Foreword
The Scottish Government has a clear purpose: to create a more successful Scotland with opportunities for all to flourish through increasing sustainable economic growth. Innovation for Scotland is essential to achieving that purpose. Innovation improves productivity, creates new products and services, creates new jobs in existing industries and industries of the future and stimulates greater economic participation. All these are crucial to increasing sustainable economic growth.
Today we are facing many global challenges: overcoming world-wide recession; developing low carbon energy; addressing climate change and environmental security; transformations in technology; providing food and clean water for a growing global population; the rise of new emerging economies. These challenges also represent opportunities. Innovation by business, government and individuals is essential to realizing these and other global opportunities and for making the best use of Scotland's natural assets and exceptional skills.
In the midst of a recession when financial pressures are greater and margins tighter, the successful businesses are the ones that find smarter, more efficient and effective ways to improve productivity, expand market share and increase profits. In other words they innovate. Surviving an economic downturn and placing ourselves in the best possible position to benefit from the upturn will not be achieved by simply doing more of the same. Innovation is about seeing and seizing new opportunities even in tough times.
Innovation for Scotland describes how a partnership between businesses, Government, enterprise agencies, and academia, is essential to survive the downturn, and to take full advantage of the economic recovery when it comes. Already Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are engaging with over 2500 businesses through their innovation support programmes and initiatives . Government has launched the £10 million Saltire Prize, placing Scotland at the forefront of world-leading research and new industries in marine renewable energy technology. The Scottish Funding Council is fostering greater co-operation between business and science through the Interface match-making service.
It is the private sector that powers economic growth - successful innovation depends on the competitiveness of Scotland's businesses, many of them SMEs. We are working with the private sector to increase the competitiveness of our most important industries. Private sector Industry Advisory Boards, working in partnership with the public sector, are at the heart of developing and implementing action plans to transform the competitiveness of key industries, and in enabling technologies that will underpin many of Scotland's key sectors.
Innovation needs investment, a key issue consistently raised by businesses. Practical steps have been taken, including the support through our enterprise agencies to help businesses become 'Investor Ready', and with the recent announcement of a Scottish Investment Bank.
Our Economic Recovery Programme 1 shows how we aim to help business and the economy to get back on track so that we are best placed to take advantage of the economic upturn. The Growing Innovation document, published by the enterprise agencies, gives details of how we will give the practical help that will make a real difference. Innovation in Scotland articulates the activities underway by business, academia, Government and its agencies and identifies how we can all play our part to achieve our long-term ambitions for Scotland.
John Swinney
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth
June 2009