Strengths

Scotland has a very strong proposition in the ITS sector, where suppliers come from electronics, software and hardware backgrounds.

Scotland’s ITS strengths

  • Wireless communications
  • Sensors
  • Displays
  • Intelligent CCTV and image/video technologies
  • Software development, safety and security

Skills and expertise

  • Companies in Scotland offer expertise in technologies such as wireless communications, sensors and displays
  • Scotland has the highest concentration of universities in Europe and produces thousands of technology graduates each year
  • Electronics companies operating in Scotland can testify to the workforce being one of the best trained, most reliable and cost-competitive in the world.
  • With 54 venture-backed companies per million of population, Scotland is the most entrepreneurial region in the UK

High-quality support infrastructure

  • Scotland was named European Region of the Future 2008/2009 by the ‘Financial Times’ FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) magazine - this is based on factors such as having a strong IT and communications infrastructure and good transport links
  • Large numbers of high-quality graduates directly translates to world-leading research and technology development
  • Numerous government supported incubators and science parks
  • The Scottish ITS sector is underpinned by our strong telecommunications base, which is rapidly expanding
  • The Scottish Government provides a highly supportive and attractive regulatory environment
  • Close collaboration provides a tight-knit ITS cluster with high-level access to total solutions and business partners
  • 80 percent of Scotland's ITS industry is based within 50 miles of Edinburgh and Glasgow - allowing easy access to universities, other technology-based industries and a highly trained workforce
  • Excellent transport links, including a ferry link to mainland Europe, which can work out cheaper for major-haulage than the UK’s other ferry routes
  • A diverse manufacturing base covers multiple product sectors and supports electronics companies in all sectors based in Scotland
  • In addition, collaborations and active technology transfer programmes between academia and the electronics industry are encouraged, providing a strong foundation for the pioneering research in ITS
  • Fully integrated supply chain and infrastructure already in place
  • A wide range of support services - from design to delivery and aftercare

Collaboration

  • Supportive business climate aids commercialisation of ITS electronics
  • Close collaboration, facilitated by an established tight-knit ITS cluster, provides businesses with high-level access to total solutions and business partners

Cost-competitive

  • Access to funding – see 'how we can help' for more information
  • Scottish companies are mainly involved at the high-end of the market
  • Cost-competitive property costs and salary rates
  • It’s up to 30 percent cheaper to set up and run an automotive facility in Scotland than in other parts of the UK
  • A grant system supports high-value electronics activities