Tuesday, 3rd December 2024 ┃ 9.00 AM – 1.00 PM ┃ Location: 8 Doors Distillery, John O’ Groats, Wick KW1 4YR
Have you got an idea for your business that you’d like to develop? Join Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) for a workshop on how to develop your ideas into reality.
By the end of the day you’ll have a good understanding of the following:
Realities of growth – a perspective on growth, and the alternative ways to approach a growth objective
Sources of ideas – the inspiration for ideas, and the chance to apply this to your business
Prioritising ideas – what makes an idea good, and how to prioritise the best idea for your business
Developing your idea – finding the inspiration to build on and strengthen your idea
Finalise your idea – identify the strongest component of your idea, and how to take it forward (more…)
Meet the Developer: Digital Innovation Webinar
Date: 14th November 2024
Time: 2-4pm
Location: Online
This is your last chance to grab tickets for the “Meet the Developer: Digital Innovation in Renewables” event. Join AREG for exclusive insights from industry pioneers at Fugro, Exail, 4C Offshore, and Intelligent Plant!
Why Join?
- Exclusive insights from top experts
- Engaging discussions and live Q&A
- Connect with fellow innovators and industry leaders
Bringing together developers, industry experts, and innovators to explore cutting-edge digital technologies revolutionising the renewable energy sector.
Speakers:
Adam Robertson – Business Development Manager, Fugro
Richard Aukland – Director of Research, 4C Offshore
Steve Aitken – Founder & Director, Intelligent Plant
David Vincentelli – Remote Hydrography Business Developer, Exail
Secure Your Spot Now: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/meet-the-developer-webinar-digital-innovation-tickets-1015214181947?aff=oddtdtcreator
Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to shape the future of clean energy.
- Thursday 26th September, 8am – 10am
- Location: Glenmoriston Townhouse Hotel, Inverness, IV2 4SF
Join Royal Bank of Scotland for this upcoming Economic Business Breakfast event.
This economic briefing will set out the key issues and trends for the economy and the impact on businesses as they respond to the economic landscape, both at home and abroad.
Sebastian Burnside is the bank’s Chief Economist and his areas of particular focus include: how society adapts to an aging population; the economics of climate transition; impact of technology and AI on jobs; the shift to defined contribution pension schemes and the microanalysis of customer transaction data.
Following the presentation there will be time for Q&A.
Please note that tea/coffee and breakfast rolls will be served during this session.
Please feel free to circulate this invite within your business and around your network.
Register VIA Eventbrite here
Scottish Development International (SDI) is hosting the Global Insights event on 10 September 2024 in Inverness.
This is a unique chance for businesses to meet specialists from around the globe and learn about international opportunities in key markets for Scottish food and drink and consumer lifestyle. It is also a great opportunity to hear first-hand what is happening in their respective markets and how SDI may be able to support attendees with their international trade ambitions.
Inverness Chamber International Trade Team will also be in attendance, ready to share insight into the comprehensive services they provide and discuss how they can support your business.
Whether you are an experienced exporter or new to exporting, this is a great opportunity to:
- Meet and network with the food & drink and consumer lifestyle in-market specialists from Europe, Middle East, North America and Asia, and learn about the current international market opportunities.
- Meet trade advisors based in Scotland who can discuss the assistance that is available to help your company develop and grow your international exports.
- Book 1 to 1 meetings with our in-market specialists.
- Meet with a range of support teams from Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise who can support you with your international development.
Follow this link to register for your place at the event.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise are hosting an Open Day for local businesses and members of the community to the new business units up close!
Date: Tuesday 24 September 2024
🕛 Time: drop-in 12noon – 7:00pm
📍 Venue: Wick Business Park, KW1 4QR
Designed by Threesixty Architecture and constructed by John Gunn & Sons, these modern, flexible units – and don’t forget their fantastic yards – offer a total of 248m² of space, perfect for a wide range of industrial and commercial activities. The development is equipped with top-tier insulation, energy efficiency, dedicated WC facilities, tea prep areas, side loading access, those enclosed yards, parking, and EV charging points.
