EDAS delivers ‘Innovation & Entrepreneurship’ event series to Scotland’s economic development community
As well as overarching association management, membership, and governance services for EDAS, Brightstar support with the design, setup, organisation, and running of events. EDAS, as the main membership body that supports and represents those working in and contributing to economic development in Scotland, each year’s event programme covers a wide range of topics, more recently including policy, the Scottish economy, the just transition to Net Zero, and Community Wealth Building.
The Innovation & Entepreneurship series featured three key events, hosted online, each of which highlighted key policy, projects and aims of leading bodies who are enabling innovation for a more propserous Scotland for all.
The first event entitled, welcomed Ana Stewart to discuss the topic of her co-authored Pathways Report, the Scottish Government’s independent review into women in entrepreneurship. Ana was joined in the discussion by Alex Feechan, CEO and Founder, FINDRA Clothing; Elizabeth Pirrie, Chief Executive Officer, AccelerateHER and Chief Operating Officer, Investing Women Angels; and Kirstie Scrimgeour, Entrepreneurship Lead, South of Scotland Enterprise.
The second, Innovation in Scotland Part 1: The 10 Year Strategy, shared the latest insight on Scotland’s 10-year Innovation Strategy. It welcomed key speakers Alasdair Macleod: Head of Innovation, Scottish Government, Derek Shaw: Director of Innovation & Place at Scottish Enterprise, Helen Cross: Director of Research and Innovation at Scottish Funding Council, and Uzma Khan: Vice Principal for Economic Development and Innovation & Deputy Chief Operating Officer (Governance) at University of Glasgow.
The third and final event, Innovation in Scotland Part 2: Entrepreneurship, focused on the work being done to foster a culture of entrepreneurship in Scotland. It welcomed to the discussion, Mark Logan, Chief Entrepreneurial Adviser to Scottish Government; Jon Hope, Senior VP of Ecosystems at CodeBase; Genna Masterton, Founder, Gifted Kind; Douglas Westwater, CEO, Community Enterprise & Chair, Social Enterprise Scotland; Susan Aktemel, Founder and Executive Director at Homes for Good (Scotland) CIC; and Ross Tuffee, Investor & Tech Founder.
The events were incredibly well attended, bringing together Scotland’s economic development community to examine best practice, collaborative aims, and strategy for enabling innovation across the country.