A city that flourishes on the international stage.
We are committed to building the most productive, most resilient and most sustainable City Region economy in the UK by 2030. Guiding our international activity is crucial to delivering on those missions. By the nature of our economy, our people and our heritage, we are already an international city. We now seek to shape and harness that engagement for the benefit of all those who live and work here.
Glasgow has a number of strategies, all of which contain international elements, including:
- Glasgow Economic Strategy 2022 – 2030;
- Glasgow City Region Economic Strategy;
- Glasgow 2030 Tourism Strategy;
- Glasgow Culture Strategy 2024 - 2030;
- Glasgow Investment Strategy 2023 – 2030;
- Glasgow City Region Innovation Action Plan;
- Glasgow Transport Strategy & the Regional Transport Strategy for the west of Scotland 2023 – 2038; and
- Glasgow Events Strategy 2035
This strategy does not seek to duplicate these documents. Instead, it seeks to weave together common threads, and create a mechanism that brings our partners together to deliver on those ambitions.
The Council, and its partners, are determined to speak with one voice to present the best that Glasgow has to offer, and to maximise the use of our combined resources. We know that our city, as the only truly metropolitan region in Scotland and the third largest city in the United Kingdom, has a distinctive identity. We will use that shared voice to highlight our distinctive strengths, and where they complement the assets of Scotland and the rest of the UK.
By setting out an international strategy, we join peer cities across the UK, and the globe. We are taking proactive action to continue to build on our strong international reputation with a shared recognition that guiding our international engagement is not merely an option, but a strategic necessity to drive growth, prosperity, innovation and sustainability.
Towards the Strategy
We know international engagement creates economic, social, cultural and academic opportunity. This strategy sets out to capture those benefits for the people who live and work in Glasgow. And it seeks to better connect Glasgow, its people, and the rest of the world.
This is a message from our review of international comparators, and a consistent message from the businesses that we engaged with. In developing this strategy, we have worked closely with our partners and across the Council family.
We have convened a working group comprising:
- Our five higher education institutions and representatives of our FE sector;
- The Scottish Government;
- The UK Government through colleagues in FCDO;
- UK and Scottish Government agencies, including Scottish Enterprise, SDI, Innovate UK and the Connected Places Catapult;
- Our two Innovation Districts at GCID and GRID;
- The Glasgow Chamber of Commerce; and
- Colleagues across the Council family, including Glasgow Life and the Lord Provost’s Office.
We have worked closely with the Chamber of Commerce to bring together representatives of our business community. In all, we have heard directly from over 140 businesses, representing a breadth of sectors and experience of engaging internationally. We have reflected on their contribution, and their voices have directly shaped many of the actions that we set out in this document.
This strategy recognises the need for flexibility in order to respond to a continually changing global outlook. It covers the period 2025-2030 and will be underpinned by a delivery plan that will be reviewed at the mid-point of the strategy. This approach will allow us to review our stated outcomes and objectives, and to take account of both emerging market opportunities and new challenges.
Economic Opportunity
Glasgow has a significant opportunity that can be realised through our international activity. By shaping and further supporting the internationalisation of our economy, we can:
- support local business to grow and generate sustainable profits;
- create jobs for people in Glasgow;
- raise living standards,
- improve our economic resilience; and
- deliver prosperity.
This strategy sets out how we will support businesses to enhance and create trade links. It articulates how we will further attract foreign direct investment (FDI) and foreign capital investment (FCI). We also set out the key international markets in which Glasgow companies are already engaged.
In doing all of this, we will support local companies to improve their exporting performance. As a result, we expect to see enhanced productivity, profitability and growth. We also know that strong export performers are better placed to handle shocks and stay in business.
Glasgow has set out its ambition to become one of the most innovative places in the UK, building on our strong links between academia, the public sector and industry. We have set out to do this by embracing our entrepreneurial spirit and increasing the number of start-ups and spinouts. To achieve this, we need to continue to attract investment and talent from around the world.
This work will complement our strong legacy of attracting international events, conferences and tourism. We know that this activity generates significant revenue for local businesses, but this strategy sets out how we will give further backing to those businesses to make their mark on the world.
