Welcome to the latest edition of the DIGIT Deal Roundup.

From funding to underrepresented founders, £3 million to a Scots cleantech, to a groundbreaking metaverse museum experience, you’ll find the standout funding stories from October below.

Let’s take a look at them.

Funding and Investments

IFB Partnership Secures £300k New High-speed, Full-fibre Education Contract

Connectivity, cybersecurity, and IT service provider IFB has recently been awarded a £300k contract to deliver and support a full-fibre network and high-capacity hardware to nearly 50 key Aberdeen City Council (ACC) education locations.

The agreement – in partnership with leading cloud, IT, and network services provider EXPO.e – means ACC now have access to multi-gigabit speeds between key locations allowing them to future proof the delivery of critical services across schools and educational resources across the city.

IFB CEO Graeme Gordon said: “We are delighted to have been selected by EXPO.e to design, delivery and support them with this key upgrade for Aberdeen City Council. This will mean faster, more reliable, and more secure connections across many locations and schools which increasingly reply on digital connectivity everyday as part of core teaching and education.”

Aberdeen Street-side EV Charging Startup Nabs £500K Grant

Aberdeen-based Trojan Energy landed a £500,000 grant from the Low Carbon Manufacturing Challenge Fund in a stride towards cleaner and more sustainable energy.

Trojan Energy specialises in designing, manufacturing, installing, and maintaining a unique flat and flush charging system that integrates into pavements.

This technology allows multiple charging points to be deployed on the streets, offering a solution for electric vehicle (EV) owners who lack access to a driveway. Moreover, the design ensures that pavements remain clutter-free, enhancing the aesthetic of urban environments. Each charging system has up to 15 charge points and are each 22 kilowatt capable.

To read more, click here.

Scots Gov Provides £2.9M to Empower Underrepresented Founders

New funds from the Scottish Government will help more people from underrepresented backgrounds start their own businesses and nurture fledgling companies. A total of 42 recipients will benefit from the £1.6 million Ecosystem Fund, and 20 projects will get a share of the £1.3m Pre-Start Pathways Fund.

Wellbeing economy secretary Neil Gray announced the recipients of these funds at the Scottish Black Talent Summit in Edinburgh. “These two funds provide key support to unlock the potential in underrepresented communities, realising their talent and widening pathways for them to start thriving businesses,” said Gray emphasising the importance of these two funds.

The Ecosystem Fund, with a total value of £1.6 million, will be distributed among 42 recipients, enabling crucial support to individuals from underrepresented backgrounds who aspire to launch businesses. This fund’s primary objective is to foster the growth and prosperity of fledgling companies in the vibrant Scottish entrepreneurial landscape.

To read more, click here.

Edinburgh Unis Secure Share of £117M for Robotics Safety Centre

The new UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in Dependable and Deployable Artificial Intelligence for Robotics, shortened to CDT-D2AIR, will train new PhD students in verification and certification systems for robotics and AI.

The aim is to ensure that robotics applications in the home and in industry — such as AI assistants to help with independent living, or robotic machinery in manufacturing and construction — can interact safely with the environment and users.

The robotics safety centre is being awarded a share of £117 million funding by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as one of 12 new Centres for Doctoral Training being announced by the UK government, which just hosted the first ever AI Safety Summit 2023.

To read more, click here.

UK Unveils New £118m AI Skills Package

In a bid to position itself as a leader in the global artificial intelligence (AI) landscape, the UK announces a substantial £118m investment in skills funding.

The comprehensive set of measures and funding are aimed at accelerating the integration of AI into aspects of daily life. It will set out to ‘future proof’ the nation’s AI capabilities by promoting research and developing the workforce.

“The UK is at the very forefront of the global race to turn AI’s enormous potential into a giant leap forward for people’s quality of life and productivity at work, all while ensuring this technology works safely, ethically and responsibly,” said secretary of state Michelle Donelan.

To read more, click here.

Scottish-based Cleantech Bioscience Firm Raises £3 Million

Penrhos Bio, the Scottish-based cleantech bioscience company, has raised £3 million in Series A funding.

The raise comes from a consortium of investors including St Andrews-based firm Eos, New York branding partner Earthbound Brands LLC, and national economic development agency Scottish Enterprise, with several individuals and current shareholders also participating.

The funding round was further supported by Innova Partnerships, the Perthshire-based firm helping to build healthcare and life science enterprises.

To read more, click here.

Rocket Firm Launching at SaxaVord Spaceport Receives £3.5M

RFA UK (Rocket Factory Ltd), the satellite launch company, has received £3.5 million in funding to support its plans to launch from Scotland’s SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland.

The announcement comes as UK science and technology minister, George Freeman, visits SaxaVord Spaceport to see the site’s construction progress and meet key members of RFA UK.

The funding was awarded by the UK Space Agency as part of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Boost! Programme, which aims to aid the development of new launch technologies and bring them to market.

