Research, evaluation and insight

The goals of the Edinburgh Pre-Incubator Scheme (EPIS) was set up to increase innovation and commercialisation of new technologies to boost productivity and to concentrate on technology-based start-ups with high growth potential, through the provision of business support.

The Edinburgh Stanford Link (ESL) was set up as a collaborative research and commercialisation programme between the Human Commercialisation Research Centre (HCRC) at Edinburgh University and the Centre for the Study of Language and Information (CSLI) at Stanford University in California with the aim of transforming advances in language technology into innovative, commercial products.

The electronic portfolio implementation pilot project was set up as a short-term support mechanism to support local training providers in using Learning Assistant, an e-portfolio system.

Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian (SEEL) worked in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council, among others, to develop the Health Care Academy, the aim of which was to provide demand-led employment and training opportunities for targeted excluded groups and match individuals with vacancies in the new Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE).

The Equality Matters in Business project was developed initially by the Scottish Government, in conjunction with Scottish Enterprise (SE), with the overall aim of enhancing the advice and support available to Scottish-based SMEs on the business benefits of having good equality and diversity practices and policies in the workplace.

Various Scottish Enterprise (SE) projects receive funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); the purpose of this review is to bring together information about projects which received funding between 2000 and 2006 and which failed to submit all the data required for their final claim to the ERDF.

The Ettrick Riverside Project involved the refurbishment of a Grade A listed building in the Riverside industrial area of Selkirk into office space for start-up and growth businesses.

Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley (SEFV) awarded the Business Gateway (BG) contract to the Forth Valley Consortium (FVC) in 2002.

The Workforce Development Project (WDP) aimed to up-skill the Ayrshire labour force by providing organisations with the opportunity to apply for funding to continue the personal development and training of its employees.

Ontowork aimed to: provide a range of flexible, practical, client-focused services; encourage and support unemployed people to return to the labour market, education and training; actively work with partners organisations to encourage the development and delivery of services; and promote the benefits of sustaining employability through a culture of lifelong learning and development.

Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire (SEA) aimed to implement the market segmentation process to identify organisations with the greatest potential for sustainable growth.

Scottish Enterprise Renfrewshire (SER) account management activities aimed to select companies for account management support on the basis of their importance to the economy, so that sustaining the business or improving its performance produced significant economic progress.

The Ayrshire Film Focus (AFF) aimed to promote Ayrshire as a viable filming location to film and other media production companies.

The Ayrshire Innovation Centre (AIC) was established in 1995 to meet the needs of high growth start-up businesses through the provision of accommodation (subsidised during early months of trading), tailored business development support, and office/administration services.

Business Gateway International Ayrshire (BGIA) and Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire delivered part of their international trade development support through the organisation of Trade Missions.

BioDundee is a partnership between the public, private and academic sectors in the Dundee area to support and promote the life sciences sector.

The Business Start Up Support Service (BSUSS) was Scottish Enterprise Glasgow's (SEG) main volume-based mechanism to encourage new business formation.

Building Buchan New Beginnings (BBNB) was a three year action plan established in 2003 to address the economic challenges facing coastal communities in North Aberdeenshire.

The evaluation involved a desk-based study of a range of company and project data from Scottish Enterprise Tayside files, discussions with relevant stakeholders, face-to-face and telephone surveys of participating employers and a postal survey of Tayside Environmental Business Forum members.

The Real Business Learning Centres aimed to create an inclusive learning environment, drawing individuals into learning through both business-related and personal interest.

The Cashmere in Scotland promotion, including the Scottish Cashmere Club, aimed to assist the cashmere industry to achieve a sustainable future through developing export markets for quality products aimed at the added value sector.

Scottish Enterprise Dumfries and Galloway’s (SEDG) Client Management programme aimed to help local businesses to address issues, in order to enhance competitiveness and make the most effective use of organisations' powers and resources.

The Common Purpose Programme is designed to help individuals in leadership and decision-making positions to be more effective in their own organisations, in the community and in society as a whole.

The Decommissioning Supply Chain Engagement scheme (DSCE) comprised two free to attend conferences which aimed to raise awareness of the opportunities that are available to Scottish companies in the decommissioning of oil, gas, and nuclear facilities.

Discovery Quay Developments Ltd (DQDL) was established in 1988 as a single purpose joint venture public/private partnership with the aim of redeveloping the Dundee Waterfront site.