Glasgow City Region, through its Intelligence Hub, has highlighted those areas of our economy where we have strength, and where we have existing and emerging specialisms. These sectors, shown in the diagram below, are at the forefront of our innovation economy. They have directly informed the Glasgow City Region Innovation Action Plan and the Glasgow City Region Investment Zone.
Food and Drink is a key addition to this list. The sector continues to be Scotland’s top international export sector and includes many of the most readily identifiable Scottish products sold abroad.
Through this strategy, we will actively seek to further support these sectors, given the importance of commercialising new innovations to addressing our city’s productivity challenge.
Diagram 1: Key Sector Strengths
Source: GCR Innovation Action Plan
Social Opportunity
Glasgow’s diversity is a core strength, and one that we will continue to embrace and celebrate. Those who have chosen to make their home here, regardless of their background, make our city a more vibrant place. Whether they have come here through family links, seeking economic opportunity, or to learn and expand their horizons, our city is a better place for them.
In the past, an increasingly globalised economy has left too many people behind. We are determined not to repeat those mistakes, and we know that we will need to bring all our communities with us. The gains of growth are not automatically felt equally. The foundational principles of equality, diversity and inclusion underpin all of our city strategies. Achieving this is the role of the council and its partners.
And no challenge more acutely demonstrates the importance of tackling inequality than Climate Change. The city has set out its ambition to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2030, laid out in the Glasgow Climate Plan. That goal is ambitious, but necessary. It requires us to work locally and globally. This strategy recognises that setting and then achieving that goal gives our city a distinct place amongst the world’s cities. It adds to our attractiveness for people, businesses and investors and puts us at the forefront of urban action for global sustainability goals.
Cities are on the frontline. They are the places where the effects of inequality and climate change are most acutely felt. Cities transform aspirations into concrete action, because they are closest to their citizens. Collaborative efforts between cities, and within international organisations, represents our best opportunity to meet those challenges. These serve two purposes: to work with national and international Government; and to facilitate knowledge exchange and best practice
Glasgow has proudly participated in these networks. We have worked with other cities to accelerate our just transition to a green economy, embed climate and social resilience, and support global efforts to tackle acute crises. For these efforts, Glasgow’s progress has been recognised and celebrated by our peers around the world, and we have directly improved the lives and wellbeing of our citizens.
But we know too that Glasgow must confront the complexity of its own past. This document is not the place to repeat that discussion, but in our engagements around the world, we continue to be clear that a modern, diverse and inclusive Glasgow starts with acknowledging the foundations upon which our city is, quite literally, built.
Cultural and Academic Opportunity
Glasgow’s international reputation is already well developed. That is, in no small part, down to our cultural and academic assets. World-leading research and world-renowned cultural creations are often the vehicles through which meaningful city-to-city connections have been made.
These connections are valuable in their own right. They demonstrate the diversity of our city and enrich us all. Our cultural exchanges, international festivals, and twin-city and partner city agreements have fostered a more vibrant, creative, and inclusive community.
It is an approach embedded across two generations. The city’s population is directly invested in our international reputation as friendly and attractive, which is successfully supported by the People Make Glasgow brand.
This cultural vibrancy not only improves the quality of life for our citizens but also makes the city more attractive to tourists and international talent, further strengthening our global appeal. Through our long-term approach and priorities, we are ensuring that perceptions of Glasgow continue to be challenged and we live up to our reputation as the “friendliest city in the World”, and will remain a place that people want to experience, enjoy and return to.
The success of this can be seen in our award-winning ability to attract conferences and conventions, our growing tourist economy, and our significant international student population.
It is these connections that help us push the boundaries of our knowledge and our technology. Equipping us with the tools we need to face the challenges of the future. They add scale to our international work by helping place Glasgow on the map, and our international activity adds scale to their work.
By building deeper city-to-city connections, we align ourselves with emerging policy priorities across Europe. The UK’s recent return to Horizon Europe coupled with a need to demonstrate cross-city collaboration, places us in an advantageous position to access new funding and forge new connections.
Which in turn continues to cultivate Glasgow’s reputation as an exciting and attractive place to live and work. As we approach our 850th birthday, it is right that we reflect and celebrate, with pride, the great foundations on which we build, and the opportunity that awaits us in the years to come.
