Software and IT
Setting up your software and IT business in Scotland gives you access to a dynamic and supportive ecosystem including the best tech talent and creative minds - all the right ingredients to produce world-changing digital unicorns (think Skyscanner and FanDuel) and attract tech giants such as Amazon and Microsoft.
Join our 9,400 tech companies
Our tech community has experience across the financial services, life sciences and energy sectors.
Access world-class research
Scotland has some of the best universities in the world, with expertise across data, cyber security, quantum, blockchain and artificial intelligence.
Connect with a global community
Scotland is a magnet for thousands of international students, firms and workers from across the globe.
Source: ScotlandIS
What Scotland can offer your tech company
Scotland has a strong talent pool so there’s no shortage of experienced people to fulfil your needs, now and in the future. Our universities work with industry to ensure a flow of graduates in areas covering hot topics like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and data analytics.
More about Scotland's data skills and talent
US software firm Cherwell is benefiting from top talent coming out of Scotland's universities to expand its R&D operations in the heart of Europe.
"Scotland was on our list of various opportunities around the world. But it quickly rose to the top because of the high level of technology there, its knowledge economy and culture and the backing from educational institutions."
Helen Duckett, Cherwell’s VP of Operations
Scotland has more than 9,400 technology companies and our digital technology sector is forecast to grow by 38% by 2024, making it the fastest growing sector in Scotland and increasing twice as fast as the Scottish economy overall.
Software development can be carried out in Scotland at a lower cost than many other European and UK locations due to lower labour and property costs, plus one of the lowest tax rates in Europe.
Scotland has strong domestic markets in financial services, life sciences and energy while our global reach extends to the UK, Europe and the rest of the world through our well-connected supply chains.
Scotland’s tech ecosystem is underpinned by partnerships between industry, academic and government. For the investor, this means a wealth of support and the chance to collaborate with innovative companies like yours. A chance to take your R&D to the next level and exploit commercial market opportunities much faster.
An advanced, reliable digital infrastructure makes Scotland the strategic choice for your software business. You’ll also have peace of mind that Scotland is one of the world’s most cyber secure, stable and low risk countries in the world.
As global workplaces continue to evolve, you’ll want to be assured that transport between home and office hubs will be quick and reliable. Scotland can offer a range of space solutions and sustainable transport options to meet your needs. Our friendly communities combine an exceptional quality of life with low cost of living, making the move to Scotland an attractive option for you and your employees.
More on quality of life in Scotland
‘Dundee feels like home’ – a dynamic hub in gaming, development and design
NCR Dundee is one of the oldest technology companies in Scotland – a centre for innovation designing and developing new devices used in the financial services sector, such as ATM and cash handling systems for the global market.
Ajit Choudhari, senior mechanical hardware engineer at NCR moved from Germany to Scotland with his family in 2015. In the following video he shares his love of Scotland and why Dundee feels like home – a place of opportunity, where industry and community are interwoven into a national fabric.
Rub shoulders with large multinationals such as Amazon, Microsoft, HP, Cisco, Dell, Capgemini, JP Morgan, Atos, Oracle and IBM, as well as our innovative homegrown companies like Skyscanner, Rockstar North, Axios, IDOX, KAL and Maxima – all part of Scotland’s software and digital technology cluster.
An attractive startup location
Scotland’s dynamic software and IT sector provides products and services across a range of end markets, from public services, banking and insurance through to renewables and biotech. You’ll find expertise from software development, data science, digital health, sensors and connectivity to artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analysis.
Our innovation labs encourage collaboration between companies, academic and public sector organisations so that innovative products can be designed and tested in real world scenarios.
Edinburgh, poised as the data capital of Europe, is already the UK's top city for startups, attracting more foreign investment than any other tech cluster in the UK, outside London, according to Tech Nation. Read our interview with Nigel Eccles, founder of FanDuel on what makes Edinburgh the ideal place for tech companies.
Why Encompass travelled 10,000 miles to grow from Scotland
Glasgow-based software services firm, Encompass has grown globally from Scotland, with offices around the world in London, Hong Kong and Singapore. And now the company is pointing its commercial compass to even wider international expansion.
Watch our video clip with Alex Ford, Encompass VP of operations share her story.
Quantum technology revolution
Fraunhofer's investment in Scotland has taken quantum technology to another level. The Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow is leading an ambitious £10 million project to develop faster, thumbnail-sized technology using quantum physics.
And, over the last 5 years, Scotland has seen significant R&D investment into universities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow, Heriot-Watt and Strathclyde, across quantum computing, photonics, lasers, cryptography, industrial informatics, imaging and sensors.
Scotland’s growing cluster of small and medium enterprises in quantum technologies benefit from our ongoing support working closely with academics. One of the best-known examples is Glasgow-based M Squared Lasers – its award-winning products have led to breakthroughs in many areas of science, including the UK’s first commercially viable Quantum Accelerometer. Its customers include Nobel Prize-winning scientists, leading universities and innovative manufacturers.
The company's precision lasers provided the means for the European Space Agency project Sentinel 5P to measure pollutants such as ozone, formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide from space – it's the best data set that humanity has on the health of our planet.
"Our home city of Glasgow has a great tradition of science and engineering, where local companies have been developing optical technology for around 100 years. We are creating high-value jobs... The support of Scottish Enterprise will enable M Squared to scale its operations locally but equally continue stepping into new global markets.”
