Investment

Electronics on a whole is an incredibly fast-moving sector, with new technologies appearing all the time, further shaping the industry. In 2005, the total global end-market for electronics was over £626 million.

Therefore, the potential for a ‘disruptive technology’ to make existing products obsolete offers immense potential for Scotland’s electronics SMEs (small and medium enterprises).

Scotland’s R&D capabilities are excellent and the precommericalisation of research is encouraged, with active technology transfer programmes between academia and industry. Also, as different technologies increasingly converge with one another, the potential opportunities for Scotland’s research base and SMEs continues to grow.

Scotland’s competitive advantage

Scotland is highly competitive against the rest of the UK and other European locations, as its labour costs are relatively low. Whereas other European locations have restrictive labour practices, reducing flexibility, Scotland offers flexbile labour laws to allow rapid upside and downside labour practises.

Scotland was named ‘European Region of the Future’ in 2005 and 2006 by the’ Financial Times’ Foreign Direct Investment Magazine’ thanks to a variety of factors that included economic potential, cost effectiveness, transport, human resources, telecommunications and IT infrastructure, security and quality of life.

Academic excellence in the industry

Scotland currently has proven research excellence in the following areas:

  • Intelligent transport
  • National security
  • Communications technology
  • Highest UK research rating for design and manufacturing management processes
  • Scottish host for electronics IMRC
  • Leading centre in the UK for research on freight transport and logistics
  • Host of Scottish Manufacturing Institute

Industry and linked associations

  • Electronics Scotland - Brings together all parts of the sector from design through to manufacture
  • NMI - Provides a practical mechanism for commercial and technological development of the microelectronics industry in the UK and Ireland
  • SOA - Stimulating economic growth in Scotland through the knowledge, manufacture and application of Optoelectronics
  • SSSF - Provides the infrastructure and support for companies who manufacture microchips and other high tech devices
  • Scottish Engineering - Major support and lobbying organisation for the manufacturing engineering industry in Scotland
  • Wireless Innovation - Scotland's National Centre for Wireless & Mobile Communications, focused on the economic growth of Scottish Companies developing and selling products within the Wireless Space