By stewartb

From the Scottish Business section of the BBC News website (October 1): ‘Tech projects to receive share of government fund’.

We’re told: ‘ScotlandIS’ Future Ready programme, which provides business support and learning resources for tech businesses across the country, and Game Space in Dundee, who support those working in the country’s gaming industry, are among the recipients of funding from the UK government’s Department of Science, Innovation and Technology’s (DSIT’s) Regional Tech programme.’

The BBC understands the two Scottish projects will each receive £30,000: the DSIT has told the BBC the money will support at least 30 businesses in Scotland.

By my calculation, £60k between ‘at least 30 businesses’ in Scotland amounts to support outputs worth no more than £2k per business, not taking account of the funds that will be used to meet the overhead costs of ScotlandIS and Game Space, the support delivery organisations. The DSIT’s own account notes the support programme will last (just) six months.

Excellent news: like me, you’re no doubt delighted BBC Scotland found time and space to showcase this generous UK government support for businesses in Scotland!

The BBC piece also reports: ‘A spokesperson from DSIT told BBC News the money for ScotlandIS will provide targeted support and the creation of peer-led support networks for tech entrepreneurs and micro-businesses in rural areas, particularly in the Highlands and Islands. Game Space, meanwhile, will deliver a support programme for early-stage Scottish games startups including workshops and help to attract investment.’ (my emphasis)

Meanwhile, do you know the Scottish Government today announced an additional £2.95 million to support university-derived start-up companies (part of its Proof of Concept Fund). The projects receiving support includes one from Dundee involving gamification and AI technology: ‘LayawayGo’ will receive financial support from the Scottish Government not worth £2,000 but £122,000. I wonder if we’ll see this – or better still, the whole funding package of £2.95 million – profiled on the Scottish Business section of the BBC News website soon?

For completeness, BBC Scotland could add in a profile of the Scottish Government funded Techscaler programme aimed at creating, developing and scaling tech startups (see https://www.techscaler.co.uk ). Launched in November 2022, the Scottish Government is investing £42 million in the programme.

And the BBC Scotland business journalists could for good measure add in relevant information on other start-up company support measures funded by the Scottish Government via Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise. They might even consider profiling new and young company support funded by the Scottish Government and delivered by local authorities via Business Gateway while they’re at it.

And back to ScotlandIS, the ‘About us’ section of its website has this: ‘ScotlandIS works closely with Scottish Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland to underline the importance of the digital technologies industry to the Scottish economy.’

For BBC Scotland, might this sort of coverage of what the present Scottish Government actually does be viewed as ‘unhelpful’ given the upcoming Holyrood election, making the SNP appear to the electorate to be far too business-friendly?

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