Help For Businesses To Unlock Their Intellectual Assets

4th September 2006

Companies in the Highlands and Islands who are interested in exploring new ways of maximising their business opportunities now have the opportunity to take part in an innovative new programme.

Supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the Intellectual Assets Management company development programme aims to help businesses to harness untapped value to help unleash their potential.

An intellectual asset can take many forms, such as knowledge that exists in an organisation that can be used as an advantage. This could be customer relationships, contracts with suppliers, branding and business process as well as many other intangibles which are vital to the competitiveness and future business development.

The programme has been designed to support 20-25 organisations to take active steps to develop intellectual assets management practices. It will run from October to December 2006, comprising of three workshops - two of which will be based in Inverness and the others will be regionally based.

Fiona Jackson from the Intellectual Assets Centre (IA Centre) in Glasgow will be working on the project within the HIE Network over the next six months. The Centre brings together a range of expertise to help organisations realise their potential through managing their intellectual assets.

Fiona said: "We are keen to hear from businesses in the Highlands and Islands who are interested in developing their intellectual assets. Different ways will be explored that could benefit the businesses taking part as well as identifying where the key intangibles lie and learn how to analyse, measure and manage these."

"We are also seeking business coaches who will be able to support companies on these workshops, via telephone, email and one-to-one meetings."

Further details about these opportunities and an online application form for organisations wishing to take part can be found at http://www.hie.co.uk/intellectual-assets or please contact: Fiona Jackson on fona.jackson[AT]ia-centre.org.uk

 

Related Businesses

 

Related Articles

24/7/2026 : Advisory / Counseling Services

 
£194k support for new satellite control centre in Argyll

The £500k project is being led by Exotopic Ltd at the Machrihanish Airbase Business Park near Campbeltown.   A £500,000 project to establish a satellite management and monitoring service in Argyll has secured up to £194,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).  

24/7/2026 : Advisory / Counseling Services

 
Oban and north Lorn could play leading role in Scotland’s drones and robotics activity

Oban and north Lorn is poised to become a leading location for developing drone, robotics and autonomous systems activity, attracting high-value jobs and investment.   This is according to a new study, commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), which assesses the market potential in the region for these types of technologies.  

16/7/2026 : Visitor Attractions

John O'Groats Distillery Wins International Success with Scottish Enterprise Support

One of Caithness's newest success stories is proving that location is no barrier to reaching customers around the world.   8 Doors Distillery in John O'Groats, Scotland's most northerly mainland whisky distillery, is expanding into international markets with support from Scottish Enterprise and Team Scotland, demonstrating how businesses from the far north can compete on the global stage.  

8/7/2026 : Advisory / Counseling Services

How Rural Job Creation Actually Works

Rural job creation is one of the most misunderstood parts of economic development.  Politicians talk about “hundreds of jobs created”, enterprise agencies publish glossy figures, and press releases celebrate “transformational investment”.  

8/7/2026 : Advisory / Counseling Services

Fixing Enterprise Job Reporting: A Blueprint for Honesty, Accuracy, and Rural Reality

Enterprise agencies in Scotland have spent decades publishing glossy numbers about “jobs created” and “jobs retained”.  As the Highlands knows all too well, these figures often bear little resemblance to what actually happens on the ground.  

8/7/2026 : Advisory / Counseling Services

How Enterprise Agencies Inflate Job Numbers

Enterprise agencies in Scotland — Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), and the South of Scotland Enterprise regularly publish impressive sounding figures about “jobs created”, “jobs retained”, and “economic impact”.  These numbers appear in annual reports, ministerial speeches, and press releases.  

25/6/2026 : Advisory / Counseling Services

Annual investment shows size of economic opportunity in the Highlands and Islands

More than £50m of additional public investment was attracted to the Highlands and Islands last year by the region’s development agency.   Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) almost doubled its £53m opening budget from the start of financial year 2025/26, delivering an annual spend of £105m to create hundreds of jobs and grow the regional economy.  

19/6/2026 : Advisory / Counseling Services

 
OWGP signs Memorandum of Understanding with HIE at Global Offshore Wind

The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with HIE at Global Offshore Wind 2026, marking a shared commitment to strengthen the offshore wind supply chain in Scotland.   The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with HIE at Global Offshore Wind 2026, marking a shared commitment to strengthen the offshore wind supply chain in Scotland.  

17/6/2026 : Advisory / Counseling Services

The Salmon Nobody Wants to Name: Why Consumers Are Turning Away from Scottish Farmed Fish and Why Agencies Pretend It’s Just “Aquaculture”

A press release from Highlands and Islands set us digging - see it at the bottom of this article.   Something strange is happening in Scotland’s salmon industry, and it’s not the kind of thing you’ll find in a government press release.  

14/6/2026 : Local Authority

How Caithness Can Strengthen Its Case for Major Capital Investment in an Era of Shrinking Budgets

Caithness has reached a moment where the old assumptions about public investment no longer hold.  For decades, the region could rely on a three‑pillar system: HIE to drive economic development, Scottish Enterprise and national programmes to support growth, and Highland Council to deliver the infrastructure that underpins daily life.