Barclays has announced it will open its second Eagle Lab in Scotland to support entrepreneurs in the north-east of the country and drive innovation in the region.

Based in Aberdeen’s ONE Tech Hub, the city’s new home of digital and entrepreneurship, the Eagle Lab will be open for business in September this year.

Barclays said the Aberdeen space will be one of its flagship Labs for Industry 4.0 and will help entrepreneurs in the North East to capitalise on the region’s “natural strength in oil and gas” as well as unlock the potential of emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics.

The Barclays Eagle Lab network is one of the largest co-working and incubator networks for startups and scaleups in the UK – boasting 25 locations across the country.

Stuart Brown, head of SME Scotland at Barclays, commented: “Aberdeen has a wealth of businesses and entrepreneurs with ambitions, ideas and deep technical expertise who need access to the right resources and advice to help them start-up and scale-up.

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution is changing how and where we all work and the skills we need. Eagle Labs is committed to supporting the development of skills in entrepreneurship, innovation and in new and emerging technologies such as AS, data exchange, connected devices, advanced manufacturing and much more.”

Facilities at the Aberdeen space will complement ONE CodeBase’s offering to provide support for digital tech startups, with access to hot desks, co-working spaces, offices, meeting rooms and social areas.

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The Lab’s Maker Space will include facilities for digital fabrication, 3D printing and laser cutting, along with a range of hi-tech electronics equipment. Entrepreneur’s using the space will be supported by an ecosystem manager who will provide mentoring, create connections and share opportunities to enable high growth businesses to “achieve their ambitions”.

A dedicated Eagle Lab engineering will also be available to offer technical expertise and advice to enable businesses to flourish, Barclays confirmed, while specialists from its local business banking team in Aberdeen will also be available to provide banking support.

Sir Ian Wood KT GBE, chair of Opportunity North East, said: “ONE has invested at pace to build a digital tech community and cluster and Barclays’ decision to open an Eagle Lab in Aberdeen is another strong endorsement of the region’s talent and potential and further evidence of the continued growth of the local digital scene.

“The Eagle Lab will be a unique addition the ONE COdeBase community, which provides digital tech companies access to a range of mentors, investors, partners and on-site technical expertise to support company creation and scale-up.”

Finance Secretary Derek Mackay welcomed the announcement, stating: “The Scottish Government’s vision is for Scotland to be a world-leading entrepreneurial and innovative nation. We want to be the producers, the designers and the creators of world-changing innovations and not merely its consumers.

“I am delighted that Barclays are opening their second Eagle Lab in Scotland. This investment further demonstrates that the economic potential of Scotland’s people is well recognised.”