First tenants move into flagship Levenmouth Business Park

The first tenants have moved into the new flagship Levenmouth Business Park – marking a major milestone in the ongoing regeneration of Mid-Fife.

Seven new modern and attractive units have been built at Muiredge on the outskirts of Buckhaven, providing 741 square metres of space for a range of businesses and supporting the creation of an estimated 15 jobs.

The units – which have been built to a high specification - have evidenced high demand, with six units snapped up by growing businesses and new enterprises with ongoing enquiries focussed on the remaining available unit.

After the units were formally handed over by contractors last week, the occupants are starting to settle into their new surroundings, supporting the expansion of Levenmouth’s business base.

The creation of Levenmouth Business Park is part of the £58 million 10-year Fife Industrial Innovation Investment (Fife i3) Programme, which has been supported through the wider £1.5 billion Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal and aims to provide much-needed serviced employment land and new industrial, office and business space across the Kingdom.

Around £1.2 million was secured via the City Region Deal for this particular project, while £715,000 from the Levenmouth Reconnected Programme – a £10 million fund set up to maximise the benefits of the new Levenmouth Rail Link – also went towards site servicing and the new builds.

Councillor Altany Craik, spokesperson for finance, economy and strategic planning, said he was delighted to see the new units open for business.

“The Fife i3 Programme is all about creating conditions for start-ups and SMEs (small/medium-sized enterprises) to grow and innovate, and with that comes direct and indirect employment, increased demand for local services, and major benefits for supply chain businesses both here in Fife but across Scotland more generally,” he commented.

“It’s great to hear these units have been in demand, and of course they are perfectly placed to take advantage of the new £116m Levenmouth Rail Link, the new active travel network going in, and enhanced bus services.

“We’ve been committed to ensuring new, flexible business property is available across a range of locations, sizes and uses, and I think Levenmouth Business Park is a prime example of that.

“On behalf of the council, we’d like to wish all the new tenants well and we look forward to seeing them flourish.”

Fife Council’s Economic Development team has led on the development and promotion of the new units and employment land with the aim of securing new occupiers and investment at the Business Park. To find out more, visit www.investfife.co.uk or email fifemeansbusiness@fife.gov.uk.

A fly-through video of the new units can be found on the Levenmouth Reconnected You Tube channel here: https://youtu.be/Qczb-uPDc9g

Work Starts on Edinburgh Innovation Hub

A ‘ground-breaking’ ceremony has taken place to mark the start of construction on an innovation hub designed to become a nationally significant centre for innovation driven business growth and to create new high value employment.

The Edinburgh Innovation Hub is a joint venture between East Lothian Council and Queen Margaret University (QMU).

Representatives of the council and university were joined for the ceremony by Donald Cameron, UK Government Minister for Scotland, and Richard Lochhead, the Scottish Government’s Minister for Small Business, Innovation, Tourism and Trade.

The 7,200 sqm Hub, which received planning permission last September, is expected to be completed in 2025. It will comprise flexible laboratory, office and fully equipped meeting and conference spaces for rent by high growth small to medium enterprises (SMEs).

The Hub will support and grow businesses driven by innovation, knowledge exchange and technology, bringing together research, industry and academia under one roof, creating opportunities for synergies and knowledge-sharing. Tenants will be able to rent accommodation packages, for move-in ready space, that fits their size and needs. The design of the Hub will enable tenants to take up more space as and when they need to.

The venture is supported by £28.6 million from the UK Government, £1.4 million from the Scottish Government and £10 million from East Lothian Council as part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal (ESES City Region Deal).

Councillor Norman Hampshire, Leader of East Lothian Council, said: “The start of construction on this project highlights our ambition to create a sought-after location for business growth and increase high value jobs for East Lothian. It aligns with our aim of making East Lothian the best place in Scotland in which to live, work and do business.

“By supporting the food and drink and other important economic sectors, including tech and life sciences, we can attract innovative businesses to one of Scotland’s fastest growing areas.

“The 52 acre Edinburgh Innovation Park adjacent to the Edinburgh Innovation Hub will transform a strategic economic development site, owned by East Lothian Council, into a nationally significant cluster of knowledge exchange, innovation and high value business growth.”

Sir Paul Grice, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of QMU said: “Along with driving economic development locally and nationally, the Hub will act as a gateway into QMU for businesses, increase opportunities at the University for industry-relevant research and knowledge exchange, promote an entrepreneurial culture, and increase the vibrancy of the area around the campus.

