansion plans as 'unicorn' search reaches climax

Last year's conference

Green energy conference: How Scotland can be a global leader in renewables

Don't miss the latest edition of The Scotsman’s Deals podcast, focusing on energy

Ad Feature Investing in Scottish energy

James Watt is the co-founder of Aberdeenshire-based beer maker BrewDog, which has grown into a billion-dollar-plus global business.

BrewDog boss puts up £5m in 'unique' bid to find next billion-dollar unicorn

The Ineos petrochemicals complex at Grangemouth - one of the top greenhouse gas emitters in Scotland - was among 28 climate-polluting industrial sites analysed in the new Scottish Net Zero Road Map, produced by Neccus

Turning Scotland’s top climate-polluters green

AI is the name for computer systems that can perform tasks that are typically associated with humans, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, predictions and language translation – they are designed to learn and improve over time through the use of algorithms and data analysis

Is AI going to take over the world and can it save the planet?

James Anderson of Panmure House. Image: Matt Marcus

Ad Feature The need for innovation and long-termism in finance

Dr Claudia Cavalluzzo, executive director of Converge, says: 'It doesn’t matter whether you call yourself an ‘entrepreneur’ or a ‘founder’ or a ‘creative’ because we don’t care about those labels.'

Converge launching for 2023, aiming to help more start-ups reach new heights

'If a company wants investment in the bank by September 2023, it will have to start raising in January,' says the Raising Partners boss. Picture: Elaine Livingstone.

Firms will have to get 'scrappy' to lock down funding in 2023

Dr Hina Khan joins Space Scotland as its first-ever executive director, and says she is looking forward to bringing a fresh perspective to the industry. Picture: Mark F Gibson/Gibson Digital.

Space Scotland targets accelerated ascent with duo of senior appointments

Valuable insights shared at a Productivity Clubs Scotland meet in Tayside

Ad Feature National forum formed for Scotland's SMEs to exchange enterprising ideas

Work has begun on a cutting-edge vertical-launch spaceport in Shetland, with the first rockets due to lift off next year

Countdown to rocket launch begins as Shetland spaceport takes shape

Image: Adobe Stock

In full: The Scotsman's Deals 2022

The 100MW Pentland Floating Offshore Wind Farm, off the north coast of the Scottish mainland, will be the largest of its kind in the world – generating enough renewable electricity to power around 70,000 homes

Step forward in plan for world’s biggest floating wind farm in Scotland

'We look forward to supporting local companies and local public sector bodies, to help them to unlock the benefits of 5G-enabled technology,' says Sharon Neely of the S5GConnect Halo Kilmarnock. Picture: Jim Walker/Write Image.

Good reception to Scotland 5G Centre unveiling new Innovation Hub in Ayrshire

Picture: Lisa Ferguson

Green Skills Conference: Expert voices from the event

Speakers cornered at last week’s conference: Anna Bell from Fuel Change; Lauren Braidwood, manager of the National Energy Skills Accelerator project; Offshore Energies
UK’s Emily Taylor; Melanie Hill from ScottishPower, and Christine Currie, head of skills policy at Opito. Picture: Lisa Ferguson

Green Skills: Ensuring Scotland is at the vanguard of the green revolution

Picture: Lisa Ferguson

Green Skills: Eyes of the world will be on Scotland at COP27

ScottishPower Renewables’ community benefit funds are breathing new life into local areas

Ad Feature ScottishPower Renewables: empowering communities

Scotland has launched a pioneering sustainability roadmap for the country's growing space sector, the first of its kind in the world, as the country aims to to minimise the environmental impacts of rocket launches and satellite tech

Scotland launches mission to achieve greenest space industry in the universe

'Having sovereign launch capability is key to achieving a space superpower nation status,' says Mr Rosen. Picture: contributed.

Will Britain ever get off the launch pad? Comment by Skyrora COO Lee Rosen

Capita’s commitment to Scotland’s digital future

Ad Feature Capita’s commitment to Scotland’s digital future

PODCAST: Professor Thusha Rajendran look at the potential for robots to change Scotland

Ad Feature Robots: the future for Scotland

An artist's impression of Space Hub Sutherland, planned for Moine in the far north of Scotland -- which aims to be the world's first carbon-neutral spaceport on working croft land

Could space tourism flights cause the planet to heat faster?

The MDMC 'is accelerating life-changing medical devices from concept into commercial products', Dr Murray says. Picture: Lisa Ferguson.

The Big Interview: Dr Gillian Murray of Heriot-Watt University

Key personnel at Edinburgh-based Machines With Vision, into which Par Equity in February led a £2.5m investment. Picture: Stewart Attwood.

Scots VC firm Par Equity sees investment hit accelerator with busy Q1

Daniel Smith, founder at AstroAgency, GlobalScot and director of Space Scotland, is among speakers at the event. Picture: contributed.

Space tech focus of Edinburgh event to help UK-Swiss trade reach new heights

placeholder image

Ad Feature Sustainable Scotland: UK on verge of "something big" in offshore wind

'We’ve been tracking the Scottish market for over a decade and have been really impressed,' says Mr Robinson. Picture: Piranha Photography.

Scottish opportunity increasingly attractive to private equity - Stuart Robinson

Staff and participants from the 2021 programme. Picture: contributed.

Call for applicants for AI Accelerator helping start-ups reach global potential

'Transforming and improving business has been the theme of my career,' says Mr Miller. Picture: Lisa Ferguson.

The Big Interview: Stewart Miller, CEO of the National Robotarium

The IGS boss believes more of our food must be grown far closer to home, in ways that reduce emissions, which 'cannot be done with traditional methods alone'. Picture: Duncan McGlynn.

The Big Interview: David Farquhar, CEO of Intelligent Growth Solutions

Scottish energy development firm Intelligent Land Investments is working on large-scale pumped hydro storage projects, including Red John at Loch Ness and two other proposed schemes at Loch Ericht and Loch Awe

Storage wars: Why the UK must solve the biggest energy problem

From left: David Ovens, chair of SIS Ventures; Alastair Davis, chief executive at Social Investment Scotland; and Jill Arnold, head of SIS Ventures. Picture: contributed.

SIS Ventures aiming to raise up to £5m to help propel high-impact businesses

Mehrnaz Campbell, founder and CEO of Cheemia ReSet, one of the three firms taking to the #SMEstage next month. Picture: Donna Green Photography.

Three pioneering Scots SMEs secure prestigious slots at Can Do Innovation Summit

The Scotsman Top Stories

Scotland has failed to meet its latest target for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the latest official figures show. Picture: John Giles/PA Wire

Fail: Scotland misses climate target

Pro-independence protesters with Scottish Saltire flags (top) march for Scottish independence. Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images

Yousaf: Growing popular support for Yes the only way to Scottish independence

Nadine Dorries. Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

SNP MP cleared of bullying Nadine Dorries