Drop in any time across the afternoon until 7pm. Explore the new units and discover more about opportunities in the heart of Wick’s thriving business community.
For more information, email: caithness.sutherland@hient.co.uk
The Food and Drink TechHUB Business Support Service are organising a FREE Webinar on Robotics Solutions for Food & Drink and Agriculture which will take place on Monday 16th September 2024 from 4pm-5pm Robotic Solutions for Food & Drink and Agriculture
Join the webinar with experts from the National Robotarium to find out about robotics and their application in the food and drink and agriculture sectors. HIE’s Innovation team will also provide an update about opportunities currently available to your business. The National Robotarium’s mission is to promote the use of robotics across various sectors. The webinar will provide an overview of the robotic solutions currently available in the food and agriculture sectors, clarify where robotics is most effective, and identify which processes are better suited to automation rather than robotics. They will provide a clear method of how they assess your company’s position. This will help you understand the unique value that robotics can offer compared to automation. The overview of HIE’s innovation support services will be valuable for those interested in developing and testing prototype products or processes.
By the end of the session, you’ll have a better understanding of the robotic solutions readily available, the integration process of new technology, where robotics is more suitable compared to automation, and how the National Robotarium can support your journey into robotics. This webinar is a fringe event as part of the A3 Scotland Conference supporting the Animal Health, Agritech and Aquaculture (AAA) sectors.
To register and find out more please visit Robotic Solutions for Food & Drink and Agriculture
Meet the Buyer North is just one month away! You are invited to attend in The Music Halls in Aberdeen, on 11 September for the largest free procurement event in the North of Scotland.
Meet the Buyer North 2024 is officially supported by The Scottish Government, Scotland Excel and Commercial and Procurement Shared Services, made up of Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, and Highland Councils. Other confirmed public sector organisations exhibiting at this year’s event include Crown Commercial Service, Historic Environment Scotland and Scottish Enterprise.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to engage with a number of private sector organisations, such as Aberdeen Airport, Bam Nuttall, Clark Contracts, hub North Scotland and Vattenfall, who will be on hand to discuss their supply chain opportunities.
Spaces are limited – book your free place now to avoid disappointment!
Can’t make it to Meet the Buyer North? Check out upcoming in-person events:
- Meet the Buyer South is returning for a third year! It is set to take place on 29 October, at the Galashiels Volunteer Hall, and will play host to a range of public and private sector buyers. Spaces are limited, so book your free place today!
- The 15th annual Fife Meet the Buyer is set return on 7 November, at the Carnegie Conference Centre. Be sure to book your free place.
- The City of Edinburgh Council, in partnership with The Supplier Development Programme (SDP), is inviting local SMEs and third sector organisations to a Supplier Engagement Event, on 14 November at Waverley Court in Edinburgh. Reserve your place now.
- Lanarkshire Meet the ‘Real’ Buyer is back! Jointly hosted by North and South Lanarkshire Councils, this year’s event will take place on 20 November, at Airdrie Town Hall. Book your place via the SDP website.
Date: 11.09.24
Time: 08:00 – 11:00
Location: Pentland Hotel, Thurso
Register VIA Eventbrite
Thistle Wind Partners (TWP) is a new offshore wind developer, which was founded in 2020 by a consortium of three companies – DEME, Qair and Aspiravi. TWP’s founder companies work on a wide variety of renewable energy, environmental remediation, and marine infrastructure projects around the world.
In January 2022, Crown Estate Scotland awarded TWP two ScotWind leasing sites for offshore wind development. Over the next decade, TWP will develop and build:
- The Ayre Offshore Wind Farm, a 1GW floating-foundation project, to the east of Orkney and north of Caithness (57km from Wick), at a deepwater site in the NE2 leasing zone (200km2 in area).
- The Bowdun Offshore Wind Farm, a 1GW fixed-foundation project, located 44km off the coast of Aberdeenshire (from Stonehaven) in the E3 leasing zone (187km2 in area).
