Innovation
Get support and expert advice through HIE’s innovation business support programmes.
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Food and drink businesses from the region produce a wide range of high-quality products, which have a strong competitive advantage associated to place, people and provenance.
Today, the industry in Scotland is worth £15bn and the strategy aims to double the value of the industry to £30bn by 2030 driving growth via innovation, integrating supply chains, investing in people and skills, and focusing on market growth opportunities domestically and internationally. Working with ambitious and capable businesses, we offer both one-to-one and sector-wide support to create new opportunities and tackle challenges to growth.
Scotland’s enterprise and skills agencies urge all companies to actively learn how to adapt to the new business environment now that the UK has left the EU. Up-to-date advice and support is available at FindbusinessSupport.gov.scot.
The Scotland Food & Drink Partnership has developed the food and drink industry’s Net Zero Commitment to unite industry efforts and steer its journey to a net zero future.
The Net Zero Commitment consists of five long-term commitments, underpinned by a programme of targeted interventions, to help Scotland’s food and drink sector meet net zero targets by addressing the challenges and opportunities that a just transition to a net zero sector offers producers, manufacturers and those involved throughout the food and drink supply chain.
By working together we will be able to tackle our most pressing shared challenges, deliver the Scottish Government’s 2045 net zero target, and help businesses stay on the front foot commercially.
Download the Net Zero Commitment here.
Scotland Food and Drink is the industry leadership organisation tasked with driving responsible growth for the sector and building Scotland’s global reputation as a Land of Food and Drink.
SFD is a membership organisation with over 440 members and they lead the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership, a collaborative partnership of the key industry organisations and public sector agencies working in the industry in Scotland.
The sector has strong ambitions for growth, and we are committed to working in collaboration with industry and the public sector in the Scotland Food and Drink Partnership to realise the ambitions set out in the national food and drink strategy ‘Ambition 2030’.
HIE is a member of the Scotland Food and Drink Partnership, which comprises industry via their trade bodies, the Scottish Government and other public sector agencies, with the shared ambition to grow the reputation and value of the industry. The Scotland Food and Drink Recovery Plan was launched in November 2020. This national recovery plan amplifies and accelerates the current core work of the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership in delivering Ambition 2030. Critically though, it adds new catalyst actions to jump start and expediate the recovery.
The Academy
A new, market-focused and commercially orientated training programme for Scottish food and drink businesses has launched. The Academy, delivered by the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership, is focused on knowledge sharing, upskilling, innovating and succeeding. No matter whether you’re a two person start up or a renowned, established brand The Academy can offer you the expertise you need to give your business the extra edge. Each of the three programmes has a specific focus for businesses at different stages on their growth journey. Find out more on The Academy website.
The Knowledge Bank
Delivered by the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership, the Knowledge Bank insights service is available to Scottish food and drink businesses of all sizes and across all sectors. It provides free access to a range of reports, events and bespoke insights on the industry’s latest trends, research, consumer behaviours and industry and market innovations. Visit their website to find out more.
Innovation is important to Scotland’s economy. Innovation in farming, fishing, food and drink is vital to empower Scotland’s food and drink businesses to respond to today’s consumer and market needs and to adapt to future challenges and opportunities.
Research shows that when a company innovates, they are twice as likely to grow and three times more likely to export successfully. Many companies are already making good use of the world-class research base on their doorstep.
The first legal distillery in Harris produces multi-award winning gin
The Meatsnacks Group is the largest producer of jerky and biltong in Europe
Find out about Dunnet Bay Distillery and the exporting journey the business has taken towards growth and international sales.
Find out more about some of our other support.
Get support and expert advice through HIE’s innovation business support programmes.
The Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service can helps businesses grow through the development of new products, services, processes and new ways of working.
Get support through our partnership with Zero Waste Scotland to become more 'circular' and use resources more effectively within your business.