2020-03-01 Business Insider

REVIEW: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

http://www.insider.co.uk March 2020 INSIDER 33

By PERRY GOURLEY

W

ITH the UN’s climate

summit heading to

Glasgow this year,

Scotland’s science and

technology community will have

an unprecedented opportunity to

showcase itself to the world.

More than 30,000 delegates,

including up to 200 global leaders,

are expected to attend COP26, which

is being seen by some commentators

as the most important global meeting

for generations.

Scotland’s commitment to achieve

net zero emissions of greenhouse

gases by 2045 – five years ahead of

the rest of the UK and one of the

earliest targets of any nation – has

already put the nation at the forefront

of action to tackle the climate

emergency.

Work under way across Scotland

on developments such as tidal energy,

carbon capture and storage and

floating offshore wind turbines also

mean the nation is at the leading edge

of the development of innovative

approaches to accelerate the

transition to a low carbon economy.

As well as determining next steps

in the world’s response to the climate

emergency, Paul Winstanley believes

that the spotlight falling on Scotland

during COP26 will have a positive

impact across the science and

technology sector.

“There are already signs it is

creating impetus around the

application of technology to

environmental issues – it’s a real

opportunity to support collaboration

and drive innovation in areas

where there are perhaps gaps at the

moment,” says Winstanley, a former

Ministry of Defence research scientist

who now heads Glasgow-based

CENSIS – Scotland’s Innovation

Centre for sensing, imaging and

Internet of Things technologies.

“We may also see Scottish

companies develop new solutions

to environmental challenges and

new businesses form around

particular sustainability issues –

and there is evidence to suggest

this has happened in the build-up

to and aftermath of other major

conferences.”

The opportunity for the Scottish

science and technology sector from

being in the world’s spotlight comes

at a time when it is seeing its impact

on the nation’s economy continue

to grow at pace. The tech sector is

estimated to contribute about £4.9bn

to the economy and support nearly

100,000 jobs. Life sciences and

in association with

Money is often not the key driver in

professionals making a move but

the content of the work, the impact it

has on society and working conditions

are far more important

Lindsay McGranaghan, CGI (below)

COP26 CREATES THE

OPPORTUNITY TO FLOURISH