A new £15 million fund has been announced to support affordable lending services. It will support Credit Unions and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) which offer financial help to those who have poor credit and are often turned away from high street banks.
14 successful companies have been awarded contracts to come up with innovative approaches to remotely sort and segregate radioactive waste. The ‘Sort and Seg' innovation competition, worth £3.9 million in total, was launched in July 2020.
David Peattie, Chief Executive Officer of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, has announced the appointment of Lawrie Haynes as Chair Designate of Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd. (DSRL).
The Institute for government has produce a paper explaining the Act. The United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020, which became law on 17 December 2020, will govern the trading relationship between the nations of the UK.
This week we published our latest Scottish Business Monitor in partnership with Addleshaw Goddard. You can read the latest Scottish Business Monitor in full here.
More than £4.5m is to be invested in expanding the marine enterprise cluster in Argyll, in a move that is expected to create more than 30 well-paid jobs. HIE has approved the funding for two new stages in its development of the European Marine Science Park (EMSP) at Dunstaffnage near Oban.
Another 27 young business leaders from around the Highlands and Islands have become the latest to take part in a year-long programme aimed at developing the next generation of entrepreneurs. IMPACT30 is a fully funded business growth programme, offering bespoke support from industry specialists.
The Plus A three-year project to restore confidence and resilience in Moray's tourism sector, has secured £350,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). The project, by strategically important destination management organisation Visit Moray and Speyside (VMS), will deliver a series of initiatives aimed at inspiring, enabling and delivering destination recovery.
£2 million funding was originally announced in December but has now been increased to £3 million. The funding will support snowsports centres that have been forced to close due to Level 4 restrictions to curtail the spread of COVID-19.
A Shetland firm is to launch a new range of biltong snacks, including Scotland's first lamb biltong, in a move that is expected to create new jobs. J & G Shetland Ltd, which owns Sound Service Station is set to start production at their premises in Lerwick, in February 2021.
Dounreay features in a new leaflet from the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency showing recent research, development and innovation. See the leaflet link at the bottom of this page to read about some of the other investments by the NDA.
A new initiative to drive growth in the food and drink sector has been welcomed by HIE. The Scotland Food & Drink Partnership launched The Academy this week to help businesses targeting growth, after the industry was one of the hardest hit by COVID-19 and Brexit.
UK-Japan relationship in nuclear science boosted by robotics and automation. Britain and Japan have signed a research and technology deployment collaboration to help automate nuclear decommissioning and aspects of fusion energy production.
Issued by David Peattie, Group CEO and Accounting Officer, NDA. I am pleased to be able to share with you some significant developments within the NDA around our transport and waste businesses, further underlining our One NDA approach to working more collaboratively and efficiently to clean up the UK's earliest civil nuclear sites.
The Decommissioning Services Framework (DDF) Alliance, led by Cavendish Nuclear and supported by KDC Contractors (Veolia) and BAM Nuttall (BAM), has been successfully awarded a contract for the design of a new waste repackaging facility at the Dounreay nuclear site. The programme of work is expected to run until early 2022 and forms part of Dounreay Site Restoration Limited's (DSRL's) Decommissioning Services Framework.
Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) has announced the appointment of Mark Rouse as its Managing Director. Mark took up the position of Managing Director in March 2020 but will now move from the current parent body organisation to Dounreay Site Restoration Limited to continue leading the business when it becomes an NDA subsidiary on 1 April 2021.
Work on Dounreay's newest radioactive waste store went up a storey last week, with the completion of a ‘mega' concrete pour. The construction project was one of the first to re-start work on 22 June, following the easing of lock down restrictions.
Community organisations in the region which are delivering, reshaping or reintroducing vital community services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, are being encouraged to check their eligibility for a Scottish Government fund. Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is administering the Communities Recovery Fund (CRF) in the region.
Planning consent has been granted for a new life sciences innovation centre on Inverness Campus. The 2500m² facility is a joint project between Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and the University of the Highlands and Islands.
An Isle of Lewis-based television production company has recently expanded its development team with support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). Catriona Lexy Campbell has been recruited by award-winning firm, MacTV, as a development researcher to help increase the company's global appeal and to build on its success to date.