In Scotland, your business will have easy access to growth opportunities and scaling support across many of the world's fastest-growing markets.
Scotland provides a launchpad to take your organisation to exciting new places as an innovative location to invest in or trade with. You'll thrive in established and high growth sectors such as space, software and tech, and energy transition.
Scotland’s business landscape provides an excellent ecosystem to grow and innovate your organisation. Once you’re here, you’ll benefit from:
Scotland’s economic agencies – Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise – will support your business here to grow, thrive and compete in global markets.
They'll offer support, advice, events and funding to assist with:
Find out more at Scottish Enterpriseopens in a new window
Learn more about Highlands and Islands Enterpriseopens in a new window
Discover more at South of Scotland Enterpriseopens in a new window
Growing your organisation depends on developing your existing workforce and attracting talented new people. TalentScotland helps businesses and investors to access, attract, develop and retain skilled professionals.
How TalentScotland will help you find talentopens in a new window
Our universities actively encourage and support spinouts, our economic agencies offer funding and support for R&D, and our range of innovation centres provide the ideal facilities. If you're planning on growing your business through innovation, Scotland is a great place to do it.
The UK is the world’s sixth-largest economy, and Scotland is well-connected for your business to tap into opportunities for growth. Businesses that locate in Scotland enjoy easy access to some of the world's fastest-expanding markets.
Scotland is a convenient base for your company to scale its operations globally, especially across markets in London, Europe and the rest of the world.
Your business is never far from SDI's network of investment and trade professionals, wherever you are in the world. Based in more than 30 offices globally, they'll provide you with expert help, advice and support on commercial opportunities in Scotland.
So, whatever your ambitions, they'll assist you with:
We're committed to helping business access Scotland's valuable exports as much as we help companies export from here. This is across sectors and markets that offer high growth potential.
Our export markets are full of investment and trade potential. The space sector in Scotland is estimated to be worth £4 billion by 2030, matched by our other innovative sectors: energy transition, software and tech, consumer industries and fintech.
61% to the rest of the UK, 20% to the rest of the world, 19% to the European Union.
USA, France, Netherlands, Germany and Ireland.
20% of Scottish total exports with plans to grow to £30 billion by 2030.
Source: Export Statistics Scotland 2021, published November 2023
Find support to export from Scotland on the Scottish Enterprise website opens in a new window
GlobalScot is a worldwide network of more than 1000 business contacts and experts who will help your business in Scotland grow in competitive international markets.
GlobalScots will help:
Learn more about the GlobalScot networkopens in a new window
We support Scotland’s Innovation and Investment Hubs opens in a new window in London, Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Brussels, Berlin and Paris. And across other parts of the world, including USA, Canada, and China. They all collaborate with government, partners and businesses to support trade, investment, innovation and inter-governmental relations with Europe.
Our hubs are places for:
Meeting space at Scotland House Innovation and Investment Hub, London
Scotland House London assists Scottish businesses from the UK capital. It's a purpose-built, low-cost, low-risk flexible co-working facility where companies can engage with global businesses in the heart of the city.
Once you’ve set up operations in Scotland and you're trading and committed to growth, Scotland House community membership is open to you. The benefits include access to the facilities, meeting rooms and event space. Take a virtual tour in this video.
Scotland has five international airports, with hundreds of flights each week to London, which is only a one-hour flight away.
Scotland’s 11 regional airports serve outlying areas such as the Shetland and Orkney Islands.
Edinburgh Airport is Scotland's busiest, with more than 14 million passengers a year and 35 airlines flying to 152 destinations.
Glasgow International Airport connects flights to the Middle East, USA and Canada. It handles 7.3 million passengers each year.
Scotland's extensive rail network allows easy travel and commuting between our main cities and towns, with fast, regular services – there's less than one hour’s travel time between Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Trains to London take only around four and a half hours from Glasgow or Edinburgh.
FirstGroup launched Lumo, a service which lets passengers travel between Edinburgh and London for a fare from £19.90 or less.
Scotland's modern, comprehensive road network has less traffic density than other parts of the UK, and motorways (highways) connect our major towns and cities.
Scotland has seven major deepwater seaports.
Scotland's frequent freight and passenger ferry services connect with Northern Europe.
Based in California, tech company, UserTesting, is capitalising on Scotland's connected ecosystem and top-tier talent pool to expand its operations.
Scottish Development International (SDI) is supporting its expansion into the European market.
Get trade and investment updates, news and insight from Scotland direct to your inbox.
Scotland has the people and skills you need to take your business to the next level. More than 50% of our working population has higher education.
Scotland has excellent transport links to the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, as well as offering a first-class digital infrastructure.
Funding and tax relief schemes are great ways to get new projects off the ground and attract new investors to help you grow.
