Funding of £1.3m to help Orkney’s ‘innovative ideas’ grow

A £1.3 million programme will help Orkney businesses, organisations and entrepreneurs “grow their innovative ideas”.

The cash, which comes from the Scottish and UK governments as part of the Islands Deal, is funding the TalEntEd
Islands Innovation and Commercialisation project.

Led by Heriot-Watt University, the scheme will support successful candidates to develop or adopt new products, services and processes that could strengthen local economies. It is hoped this will bring lasting benefits to the community, and help realise net zero ambitions.

Heriot-Watt University’s deputy principal of business and enterprise, Professor Gillian Murray, said: “At Heriot-Watt, we see real potential for Scotland’s islands to become superclusters of innovation and build the economies of the future — places where talent, research and enterprise come together to develop solutions for a low-carbon world.”

The programme, which is part of the wider  TalEntEd Islands scheme led by multiple universities, offers two levels of funding and collaboration:

•  Develop Awards (£5,000) for early stage scoping studies, feasibility assessments and initially business planning, usually over a maximum term of three months.
• Adopt Awards (£25,000) for early stage pilots or prototypes designed to demonstrate value and create a pathway for further investment. These will typically have a duration of six months and could be a follow-on from a Develop Award.

Alongside financial support, successful applicants will also benefit from collaboration with leading academics from Heriot-Watt University, the University of the Highlands and Islands and Robert Gordon University.

“Islanders and island communities have innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity running through their veins,” said Orkney Islands Council leader, Councillor Heather Woodbridge, welcoming the news.

“The TalEntEd programme, funded by the Islands Deal, could take those plans that bubble away inside folk and inside existing businesses from idea through to reality bringing much needed investment and growth to our island groups.”

Find out more about the project and how to apply on https://www.hw.ac.uk/research-enterprise/innovation/funding-innovation-partnerships/innovation-support-for-island-enterprises