From pilot to delivery: how the Scottish public sector can avoid certain ‘traps’ when scaling AI
We had the privilege of delivering a masterclass at Futurescot’s annual Public Sector AI conference in Glasgow in May, Scotland’s leading forum for exploring how artificial intelligence can reshape public…
Scotland has already made the case for proactive care technology. One category is missing from it.
Anyone following Scotland’s technology-enabled care debate will have noticed how far it has already moved. The argument that care technology should be proactive rather than reactive, preventative rather than crisis-driven,…
New chief executive appointed at Scotland’s digital technologies trade body
A new chief executive has been appointed at the trade body for Scotland’s digital technologies industry. Andrew Weir will lead the organisation, which was set up in 2000 to represent…
Scotland’s former chief entrepreneur Mark Logan in £15,000 pledge for creative startups
Scotland’s former chief entrepreneur Mark Logan has pledged £15,000 of his own money to help fund startups from the creative industries. The ex-Skyscanner executive, who conceived the landmark 2020 Scottish…
Shared digital platform to be developed as part of ‘once for Scotland’ obesity prevention programme
A shared digital platform is set to be developed as part of a ‘once for Scotland’ prevention programme for obesity. The new system will allow people to access the right…
Shared digital platform to be developed as part of ‘once for Scotland’ obesity prevention programme
A shared digital platform is set to be developed as part of a ‘once for Scotland’ prevention programme for obesity. The new system will allow people to access the right…
Glasgow data scientists devise new way for helping AI ‘know its place’
Glasgow academics have improved the way a popular AI tool understands geography – helping data scientists make faster, more accurate predictions. Researchers from the University of Glasgow and Florida State…
Jabs to jobs for online pharmacy with launch of digital skills drive for Glasgow schools
A Glasgow-headquartered online pharmacy which specialises in offering medications – including weight loss injections – direct to patients has launched a digital skills drive with schools in the city. Simple…
Cybercrime in Scotland remains flat but ‘significantly up’ from pre-pandemic levels
Cybercrime remained broadly flat in Scotland last year – up by 80 reported crimes, or 1 per cent – but incidents are still ‘significantly above’ pre-pandemic levels, according to a…
GovTech
Budget deficit to hit £529 million as Holyrood funding increase for local councils spent on teacher pay deal
The budget deficit for local authorities is on course to reach around £529 million as a Holyrood funding increase risks being swallowed by teachers’ pay rises and other existing commitments....
Public service reform motion passed at Holyrood as minister pledges ‘concrete proposals soon’
A public service reform motion was passed at Holyrood yesterday as the new cabinet secretary charged with ‘rewiring’ the sector pledged concrete proposals would be coming ‘soon’. MSPs debated the...
Budget deficit to hit £529 million as Holyrood funding increase for local councils spent on teacher pay deal
The budget deficit for local authorities is on course to reach around £529 million as a Holyrood funding increase risks being swallowed by teachers’ pay rises and other existing commitments....
Public service reform motion passed at Holyrood as minister pledges ‘concrete proposals soon’
A public service reform motion was passed at Holyrood yesterday as the new cabinet secretary charged with ‘rewiring’ the sector pledged concrete proposals would be coming ‘soon’. MSPs debated the...
Health & care
Scotland has already made the case for proactive care technology. One category is missing from it.
Anyone following Scotland’s technology-enabled care debate will have noticed how far it has already moved. The argument that care technology should be proactive rather than reactive, preventative rather than crisis-driven,...
Shared digital platform to be developed as part of ‘once for Scotland’ obesity prevention programme
A shared digital platform is set to be developed as part of a ‘once for Scotland’ prevention programme for obesity. The new system will allow people to access the right...
Scotland has already made the case for proactive care technology. One category is missing from it.
Anyone following Scotland’s technology-enabled care debate will have noticed how far it has already moved. The argument that care technology should be proactive rather than reactive, preventative rather than crisis-driven,...
