Our Year
Some Economic Development highlights from 2022-23
Climate Literacy Training
Throughout 2022-23 68 members of the Economic Development team completed Climate Literacy training, with almost all receiving their official Carbon Literate certification.
UKREiiF
In May our Invest Glasgow team had a stand and a small delegation at the first UKREiiF, a new annual real estate investment and infrastructure event in Leeds for the public sector to showcase their investable propositions. The event attracted 4000 delegates and also included a programme of over 50 fringe events.
Scotland Loves Local Glasgow Gift Cards
In August almost 85,000 Scotland Loves Local Glasgow gift cards worth £105 were distributed to eligible households throughout the city. The cards supported both residents struggling with the cost of living crisis and local businesses recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.
Digital DNA Glasgow
The inaugural Digital DNA event was held at the SEC in September, giving early Glasgow start-ups a showcase opportunity. Over 1,000 attendees from across the tech ecosystem in Scotland got together to explore the future. The event will return to the city in November 2023.
BBC Studioworks in Kelvin Hall launched
BBC Studioworks in Glasgow's iconic Kelvin Hall launched in September. The world class studio is 10,500m2 and offers state of the art facilities and the very latest technology. BBC Studioworks is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC and is co-funded by Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government. It has hosted shows including Frankie Boyle’s New World Order and Bridge of Lies.
24th State of the City Economy Conference
On November 18th over 600 delegates were part of the 24th State of the City Economy Conference at the Radisson Blu Hotel. Glasgow's premier economic event brought together senior representatives from government, business, academia and the third sector to focus on Glasgow's economy.
Glasgow tech ecosystem platform launched
The Glasgow Tech Ecosystem Platform, powered by Dealroom, was officially launched at the 24th State of the City Economy conference. The open-access tech database showcases Glasgow’s regional tech ecosystem and provides a single platform to better connect start-ups with investors and corporates, showcasing the region’s start-ups and wider ecosystem to the world.
Green Business Support programme
In November we launched the new £675,000 Green Business Support programme to help local companies transition to net zero, reduce their energy costs and become more resilient to climate change. The programme is part of the council's Green Deal and is part funded by the UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund. There are two elements of the programme: Green Business Grants of up to £10,000 which will support a minimum of 50 SMEs, and advice and support which will be available to at least 250 local companies.
Filming in the city
Glasgow continued to provide a stunning backdrop for several film and television productions. Dramas including Crime Series 2, Annika Series 2, Guilt Series 3, Loss & Return and Mayflies were all filming in the city over the last year. The trailer for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was also released in December ahead of its June 2023 release. Much of the film was shot in Glasgow, with city centre streets being transformed to stand in for 1960s New York.
Glasgow Employability Programme
A significant paper providing an update on the Glasgow Employability Programme went to committee in March. The programme is developing an holistic, all age employability pipeline based on individual need and is undergoing a design process based on the Scottish Approach to Service Design. This design process will result in a framework that maps out Glasgow’s funding priorities and sets out the full extent of activity that will be in place from 2024.
Business Growth Programme
The Business Growth Framework tender to appoint suppliers across ten specialist lots was published in January. Suppliers will provide expert consultancy services to micro, small and medium sized enterprises and social enterprises in the city. Glasgow Business Growth Programme is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Innovation Accelerator
In March the UK Government's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) confirmed in an announcement that Glasgow City Region's share of £100million of Levelling Up funding would support 11 ambitious projects to further accelerate the region's booming innovation economy. The Regional Innovation Partnership worked closely with Innovate UK to deliver a portfolio of projects that highlight the key sectoral strengths across the city region.
