Led by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) in the Highlands and Islands, the Rural AI Roadshow conference runs across Scotland in January 2026 with events in Inverness (27 Jan), Dundee (28 Jan) and Gretna (29 Jan). Each event will bring together business leaders, innovators and practitioners to explore the potential of AI to support rural economies.
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic, Kate Forbes MSP, today announced the reappointments of Simon Cotton and David Wilson as Members of the Board of Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Simon Cotton has over a decade of experience of running textile manufacturing businesses in the HIE region, including Johnstons of Elgin and Macnaughton Holdings.
Angus Campbell, Chair of HIE, visited the Outer Hebrides last week to see the ambition in Uist and Benbecula as he begins a wider tour to meet staff, businesses and community groups. Over the next few weeks, I'll be travelling across the Highlands and Islands to meet HIE staff, businesses and community groups.
NDA group puts decommissioning at the forefront of the agenda at Nuclear Week in Parliament. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) group put decommissioning at the forefront of the agenda at this year's Nuclear Week in Parliament, as the essential foundation underpinning the Government's ambition to become a clean energy superpower.
Secondary pupils across Highland are being offered new Green Skills learning with a ground-breaking module from the Science Skills Academy. Developed as part of Green Skills Pathway - Highland, with funding from SSE Renewables' Highland Sustainable Development Fund (SDF), Green Skills is designed for S1 and S2 pupils.
Scottish EDGE is set to provide more opportunities for entrepreneurs living outside the central belt thanks to a second round of its successful Regional EDGE competition. Backed by £400,000 of Scottish Government funding, the competition is open for applications from 9am on 14 January 2026.
Maps of the Council's gritting routes by priority and policy are available online at www.highland.gov.uk/gritting. The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time.
A Shetland-based design and signage company has entered an exciting new chapter moving to larger, greener premises with support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). Established in 1992, Artmachine began as a vinyl graphics and design studio and soon expanded into signage services across Shetland and Orkney.
HIE is looking for projects that will have a significant and long-lasting impact on the economy. Businesses and research organisations operating in the Highlands and Islands marine economy are being asked for ambitious project ideas to help secure £20m for the region.
A £1.49m project to build a brand-new Screen Machine - Scotland's mobile cinema, will ensure that rural and island communities can enjoy the latest films close to home. For almost 30 years, Screen Machine has served more than 34,000 people across 44 communities, half of them on islands, offering a digital cinema experience where no permanent cinema exists.
UKAEA and NDA sign formal agreement to share knowledge and expertise, advancing the delivery of major decommissioning programmes. Memorandum of Understanding agreed to enable and encourage knowledge sharing, and improve best practice.
For 60 years, the Highlands and Islands have been the focus of one of the UK's most distinctive long-term regional development efforts. Since the creation of the Highlands and Islands Development Board (HIDB) in 1965—and its evolution into Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) in 1991.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has been granted planning permission in principle to progress the second and final phase of development at Inverness Campus. The consent is subject to a Section 75 agreement being finalised between HIE and The Highland Council.
Businesses affected by ferry disruption in Coll, Tiree, the Small Isles, Mull, Iona, Ulva, Barra, Vatersay, Islay and Jura can now access financial support. The £4.4 million Islands Business Resilience Fund (IBRF) is expanding to support more businesses experiencing economic impacts linked to travel issues.
As the North Coast 500 approaches its tenth anniversary, it has become one of Scotland's most well-known tourism success stories. The 516-mile loop around the far north of the Highlands has been celebrated internationally, marketed as a world-class road trip, and credited with transforming visitor numbers in some of Scotland’s most remote areas.
Joint venture to develop neutral beams for fusion and non-fusion applications, creating high-skilled jobs and establishing a critical supply chain. TAE Technologies, a leading US private fusion energy firm with over 25 years at the forefront of scientific innovation, today announces a bilateral and reciprocal investment commitment with the United Kingdom's national fusion laboratory, the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) to commercialise TAE's proprietary particle accelerator technology for the global market.
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has released its 2025 Mission Progress Report is a slightly sprawling document chronicling one of the UK's most complex environmental undertakings. The safe dismantling of its early nuclear legacy.
The Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) welcomes its newest recruits. The CNC hosted two passing out parades for the graduating Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs) of Initial Foundation Programme (IFP) 106.
Nuclear Restoration Services Dounreay's Kate Thomson has won Modern Apprentice of the Year at the Highlands & Islands Apprenticeship Awards in Inverness. Kate, who is in the second year of her apprenticeship in commercial and quantity surveying, said she was thrilled by the honour.
EMPLOYERS and educators from across the Highlands have gathered to hear how a new initiative is aiming to transform the region's economy. Workforce North - A Call to Action brought together business leaders and teachers from primary and secondary schools from across the Highland Council area with a wide range of partners geared towards education, learning and skills development at Strathpeffer Pavillion.
