More than 20 academics, policy-makers and stakeholders from across Europe are in Inverness this week to share ideas on policies to help small to medium enterprises (SMEs) become more globally competitive. The ‘EU Clusters3 Interregional Conference and Workshop' has been organised by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and takes place at Eden Court from 19 to 21 June.
The first meeting of a Ministerial Working Group, convened to examine building and fire safety regulatory frameworks, has taken place this week. The meeting was chaired by Communities Secretary Angela Constance with Housing Minister Kevin Stewart and Community Safety Minister Annabelle Ewing.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (June, 20th) sold 18 prime cattle. Prime bullocks (10) averaged 221.1p (-3.2p) and sold to 228.0p per kg and £1,412.55 gross.
The Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Spatial Plan (PFOW MSP) has won the Excellence in Plan Making Practice category at the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence 2017. The awards were held in London on 15 June.
Date and chance to walk the new bridge confirmed Economy Secretary Keith Brown today revealed the date the Queensferry Crossing will open to traffic Details of an opportunity for the public to walk across the new bridge were also announced. On a visit to the Forth Replacement Crossing construction site today, Mr Brown explained the process for opening Scotland's newest icon.
A specialist centre to develop new manufacturing processes for lightweight materials for the aerospace and automotive industries is to be set up as a first step towards creating a National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland. The First Minister announced today that the £8.9m Lightweight Manufacturing Centre, being set up in the former Doosan Babcock facility in Westway, Renfrew, will support highly skilled jobs and help place Scotland at the forefront of lightweight manufacturing.
The North Coast 500 (NC500) tourist route, launched in 2015, has had a positive impact on both visitor numbers and business trade. This is according to a new report commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
Greater direct control of funding by schools will help improve education, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said as he called for parents, teachers and young people to have their say in revamping the way schools are funded. Speaking the day after he announced sweeping new powers for schools, Mr Swinney said it was crucial that funding decisions are taken by those who know children best and know where the funding will have the biggest impact.
Companies looking for significant investment will now be able to access an additional £200 million through the Scottish-European Growth Co-investment Programme. The Programme is the first part of the Scottish Growth Scheme, a £500 million financial package backed by the Scottish Government, to help businesses thrive and grow.
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Week commencing 12th June 2017. Energy & business services: The offshore construction phase of the Caithness- Moray programme to enhance the north's electricity distribution grid has reached a significant milestone with the laying of the first sections of the subsea cable across the Moray Firth.
Short film highlighting infrastructure investments made across the Highlands and Islands and the impacts these investments are having across the energy sector..
Brief update on the works at Kishorn Port from directors Alasdair Ferguson and Simon Russell..
Brief update on Nigg Energy Park by Rory Gunn of Global Energy Group..
Brief update on Port of Cromarty Firth by Joanne Allday.
A planning application will be submitted to Highland Council later this year to cover the next phase of planning at the Dounreay site. Planning permission from 2018 to the shutdown of the site, also known as the interim end state, is the third phase of the planning required for the Dounreay decommissioning programme.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has appointed a new chief executive. Charlotte Wright, who is currently the agency's Director of Business and Sector Development, has held the role of Interim Chief Executive since the end of August last year.
A major exhibition opened this week at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh focusing on the Flow Country, one of Europe's last wild places. The Flow Country is a vast open landscape in the far north of Scotland, dominated by blanket bog, a rare type of peatland.
Marine mammals and seabirds will continue to use the waters around operational wave and tidal renewable energy devices, finds a report published on Tuesday 13th June 2017 by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). A major study of wildlife observations collected over ten years around wave and tidal energy test sites in Orkney has found little evidence of any long-term effects on the use of surrounding seas by the birds and marine mammals living in the area.