Scottish Enterprise Announces RFPs to Build Out Scotland’s Innovation Clusters
These clusters, dense networks of interconnected businesses, supply chains, academic institutions, and public sector organizations, are pivotal in driving economic growth.
As they write on Linkedin Scottish Enterprise have now published a series of RFPs to begin building innovation clusters to develop global scale businesses in key high growth sectors.
There is a common requirement for a ‘Cluster Management Organization’, repeated across a number of individual procurements to develop specific industry programs, for:
- Robotics and Autonomous Systems.
- Life Sciences.
- Offshore Wind:
- Built Environment Transition.
- FinTech.
- Space.
- Critical Technologies.
Each RFP is a procurement for around £80k for six months of consulting work that organizes a cluster: Convening participating members, documenting an innovation roadmap for that sector, co-ordinating collaboration, meetings and workshops, etc.
Innovation Clusters
The headline goal is defined in their National Innovation Strategy, which emphasizes the development of Innovation Clusters to position Scotland as a global innovation leader. These clusters, dense networks of interconnected businesses, supply chains, academic institutions, and public sector organizations, are pivotal in driving economic growth, creating high-value jobs, and fostering entrepreneurial activity.
By facilitating rapid knowledge exchange and collaboration, clusters enhance productivity, boost wages, and promote competitive innovation, as seen in Scotland’s North East oil and gas sector and its thriving fintech industry.
They also deliver social and environmental benefits, supporting local communities and sustainable practices, particularly in rural areas.The strategy adopts a systematic approach to cluster development, drawing on international best practices from nations like Norway and Denmark.
It focuses on identifying clusters with global potential, addressing their specific barriers, and aligning public, private, and academic efforts to maximize impact. A key initiative, the Scottish Cluster Scheme, will analyze cluster maturity and needs, benchmarking against European standards to promote growth.
Initial efforts will prioritize high-potential sectors while remaining flexible to support emerging clusters. Through tailored evaluations and global promotion, the strategy aims to attract investment and elevate Scotland’s clusters to world-leading status, aligning with the National Strategy for Economic Transformation to build a sustainable, innovative, and equitable economy.
Blueprint for Clusters
This program and the RFPs are underpinned by the detailed document ‘Blueprint for Clusters’ that Scottish Enterprise has developed. From a review of clusters across Scotland and across the world they have developed a best practices guide and framework that they are seeking to begin implementing through these first RFPs.
Our own efforts are also guided by these same principles – Read more here: Building a Scottish Digital Supercluster.
