Scotland has many creative, innovative companies and academic institutions capable of identifying growth opportunities and delivering industry solutions. We are supporting the international competitiveness of our universities by investing over £1 billion in higher education. We are also investing through the Scottish Funding Council £124 million over 6 years in a network of Scottish Innovation Centres allowing us to boost labour productivity and build on our highly-skilled workforces. Innovation Centres are about developing the best environment for businesses and academia to interact, taking innovative ambitious projects of excellence that have the potential to bring millions more to the economy and create thousands of jobs. The construction industry underpins all of Scotland’s key sectors and therefore underpins the success of our whole economy. Working together we can create the best environment for our businesses to thrive in partnership with academia to achieve our goals and aspirations for the sector. Nicola Sturgeon

First Minister of Scotland

The Innovation Centre will be instrumental in placing Scotland firmly on the map. Construction already strongly influences the quality of the environment that we live and work in and now more than ever it is essential that we work in together. It is essential that developments taking shape on projects around the country are connected to the academic capability and innovation in our higher education sector as this will ensure that an innovative culture pervades our industry. The role of the Innovation Centre is to transform that mindset and ensure innovation becomes business-as-usual, creating a sector that is sustainable and one that generates greater economic impact for Scotland. Ed Monaghan

Chair of Construction Scotland