Barclays has launched its flagship innovation presence in Scotland, with its established Glasgow Eagle Lab taking on an expanded role as the Barclays Innovation Hub.

Only the second Barclays Innovation Hub in the UK, following London, the Glasgow hub will have a distinct regional mission: connecting Scotland’s entrepreneurs and high-growth businesses with universities, investors, major companies and technology specialists to accelerate innovation and commercial growth.

The launch forms part of Barclays’ Backing Britain’s Future initiative to help entrepreneurs and businesses grow from idea to IPO, with a commitment to support 1.5 million businesses and entrepreneurs by 2030. In Scotland, the hub will bring that ambition to life by connecting businesses with the skills, networks and expertise they need to innovate, attract investment and scale into new markets.

Glasgow’s technology ecosystem is now valued at £5.6 billion. The city’s technology companies have attracted more than £300 million in venture capital investment since the beginning of 2025, while its universities have produced more than 130 spinouts. The expanded hub will help more of those businesses move from research and early-stage development to investment, adoption and international growth.

The Innovation Hub will convene a curated ecosystem around the businesses it supports. Its programme will connect founders and university spinouts with mentoring, specialist workshops, investor introductions, corporate expertise, potential customers and a regular calendar of events.

Barclays has a long-standing presence in Scotland, and Glasgow is home to a substantial part of the bank’s UK technology and operational capability. The Innovation Hub will build on that footprint and on the community already established through the Eagle Lab, creating a stronger gateway between Barclays, Scotland’s universities and the wider innovation economy.

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Abdul Qureshi, Head of Barclays Business Banking, said, “Scotland is hugely important to Barclays, and Glasgow already plays a significant role in our technology capability. Our Innovation Hub will be our flagship innovation presence in Scotland, bringing the right people and organisations together to turn promising ideas into growing businesses.

“By combining Barclays’ expertise and national network with Scotland’s talent, universities and technology community, we can help businesses embrace new technologies, including AI, find customers, attract investment and scale from Glasgow to the world. That is what Backing Britain’s Future means in practice: helping turn entrepreneurial ambition into investment, innovation and long-term growth.”

Businesses, universities, investors, professional-services firms and public-sector bodies will be invited to support workshops, events, mentoring and opportunities for collaboration.