“The Hub is not just a new building, it will be a new business. Importantly, it will provide a much more bespoke and focused service than is currently offered by business parks, providing not only physical facilities but also the operational support SMEs need to work effectively and grow.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland, Donald Cameron said: “Construction starting on this UK Government and partners funded innovation hub is a hugely exciting milestone for the area. I can't wait to see the facility up and running as it will help boost the local and national economy through generating innovative business and employment growth. The UK Government is backing the facility with £28.6 million investment - part of our £300 million commitment to the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal. In total we are investing more than £3 billion to level up across Scotland.”

Scottish Government Minister for Small Business, Innovation, Tourism and Trade Richard Lochhead said: “This is an important milestone in the development of the Edinburgh Innovation Hub, which is being delivered with Deal partners and £1.4 million of Scottish Government investment.

“We are investing £300 million in the Deal across a range of projects, which will be crucial in helping us deliver a fair and sustainable wellbeing economy with good quality jobs at its heart.

“Our National Innovation Strategy for Scotland sets out our vision of how, over the next ten years, Scotland will become one of the most innovative small nations in the world – projects such as this are going to be crucial in fulfilling that ambition.”

The Hub will help to initiate development of the wider Edinburgh Innovation Park on land adjacent to the QMU campus. The development was granted planning permission in principle in March 2019, as part of a wider mixed use development, including new homes and a new primary school, business & industry use and community facilities.

More information on the Edinburgh Innovation Hub is on the website.

The National Robotarium wins Project of the Year at Learning Places Scotland Awards

Heriot-Watt University’s National Robotarium facility for robotics and AI took home the Project of the Year prize at this year’s Learning Places Scotland awards, held on 14 November in Glasgow. The awards, delivered in partnership with the Scottish Government as part of Scottish Learning Estates strategy, are an annual celebration of Scotland’s growing learning estate, recognising facilities that are making strides in sustainability, technology and student experience.

Supported by £21 million from the UK Government and £1.4m from the Scottish Government as part of the £1.3bn Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, the National Robotarium officially opened in September 2022. Since then, the facility has been a catalyst for bridging knowledge between science and business, delivering sustainable economic benefit to Scotland and the UK through its expanding portfolio of industry partnerships that are developing new robotic technologies to address real-world and sectoral challenges.

Designed with sustainability at its heart, the 40,000ft² facility itself offers unrivalled learning spaces, allowing Heriot-Watt to maximise its AI and robotics strengths and lead the field in research. It boasts a variety of flexible spaces and test beds for specialist research, student projects, public engagement, and industry collaborations across three distinct themes; Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS), Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), and Precision Laser Applications (PLA).

The estates and projects team at Heriot-Watt, along with external consultants Michael Laird Architects and Atkins Realis, who collected the award on the night, were recognised for their collaborative efforts in creating a cutting-edge, sustainable centre for the advancement of research and learning in robotics and Artificial Intelligence.

The success of the project and its construction, enduring challenges such as the Covid pandemic and Brexit, was the result of extensive stakeholder engagement, ensuring the building met the requirements of individual teams and research areas, and accommodated emerging technologies through its flexible, fabric-first design.

More on the awards

Fife Council Commits To ESES City Region Deal Community Wealth Building Pledges

Fife Council on behalf of the Fife Industrial Innovation Investment (i3) Programme, have become the first City Region Deal project to commit to the ESES CRD Community Wealth Building (CWB) Pledge.  

Fife’s Industrial Innovation Investment programme (i3) is being delivered as part of the ESES City Region Deal, with an aim to provide much-needed serviced employment land and new industrial, office and business spaces, as well as creating new skilled permanent jobs, short-term construction jobs over the 15-year lifetime of the City Region Deal. 
 
“Committing to these pledges demonstrates our dedication to accelerating inclusive growth and removing barriers to growth in our inclusive economy.” Gordon Mole, Head of Business and Employment, Fife Council.  
 
Fife Council have been proactive on their own community wealth journey and instil the core values of the 5 pillars of CWB in their day-to-day activity.  

Read the press release to find out more information about why committing to the pledge was important to Fife Council and how this will influence their activity going forward.

For more information on the Community Wealth Building framework and pledge, visit the Community Wealth Building website 

UK’s National Robotarium opens its doors with global collaboration announcement

The UK’s National Robotarium, which officially opened on Wednesday 28 September 2022 in Edinburgh, Scotland, has announced a major applied engineering and research collaboration with multi-billion dollar company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

The pioneering £22.4 million centre for robotics and artificial intelligence is the largest and most advanced of its kind in the UK. The facility will collaborate with TCS on applied engineering and joint research across multiple disciplines including soft robotics, field robotics, co-bot and tele-operations. Significantly, the agreement also covers areas of urgent societal need including social and geriatric care, a sector in which the National Robotarium is already well-known.

Part of the Tata group, India’s largest multinational business group, TCS has partnered with many of the world’s largest businesses for over 50 years to help deliver transformative projects. Operating in 55 countries, TCS generated consolidated revenues of over 25 billion USD in the fiscal year to end March 2022. TCS Research has a dedicated robotics unit that works with various industry segments.