Shared digital platform to be developed as part of ‘once for Scotland’ obesity prevention programme
A shared digital platform is set to be developed as part of a ‘once for Scotland’ prevention programme for obesity. The new system will allow people to access the right...
Cyber
Cybercrime in Scotland remains flat but ‘significantly up’ from pre-pandemic levels
Cybercrime remained broadly flat in Scotland last year – up by 80 reported crimes, or 1 per cent – but incidents are still ‘significantly above’ pre-pandemic levels, according to a...
Former NHS Scotland digital leader joins leading cyber firm
A former NHS Scotland digital leader who helped deliver emergency online services during the Covid pandemic has joined a leading cybersecurity firm. Deryck Mitchelson takes up a new role as...
Cybercrime in Scotland remains flat but ‘significantly up’ from pre-pandemic levels
Cybercrime remained broadly flat in Scotland last year – up by 80 reported crimes, or 1 per cent – but incidents are still ‘significantly above’ pre-pandemic levels, according to a...
Former NHS Scotland digital leader joins leading cyber firm
A former NHS Scotland digital leader who helped deliver emergency online services during the Covid pandemic has joined a leading cybersecurity firm. Deryck Mitchelson takes up a new role as...
Education & Skills
Government’s £26m post-school education and skills reforms ‘lack of clear delivery plan’, warns auditor
Scotland’s £26 million post-school education and skills reform programme is making slow progress and ‘lacks a clear delivery plan’, according to a public spending watchdog. Inadequate resourcing, weaknesses in governance...
Canva joins the classroom – visual design giant lands on Scotland’s national school platform
Canva, one of the world’s leading visual design platforms, has joined Scotland’s national digital learning platform for schools – giving thousands of pupils across the country access to creative and...
Government’s £26m post-school education and skills reforms ‘lack of clear delivery plan’, warns auditor
Scotland’s £26 million post-school education and skills reform programme is making slow progress and ‘lacks a clear delivery plan’, according to a public spending watchdog. Inadequate resourcing, weaknesses in governance...
Canva joins the classroom – visual design giant lands on Scotland’s national school platform
Canva, one of the world’s leading visual design platforms, has joined Scotland’s national digital learning platform for schools – giving thousands of pupils across the country access to creative and...
IoT
Wearable diagnostic brain sensors to medtech implants among ‘deep tech’ ventures emerging from Glasgow accelerator
Fourteen promising startups including wearable diagnostic brain sensors and medtech implants have benefited from a 13-week venture-building programme in Glasgow. A raft of young companies developing ‘deep tech’ applications with the...
Glasgow IoT cluster bolstered by appointment of former Volvo chief executive
A Glasgow-based internet of things (IoT) cluster has been bolstered by the appointment of a former chief executive of car giant Volvo. Jim Rowan, who led the Swedish auto manufacturer...
Wearable diagnostic brain sensors to medtech implants among ‘deep tech’ ventures emerging from Glasgow accelerator
Fourteen promising startups including wearable diagnostic brain sensors and medtech implants have benefited from a 13-week venture-building programme in Glasgow. A raft of young companies developing ‘deep tech’ applications with the...
Glasgow IoT cluster bolstered by appointment of former Volvo chief executive
A Glasgow-based internet of things (IoT) cluster has been bolstered by the appointment of a former chief executive of car giant Volvo. Jim Rowan, who led the Swedish auto manufacturer...
Justice & Policing
Scotland’s top cop outlines vision for fully digitised justice system after rollout of body-worn video cameras
Scotland’s top cop has outlined a vision for a fully digitised justice system following the national rollout of body-worn video cameras for frontline police officers. Chief constable Jo Farrell pointed...
Ministers urged to introduce ‘primary legislation’ governing live facial recognition technology in Scotland
Ministers are being urged to consider introducing ‘primary legislation’ governing the use of controversial live facial recognition (LFR) technology in Scotland. Dr Brian Plastow, the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner, has written...
