CENSIS – Scotland’s national innovation centre for sensor, imaging and Internet of Things (IoT) – has appointed a new board member to strengthen its knowledge exchange proposition between business and academia.
Dr Ian Brotherston, who is currently Head of Public Sector Innovation Strategy at Innovate UK, the national innovation agency, will join the organisation as it seeks to position Scotland as a global leader for IoT.
In a career spanning more than two decades, Dr Brotherston has worked for a range of organisations including specialist chemical start-up Ionic Polymer Solutions and the major security and defence contractor QinetiQ.
Prior to joining Innovate UK, Ian was Head of Enterprise Services at Heriot-Watt University, where he led on the commercialisation and licensing of university IP, the creation of spin-out companies and joint R&D opportunities with industry.
Ian’s experience includes working with a range of national stakeholders such as the CBI (Confederation of British Industry), FSB (Federation of Small Businesses), and the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive, to inform and support innovation across the UK.
Dr Ian Brotherston said: “Having dedicated much of my working life to encouraging innovation, I’m looking forward to contributing to CENSIS’s work in supporting businesses to harness the power of sensing, imaging and Internet of Things technologies. Combining industry need with the academic and specialist engineering expertise found in our universities and Innovation Centres is crucial if we are to reach our collective goal of making Scotland a global leader in new technologies.”
Chief Executive of CENSIS, Paul Winstanley, added: “Ian brings a wealth of expertise and experience to our Governing Board which will be invaluable in helping us continue to nurture and support businesses across the UK. His passion for innovation is well aligned with CENSIS’s ambition to help organisations overcome technology barriers to drive growth.”