Utilising expertise from both Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh, TCS Research will collaborate with the world-leading National Robotarium to create innovative solutions to global challenges using cutting-edge robotics and AI research, product design and new technology creation.

The agreement with the National Robotarium will build on and support a wider partnership between Heriot-Watt University and TCS which will additionally include education, information technology and innovation developments.

Commenting on the announcement during the opening ceremony of the facility, Stewart Miller, CEO of the National Robotarium, said: “This exciting collaboration is a fitting milestone to announce during the official opening ceremony of the National Robotarium. The partnership will enable TCS and the National Robotarium to combine our vast combined experience and expertise, elevating the robotics and artificial intelligence offering of both organisations as a result. 

“Together we will deliver combined applied solutions across a range of challenges informed by TCS’ clients, utilising the unique facilities of our new building and adopting an enhanced approach which aims to de-risk and speed up adoption in the market. We will shortly announce a joint programme of focused research, which will outline some of the future technologies required in the field of robotics and AI.

“This announcement is the first of many for the National Robotarium as we ramp up our global collaborative activities. Britain has a long and rich heritage of delivering cutting-edge innovation on the world stage. The opening of this dedicated, state-of-the-art facility is another important milestone in that story and one which I believe demonstrates Scotland and the UK’s role at the forefront of global developments in AI and robotics.”

Based at Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh campus, the purpose-built National Robotarium facility provides a catalyst for entrepreneurship, bringing together academics and companies ranging in size from global businesses to innovative startups. It is expected to deliver sustainable economic benefit to Edinburgh, the UK and beyond.

The National Robotarium is part of the Data-Driven Innovation initiative, supported by £21 million from the UK Government and £1.4 million from the Scottish Government. The initiative aims to turn Edinburgh into the data capital of Europe and is part of the wider £1.3 billion Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal.

K. Ananth Krishnan, Chief Technology Officer of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS),  commented: “TCS is delighted to announce this crucial strategic partnership with The National Robotarium. As part of this agreement, we will leverage the TCS Pace™ philosophy and ecosystem to accelerate industrial collaboration and increase the adoption of AI and robotics solutions that can help resolve some of the most important social issues facing the world today. We are truly excited to start working with The National Robotarium and achieving our shared goal of empowering people’s lives with innovative technology.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland David Duguid said: "This collaboration will help ensure the UK continues to be a trailblazer in meeting global challenges through AI and cutting edge robotics. The National Robotarium - backed by £21 million UK Government funding - showcases the exceptional developments Scotland is making in pioneering research and technology, creating opportunities for entrepreneurs and innovators and bringing jobs and prosperity. More than £2 billion is being invested by the UK Government directly in Scotland to level up communities."

Scottish Government Business Minister Ivan McKee said: “I welcome this major international engineering and research collaboration between the National Robotarium and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Building on research strengths of Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh, the partnership between the National Robotarium and TCS, a leading investor in Scotland with whom the Scottish Government has regular engagement, will be key to developing robotics and artificial intelligence solutions. This is particularly significant for improving social and geriatric care in Scotland, alongside wider innovations.

“The National Robotarium will be a major asset in maximising Scottish and UK strengths in robotics and artificial intelligence and in accelerating adoption of technologies that can transform Scotland’s economy and society.

“That is why the Scottish Government has invested £1.4 million in the National Robotarium through the Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal. It can help embed an entrepreneurial and innovative mindset while delivering objectives in our National Strategy for Economic Transformation.”

Dr Gillian Murray, deputy principal for business and enterprise at Heriot-Watt University, said: “This unique and groundbreaking facility is already helping to inform and lead the future applications of robotics and AI on the global stage. Strategic partnerships like this will accelerate that process, ensuring that the expertise of the National Robotarium is sought after to address a multitude of global societal challenges. Entrepreneurship and collaboration lie at the heart of Heriot-Watt University’s ethos and we look forward to working in partnership with the National Robotarium to accelerate its research from lab to market.”

The 40,000ft ² National Robotarium building houses three distinct research and development areas, providing bespoke facilities for Robotics & Autonomous Systems (RAS), Human & Robotics Interaction (HRI) and High Precision Manufacturing. Amongst the specialist equipment is an autonomous systems laboratory and a living lab for trialling technology in a realistic home setting, It also includes a dedicated education hub with a schools outreach programme engaging young people in a robotics career.

The building’s design focuses on sustainability and energy efficiency. In winter, the intelligent facade will provide solar heat and recycle warm air while a solar PV array is installed on the roof.

For more information about collaborative opportunities, please visit https://thenationalrobotarium.com/