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Scotland welcomes ‘games experts of tomorrow’
26/08/2004
Eight students from South Asia are to get the chance to come to Scotland to develop computer game projects.
Grants of around £35,000 will enable South Asian students to come to study in Scotland. This is another part of the Executive's Fresh Talent initiative which aims to encourage more people to come to Scotland to live, work or study.
Finance Minister Andy Kerr made the announcement at the Dare to be Digital award ceremony in Dundee.
Dare to be Digital is a 10 week training programme, run by a charitable company and promoted by the University of Abertay, which offers high-flying computer arts or science students the opportunity to develop a computer game or similar product.
Mr Kerr said:
"This funding will offer international students fantastic opportunities to be part of a unique experience and to come and see for themselves what Scotland has to offer.
"It is well recognised that Scotland is at the cutting edge of games design and this is our opportunity to show the rest of the world our creativity and leadership in this field, and to encourage more international students to come and share ideas and experiences with our games experts of tomorrow."
As part of Fresh Talent, the Executive will provide funding to sponsor scholarship places for a further eight places on the course, to complement the current 30 places. South Asian students have already shown a keen interest in this kind of competition, so students from Hong Kong, China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand will be targeted.
Mr Kerr continued:
"Fresh Talent is all about identifying new ways to attract more people to come to work in Scotland to complement our homegrown talent. Dare to be Digital fits perfectly with this - it supports the aims of Fresh Talent and brings together talented students from around the world to work with our own young talent.
"As a centre of excellence Dundee is already playing its part in attracting more people to Scotland and is making a huge contribution to our international image. I am delighted that the international students who take up the Dare to be Digital challenge next year will get the chance to sample the quality of life in Dundee and the rest of Scotland."