Dr Graeme Malcolm, founder and CEO of M Squared Lasers
One-to-one support
If you’d like to hear more about the experience of M Squared Lasers and how Scotland could be an ideal location for your business, we’re ready to help you access:
- Talent and skills that you need to grow your business
- Financial support for your next big project
- Connections to academia, suppliers and partners
- Property searches and professional advice
- Market insight and guidance on the best opportunities
- Ongoing training and staff development
Everything you need to set up your business, grow and thrive in Scotland.
Technology innovation hubs and centres of excellence
The Data Lab enables industry, public sector and world-class university researchers to innovate and develop new data science capabilities and value in a collaborative environment.
Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA) promotes international excellence in research, knowledge exchange and industry collaboration, representing 14 Scottish universities.
Urban Big Data Centre brings together social and data scientists and industry to address social, economic and environmental challenges facing cities.
Glasgow School of Art – School of Simulation and Visualisation explores imaginative and novel uses of advanced 3D digital visualisation and interaction technologies.
Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre (EPCC) is one of the leading supercomputing centres in Europe and a major provider of training in high performance computing and industry collaboration.
University Technology simplifies the technology transfer and licensing process, making it easy to collaborate with Scotland’s world-renowned universities in emerging technologies.
As well as our centres of excellence focused on technology, you’ll also find plenty of opportunities and expertise in our network of industry-led innovation centres where software development plays a critical role such as:
- DHI - Digital Health & Care Institute
- CENSIS – innovation centre for sensor and imaging systems
- OGIC - Oil & Gas Innovation Centre
- IBioIC – Industrial Biotech Innovation Centre
- Stratified Medicine Scotland
Why Rasa chose Edinburgh
From Silicon Valley to the ‘data capital of Europe’, read about Rasa’s ambition for its new technology hub in Edinburgh and talent to match.
Pictured: Rasa co-founders Alan Nichol and Alex Weidauer
Digital skills and flexible workspaces
You’ll find that Scotland’s skills clusters create the ideal environment for your business growth by bringing together talented people in the tech and creative communities, while providing flexible working space and easy access to potential collaborators. Here are some of Scotland’s best tech hubs:
CodeBase Digital Tech Hub, Edinburgh
The largest technology incubator in the UK, CodeBase provides affordable office space, services and unrivalled community support and networking for innovative technology companies.
Creative Clyde, Glasgow
A flourishing riverside community for media, technology and creatively-minded businesses that already counts BBC Scotland, STV, BIP Solutions, Film City Scotland and Glasgow School of Art’s School of Simulation and Visualisation as its residents.
Seabraes Zone, Dundee
Offering a dedicated space to build on Dundee’s success as a digital media and creative industries hub, Seabraes provides flexible commercial space for the digital community.
The Enterprise Park, Forres, Highlands
Fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation, the park provides an ideal soft landing and flexible location from which to grow your technology business.
Nexus, Inverness Campus, Highlands
Located within the University of the Highlands and Islands campus, Nexus offers a collaborative, innovative and flexible environment for businesses in technology, life sciences and health.
Supportive environment
ScotlandIS is the trade body for Scotland’s vibrant digital economy and the bridge to connect you to software and IT companies in Scotland. It’s the collective voice of industry, representing technology businesses at home and abroad across a wide range of sectors, covering telecoms, software, IT services, infrastructure specialists and digital media companies.
ScotlandIS also employs data and cluster managers to provide focus on connecting and supporting companies and operations in these areas.
Data investment market opportunities
Scotland is the UK’s largest centre for financial services and fintech outside of London. Alongside strengths in banking, insurance and asset management, Scotland has a vibrant and fast-growing fintech community.
Did you know the Personal Identification Number(PIN) you use with your credit or debit card was invented by a Scot in the 1960s? We have a long history of innovation and today Scotland remains one of Europe’s most important business centres. We offer the perfect blend of technological and financial expertise.
Companies such as JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley already have technology operations located here, as well as Barclays Wealth which recently invested in Glasgow with the creation of a new multi-million-pound financial hub which will house its technology team.
Digital healthcare is an emerging and exciting global market which is already an area of exceptional strength for Scotland. Thanks to a well-established National Health Service (NHS) – with extensive digital patient records – and a strong company base with expertise in informatics, Scotland has a world-leading research base that collaborates with industry to create commercial healthcare solutions for the future.
Our commitment to making government data accessible, and our ability to analyse vast quantities of data, make Scotland the place to drive opportunities in this space.
Scotland’s energy know-how has been forged by fifty years of oil & gas experience in the North Sea and data is an important by-product of this activity. Looking to the future, more sustainable and less invasive practices will see a massive proliferation of sensors and data – and the technology to unlock its value – will become increasingly valuable.
Indigenous companies like Sensor-Works are already using wireless sensors in the energy sectors to enable condition monitoring, lower costs and optimise operational efficiency.
Scotland's renewable energy resources offer big opportunities for international companies in software and IT, particularly in carbon capture, energy storage, and decarbonisation of heat and transport.
Now is an exciting time for the new space industry in Scotland. With the planned spaceport, Scotland will complete the end-to-end capability to design, build and launch. With this ability comes endless possibilities for data analysis – at the heart of Scotland’s success is proven small satellite technology, which has exploded the use of downstream satellite data and its associated applications. From agriculture and marine to construction and humanitarian efforts, Scotland based companies like Spire are using data from space to solve problems closer to home.
With a growing space cluster Scotland is the ideal place to develop data applications based on satellite-driven intelligence.
Software in Scotland (PDF, 9.8MB)
Got a question about the benefits of setting up your tech business in Scotland? Talk to our advisers.
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