To read more, click here.

Eight Regional Innovation “Launchpads” to Be Rolled Out, Backed by £75M

Following pilots launched in Liverpool and Teesside earlier this year, a further eight innovation “Launchpads” will be rolled out across the UK, backed by £75m in funding.

The Launchpads programme aims to support regional clusters of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in designated high-tech sectors, including key industries such as agri-tech, renewable energy, and digital healthcare solutions.

Local businesses can apply for support that’s tailored to the needs of each business cluster, helping to drive increased innovation, employment, economic growth, and productivity. Innovate UK is providing each Launchpad with up to £7.5m.

To read more, click here.

Funding Secured for Scots IoT Business Initiative

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IoT Secure – led by IoT experts at CENSIS, Scotland’s innovation centre for sensing, imaging, and IoT technologies – offers cybersecurity workshops and one-to-one consultations to SMEs and startups with an interest in adopting IoT technologies.

The programme aims to engage with businesses from Scotland’s growth sectors including aquaculture, maritime, agri-tech and manufacturing.

Around 40 companies have engaged with the free initiative since it was launched in spring 2020, with at least 10 invited to take part in the next phase. The scheme will run until March 2024 after securing a funding extension from the Scottish Government.

To read more, click here.

Par Equity to Deliver £100m Boost to Northern Tech Startups

The fund, named Par Equity Ventures 1, aims to nurture early-stage startups located in northern regions of the UK, including Scotland.

The fund’s target size is set at £100m, and its initial close currently stands at an impressive £67m.  Par Equity Ventures 1 will direct its investments toward technology companies with promising “high-growth potential,” particularly with a focus on businesses that possess robust intellectual property (IP), as well as opportunities in climate technology, industrial technology, and health technology.

The move comes on the heels of the company committing to redistributing early-stage funding more evenly across the country. Historically, the tech ecosystem has been heavily centred in London, with the city, along with Oxford and Cambridge absorbing 80% of all venture capital investments.

To read more, click here.

University of Glasgow Unveils £5.6M “Museums in the Metaverse” Project

Backed by funding from the UK Government’s Innovation Accelerator programme, the project itself is a two-sided XR — a catch-all term for immersive technology including virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality — platform.

One part of the platform will enable people to access an array of museums, sites, objects, and dynamic experiences virtually. The second part of the platform will allow virtual curators to tell stories by combining 3D objects and environments.

The University of Glasgow said it will “empower online visitors to explore vast cultural assets in engaging new ways,” and “enable expert and novice curators to create new content.”

To read more, click here.

Glasgow Council Approves Two New UK Shared Prosperity Fund Schemes

Glasgow City Council has approved two new UKSPF schemes – the Innovative Districts Support Programme and the Net Zero Neighbourhoods project.

There are three themes for the UKSPF – supporting local business; communities and place; and people and skills. Glasgow is to benefit from £26.1 million of UKSPF support over the three financial years of 2022/23 – 2024/25.

The Glasgow City Region (GCR) – alongside Greater Manchester and the West Midlands – received one-third of £100 million for an Innovation Accelerator Pilot. The city region programme for this Pilot features 11 projects, assessed by an industry-led partnership and Innovative UK and identified as being from key sectors which represent areas of local strength.

To read more, click here.

Edinburgh Startup Secures £150K for Its Brain Imaging Tech

Edinburgh based startup, FC Labs, has secured a £150,000 investment from British Design Fund, for its AI-powered platform and brain imaging technology that can help reduce the risk of workplace accidents and fatalities caused by human error.

According to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), more than 500,000 accidents happen in UK workplaces every year and more than 90% are estimated to be the result of human error. One of the most common underlying causes is fatigue, but other factors such as stress, dehydration, boredom and substance abuse can all play a part.

FC Lab’s solution is designed to help spot the tell-tale signs that an employee may be at risk, by monitoring trends in their brain activity.

To read more, click here.

£9.5M IoT Project Poised for Further Rollout in South East Scotland’s Schools

Forty-three of the region’s schools are currently involved with the project — supplying them the latest environmental sensors — with this figure set to double as West Lothian schools join over the next month. It’s expected that the majority of the remaining 525 schools will also join in by the end of the academic year.

The project’s sensors, which can be used to measure levels of carbon dioxide, humidity, and light pressure, are connected to a specialist computer at the University of Edinburgh’s International Data Facility. The raw data produced by the sensors is then turned into accessible visual charts and graphs.

The IoT Schools Network was introduced in 2019 in a move to inspire students to consider STEM subjects and careers. According to the University of Edinburgh, experts have said that it’s already breathed new life into the region’s science classes, providing learners with the chance to explore and assess environmental data first-hand.

To read more, click here.

That’s it for this month’s DIGIT Deal Roundup. Be sure to subscribe to the DIGIT newsletter to always stay up-to-date on the latest Scottish tech news!