Scotland’s innovation success is increasingly driven by cross-sector, cross-disciplinary collaboration. No single institution or sector can address today’s complex challenges alone — whether it’s reaching net zero, transforming healthcare, or building ethical AI systems. While the data on innovation may show challenges, Scottish businesses are collaborating and innovating and can benefit further from collaboration as they seek to innovate faster and pool scarce resources. Collaboration leverages complementary strengths and promotes inclusive innovation that involves a multitude of stakeholders. For innovation to flourish, it’s imperative to have the right skills as technologies evolve and transform sectors. Innovation also requires upskilling existing workers across industries to maximize productivity benefits that come from technological transformation.
04:27 – What does the UK innovation survey say about innovation in Scotland?
07:10 – Is there really a decline in innovation across Scotland?
12:00 – Is business investment in Scotland really less than rest of UK?
15:44 – Product innovation versus process innovation
21:00 – How do skills shortages affect innovation?
24: 00 – How does company size affect innovation?
27:04 – How can businesses collaborate with universities to address skills development?
29:00 – Where is the policy environment in Scotland when it comes to innovation?
Authors
Sanjam Suri is a Knowledge Exchange Fellow at the Fraser of Allander Institute. Sanjam works closely with internal and external partners specializing in business and economic analysis. Sanjam also lead's the Scottish Business Monitor publication. Prior to this, Sanjam was the Lead Country Risk Analyst at Export Development Canada in Ottawa. Sanjam has also worked as an Economist and Senior Economist at the Bank of Canada in Ottawa. Sanjam has an undergraduate degree in Mathematical Economics from Trent University (Canada), and a Masters degree in Financial Economics from Western University (Canada).
Mairi is the Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute. Previously, she was the Deputy Chief Executive of the Scottish Fiscal Commission and the Head of National Accounts at the Scottish Government and has over a decade of experience working in different areas of statistics and analysis.