SFC news published since 2018. See SFC archived content for earlier news articles.
University Innovation Fund
Innovation
The First Minister, Humza Yousaf, has launched a ten-year plan to accelerate and amplify the benefits of a network of entrepreneurial campuses across Scotland’s colleges and universities.
Designed to align with the National Strategy for Economic Transformation, the new strategy sets out actions to inspire an entrepreneurial outlook amongst students and staff as well as supporting student business start-ups.
It also aims to create more connections between different disciplines and to further strengthen the contribution of colleges and universities to regional economic development by linking them to entrepreneurial communities.
Speaking at the launch which took place during a visit to BeCentral, a digital campus based in Brussels, the First Minister said:
“Publication of this blueprint marks our clear commitment to supporting enterprise and innovation. We can capitalise on the world-leading research and development work that already goes on in our higher education institutions by inspiring and encouraging students and staff to engage with entrepreneurship and innovation learning.
“This publication also marks an important milestone as a key action from our National Strategy for Economic Transformation, helping maintain Scotland’s excellent reputation as a world-class entrepreneurial nation. I am confident it will lead to more students going on to found start-ups or taking up employment with one of our growing businesses, helping them develop and grow while retaining skills and talent in Scotland.”
Helen Cross, Director of Research and Innovation at the Scottish Funding Council, said:
“We are helping our universities to support the delivery of the Entrepreneurial Campus blueprint as well as Scotland’s Innovation Strategy by increasing their underpinning funding for knowledge exchange and innovation by £5.5 million the next academic year.
“This additional funding, allocated to universities through SFC’s University Innovation Fund, is earmarked to support collaborative activities which will support academics, postgraduate researchers, students and other university staff to be more entrepreneurial, creating new businesses and driving innovation.”
More information on the Entrepreneurial Campus Strategy can be found on the Scottish Government’s website.
