Highlands and Islands Enterprise clicks on to £465k investment in digital and innovation support programme for businesses
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
BUSINESSES in the Highlands and Islands which want to develop their use of digital technology and innovation are set to benefit from a new £465,000 support programme.
The new initiative was announced by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) at a digital collaboration event to launch the refreshed #hellodigital facility in An Lochran in Inverness.
More than 2500 businesses across the region are expected to benefit over the next three years from specialist advice and events on topics such as data innovation, artificial intelligence (AI), sensors and internet of things (IoT), as well as robotics and cyber resilience.
The programme will also be accessible to established community groups and social enterprises.
David Oxley, HIE director of business growth, said: “This is about helping businesses become more productive, efficient and competitive through increased adoption and use of digital technology. The investment will also enable us to attract other funding through more collaboration and partnership initiatives.
“The programme aligns with digital provision available across HIE, as well as Business Gateway, Scottish Enterprise and The Scottish Government. It will focus on the ambitions set-out by The Scottish Government Digital Strategy and Enterprise and Skills review for co-creation of programmes, collaboration, simplifying processes and achieving best value.”
Scotland's digital economy minister Kate Forbes MSP said: “The Scottish Government wants to put Scotland at the forefront of the digital and technological revolution, and create a world leading digital economy. That can only be achieved by collaborating with, and drawing upon the experience and skills of, industry experts, academic leaders, and the business community in this country and further afield. Events like today’s play a vital part in bringing together those groups and create a platform for innovation and collaboration.”
Also announced was the creation of a new digital economy programme board and industry advisory group for the Highlands and Islands, while the Scottish Business Resilience Centre, National Cyber Security Centre and Police Scotland are also combining to provide cyber security events and support for rural businesses the region in a new collaboration backed by the Scottish Government Cyber Resilience Unit.
The digital and innovation support programme investment by HIE is in addition to the agency’s wider support for technology and innovation running until 2023. This includes HIE’s current investment in Phase 2 of The Data Lab Innovation Centre, CENSIS and Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) – a total investment of £1.25 million over five years.
