How to future-proof Scotland's economy. Open Minds on Independence #15

Primary Author or Creator:
Believe in Scotland
Publisher:
The National
Date Published:
Category:
Type of Resource:
News Media
Fast Facts

Rapidly growing new and high-tech industries are also driving Scotland’s economy which is actually more diverse than the rest of the UK.  Three areas are of particular importance: Life sciences, digital industries, and space industry.

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Life Sciences

  • - Scotland possesses one of the largest life sciences clusters in Europe and has the largest community of animal bioscience and aquaculture researchers, with more than 1000 researchers
  • - Veterinary science in Scotland wins more than 50% of UK veterinary funding. Scotland is renowned for its veterinary science expertise, with its two veterinary colleges at Edinburgh and Glasgow universities ranked first and second in the UK. Almost a third of the UK’s veterinary graduates are trained in Scotland each year
  • - Scientists at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh were the first in the world to clone a mammal, which was famously named Dolly the Sheep. The institute has helped generate annual productivity gains of £247m through its breeding and genetics research
  • - In Scotland, 170 life science start-ups with a success rate of 85% were created between 2009-15

Digitial Industries

  • - Edinburgh was the fastest growing tech hub in the UK in 2017 and has been ranked the most active tech and data innovation city in the UK after London
  • - The number of firms in Scotland’s digital games sector soared 1800% between 2008 and 2019
  • - Scotland’s software development sector includes around 7500 companies employing more than 42,000 people and that sector grew 90% in the decade leading up to 2017
  • - The digital games industry has 1537 full-time games development staff and supports another 2810 jobs
  • - 75% of Scottish digital tech companies boosted their sales in 2018, compared with 68% in 2017

Space Industries

  • - Edinburgh was the fastest growing tech hub in the UK in 2017 and has been ranked the most active tech and data innovation city in the UK after London
  • - The number of firms in Scotland’s digital games sector soared 1800% between 2008 and 2019
  • - Scotland’s software development sector includes around 7500 companies employing more than 42,000 people and that sector grew 90% in the decade leading up to 2017
  • - The digital games industry has 1537 full-time games development staff and supports another 2810 jobs
  • - 75% of Scottish digital tech companies boosted their sales in 2018, compared with 68% in 2017
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