The Scottish Government has unveiled a range of new measures to transform how Scotland attracts and supports capital investment into the country.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes will take on a cross-government leadership role as the Scottish Government’s ‘Investment Champion’ to deliver a national pipeline of strategic investment opportunities and a seamless, co-ordinated approach to building relationships with investors and developers.

Practical steps being delivered include an Investment Unit to identify and tackle barriers to investment, the development of a single portal for investment inquiries and another detailing investment opportunities, and a new Cabinet sub-committee to co-ordinate activity.

The Scottish Government will also explore new financing models including how public sector guarantees could be used, a potential Scottish Bond, and public-private partnerships.

“Increasing the level of private investment into Scotland’s economy is essential to our ambitions – for growth, for jobs, for reaching net-zero, and for improving our public services,” Forbes said at an Investment Association Conference in Edinburgh. “Without investment and the growth it can catalyse, we can achieve none of those goals.

“I will be working to tackle barriers and blockers; and to ensure that the system as a whole works cohesively, effectively, and quickly, to support investors and to deal with issues as and when they arise.

“Scotland has the talent, skills and resources in abundance to be a major player in the energy transition and secure a prosperous and sustainable future. We need to work better, smarter, and quicker to ensure that we can create an investor-friendly environment and seize the many opportunities which lie ahead. ”

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The measures aim to invigorate the Scottish government’s continued attempts to broaden investment attraction especially for green technology and sustainability.

This includes the Green Industrial Strategy which sets out the government’s priorities for the wind economy, carbon capture, hydrogen, green financial services, and clean energy-intensive industries.

Further, the Scottish Government announced the Offshore Wind Investment Programme, which allocates up to £500m over five years to stimulate private investment in port infrastructure and other opportunities to anchor our supply chain in Scotland.