Scotland’s top cop outlines vision for fully digitised justice system after rollout of body-worn video cameras
Scotland’s top cop has outlined a vision for a fully digitised justice system following the national rollout of body-worn video cameras for frontline police officers. Chief constable Jo Farrell pointed...
Ministers urged to introduce ‘primary legislation’ governing live facial recognition technology in Scotland
Ministers are being urged to consider introducing ‘primary legislation’ governing the use of controversial live facial recognition (LFR) technology in Scotland. Dr Brian Plastow, the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner, has written...
Infrastructure, Connectivity & Built Environment
Smarter Infrastructure for Justice: Empowering Digital Transformation with LapSafe®
How can frontline justice services become more responsive, more efficient, and more secure, without overloading stretched teams or budgets? That’s the core challenge facing justice organisations in 2025, and exactly...
Scottish electric vehicle infrastructure provider installs 54 charging points at ferry terminal in Sweden
A Scottish electric vehicle infrastructure provider has installed 54 charging points at a ferry terminal in Sweden. FOR EV, an Edinburgh-based company, has worked in partnership with Stena Line to...
Achieve ‘smart’ asset management with these three steps
Managing public infrastructure assets is one of the most complex yet crucial responsibilities that local government decision-makers have to make. Roads, drainage systems, street lighting, public buildings and numerous other...
Data & AI
From pilot to delivery: how the Scottish public sector can avoid certain ‘traps’ when scaling AI
We had the privilege of delivering a masterclass at Futurescot’s annual Public Sector AI conference in Glasgow in May, Scotland’s leading forum for exploring how artificial intelligence can reshape public...
Glasgow data scientists devise new way for helping AI ‘know its place’
Glasgow academics have improved the way a popular AI tool understands geography – helping data scientists make faster, more accurate predictions. Researchers from the University of Glasgow and Florida State...
New £750m supercomputer in Edinburgh to help crack cancer, turbo-charge the economy and heat local homes
Britain’s most powerful computer is being built just outside Edinburgh – with experts saying the development will ‘turbo-charge’ the nation’s research ambitions. Construction has begun on the UK’s next national...
Survey of Scots businesses shows 94% are using AI with majority using the technology ‘every day’
A new survey of Scottish businesses ranging from small and medium sized firms to large corporates has revealed that 94 per cent are now using artificial intelligence. According to research...
Business & Economy
Fintech
New research ‘lab’ aims to address growing link between people’s financial situation and their health in later life
A new research ‘lab’ in Edinburgh will aim to address the growing link between people’s financial situations and their health in later life. The Finance and Health Lab, based at...
First decentralised finance summit to take place in Edinburgh next month
Scotland’s financial technology sector takes another step forward this August with the country’s first dedicated decentralized finance summit. The event, at the John McIntyre conference centre, University of Edinburgh, on...
New research ‘lab’ aims to address growing link between people’s financial situation and their health in later life
A new research ‘lab’ in Edinburgh will aim to address the growing link between people’s financial situations and their health in later life. The Finance and Health Lab, based at...
First decentralised finance summit to take place in Edinburgh next month
Scotland’s financial technology sector takes another step forward this August with the country’s first dedicated decentralized finance summit. The event, at the John McIntyre conference centre, University of Edinburgh, on...
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Shared digital platform to be developed as part of ‘once for Scotland’ obesity prevention programme
A shared digital platform is set to be developed as part of a ‘once for Scotland’ prevention programme for obesity. The new system will allow people to access the right...
Jabs to jobs for online pharmacy with launch of digital skills drive for Glasgow schools
A Glasgow-headquartered online pharmacy which specialises in offering medications – including weight loss injections – direct to patients has launched a digital skills drive with schools in the city. Simple...
Digital triage ‘kiosks’ to support ‘faster, safer patient care’ in Glasgow hospitals
New digital triage ‘kiosks’ are being installed in Glasgow hospitals to support ‘faster, safer patient care’ in busy accident and emergency departments. The eTriage system has gone live at the...
