Welcoming Scottish Cities Alliance to Technology & Innovation Centre

The Institute for Future Cities (IFC) is delighted to announce that the Scottish Cities Alliance (SCA) will be working alongside our team within the Technology and Innovation Centre, University of Strathclyde. The aim is for this closer working relationship to provide both parties opportunities for cross dissemination of knowledge and ideas and explore opportunities for cutting-edge projects that create real-world impact in cities, joint research programmes to help address challenges in Scottish cities, and influencing policy at regional and national level to support Scotland’s resilience and prosperity.

The IFC has a long-standing relationship with the SCA, having collaborated on several initiatives – including student placements with project teams on smart cities and sustainability – and SCA were partners and co-funders for the IFC led EU STEP-UP programme (https://www.stepupsmartcities.eu/) that advanced urban sustainability.

The SCA is a collaboration of Scotland’s eight cities – Aberdeen, Dundee, Dunfermline, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Perth and Stirling – and the Scottish Government, working together to promote the country’s great economic potential. Established in 2011, its aim is to progress the Agenda for Cities and to achieve an economically stronger future for Scotland through the joint efforts of Scotland’s eight cities and its long-term investment promotion strategy, in a bid to attract capital investment to Scotland’s cities.

SCA’s Programme Director, Iain McCreaddie, said: “We are delighted to be able to work more closely with colleagues at the IFC, and Strathclyde more widely. Our shared interests range from developing low carbon futures, to helping Scotland’s cities become economically more resilient to the impact of climate change. Our core focus is to help ensure the future economic prosperity of Scotland, and we look forward to working closely with the IFC on existing and new initiatives as appropriate to help meet those aims.”

IFC Director, Richard Bellingham, said “Our interests are closely aligned with SCA. Together we can develop a more detailed understanding of the issues and priorities for Scotland’s cities and deliver tangible positive impacts for them –for sustainability, resilience, and urban design.”