Kate Forbes

1 month ago | thenational.scot | Kate Forbes

WHEN we think of booming business here in Scotland, what thriving sectors come to mind? Energy, of course, which has contributed so much to Scotland’s story and will do so for a long time to come, given the Scottish Government’s bristling ambition to make us the clean energy capital of Europe (an ambition, I might say, we’re very proud to be delivering on). Increasingly, we might think of AI, or life sciences, or emerging technologies.

1 month ago | thenational.scot | Kate Forbes

EVERY ministerial visit is a delight and a privilege, but I can’t hide that my trip on Thursday to the BBC left a particularly big smile on my face. I was lucky enough to drop by the BBC’s Pacific Quay studios in Glasgow with Meredith Brook, the brilliant actress behind the character Sìne Maclean in BBC Alba’s brand new series An t-Eilean (The Island).

2 months ago | dailybusinessgroup.co.uk | Terry Murden |Kate Forbes |Scottish Budget

Startup companies participating in the Scottish Government’s techscaler programme have raised more than £118 million since the scheme was launched at the end of 2022. It raised £54.1m in its first year from both private and public sources. Of the total, the government has invested just under £13m in grants, described by Deputy First Minister and Economy Secretary Kate Forbes today as “a good return”.

2 months ago | dailybusinessgroup.co.uk | Terry Murden |Kate Forbes |Scottish Budget

Startup companies participating in the Scottish Government’s techscaler programme have raised more than £118 million over the past two years, according to a new report. The funding is from both private and public sources across a range of tech businesses. The number of firms receiving support has almost doubled to 978 from 502 over the past year, with 1,411 entrepreneurs getting help, up from 610. Further activity included two international pop-ups in Singapore and San Francisco.

2 months ago | thenational.scot | Kate Forbes

The Labour Party courted business and industry in the run-up to the General Election A FEW weeks ago, in early January, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners announced an investment of approximately £800 million in Scotland’s energy transition. This year has started in the same way that 2024 ended: Scotland attracting international interest and investors, both public and private, making substantial investments in our economic potential.