By mixing floating and jacket foundations, our projects represent a broad and exciting opportunity for technology developers and the Scottish supply chain.
At this event, organised by the Caithness Chamber of Commerce, TWP’s team are looking to provide an update on the project.
Register VIA Eventbrite here
ETZ Ltd is building the Green Hydrogen Test and Demonstration Facilities (GHTDF) as the anchor project of the Hydrogen Campus in Aberdeen’s Energy Transition Zone. This unique 2-hectare facility will provide industry with purpose built indoor and outdoor hydrogen testing environments and the equipment to support the growing hydrogen industry’s testing and demonstration needs.
Anyone with an interest in the testing and demonstration of green hydrogen technologies is invited to join the interactive GHTDF stakeholder workshop on Wednesday 11th July from 10.00-11.00 BST. Please register on Teams here: ETZ Green H2 Test & Demo Facility Workshop
Design concept for ETZ’s Green Hydrogen Test and Demonstration Facilities (GHTDF image credit ETZ Ltd)
The Green Hydrogen Test & Demonstration Facilities (GHTDF) will provide purpose-built testing and demonstration facilities dedicated to hydrogen; providing industry with flexible testing spaces which are highly instrumented and metered, to validate performance and reliability of various hydrogen components which may include activities such as performance testing of electrolysers, hydrogen fuel cell and gas quality testing, valve testing, flow meter calibration and testing, and system integration testing.
The purpose of this interactive workshop on Thursday 11th July is to gather industry feedback on the proposed GHTDF concept, to:
- Share details of the GHTDF and how it fits within the broader hydrogen innovation ecosystem
- Receive feedback on the technical scope of the GHTDF to help shape the GHTDF project going forward and
- Discuss the strategic fit of the GHTDF against industry’s current and future hydrogen market needs.
The Energy Transition Zone (ETZ) is a flagship infrastructure project that aims to accelerate the implementation of energy transition opportunities at a scale that will make a significant contribution to net zero across the region, Scottish and UK economies. These opportunities include large scale fixed and floating wind farm developments via the ongoing ScotWind leasing round, large scale blue and green hydrogen production projects and the delivery of a world-class carbon dioxide transport and storage infrastructure.
The ETZ is being developed adjacent to the new £420 million deep-water Aberdeen South Harbour, which collectively provide a commercial gateway to many of the ScotWind licensing sites which are within a 100km radius of the new harbour. ETZ will be home to high value energy transition manufacturing and supply chain companies, with a focus is on leading-edge innovation in pre-commercial energy transition technology areas such as offshore floating wind and the large-scale production of green hydrogen.
To date, the ETZ Project has secured public funding commitments from both the UK Government and Scottish Government totalling £53m for enabling land and infrastructure and a further £5.7m from Opportunity North East for energy sector development. The GHTDF facility will be built in a flexible manner, allowing space for future expansion, to be able to adapt to industry requirements and will initially focus on outdoor testing bays which will be serviced by locally produced green hydrogen available “on demand”.
Proposed layout and facilities for Phase 1 of the Green Hydrogen Test and Demonstration Facilities (GHTDF image credit ETZ Ltd)
Green hydrogen will be delivered from a local production facility powered by a solar array, situated half a mile from the GHTDF, within the Energy Transition Zone. ETZ provides direct access to this market-leading facility for businesses seeking to enter or increase their presence in the hydrogen sector and deliver positive outcomes for the hydrogen sector including:
- Support developers, operators, equipment manufacturers, supply chain companies to test, deploy and validate industrial hydrogen products and equipment;
- Foster collaboration with and between academia and industry to drive down costs of green hydrogen production;
- Facilitate the transition of technologies from other industries, such as oil and gas and support clustering of investment and activities;
- Enable technology developers to reduce risk and costs associated with product development;
- Allow industry and users to calibrate, certify and verify hydrogen products and equipment prior to service.
ETZ Ltd is working to secure private sector investment and engage an experienced operator. It is anticipated that the Hydrogen Campus and the GHTDF will be opened in 2026.