Glasgow Science Centre exhibition to highlight Scottish innovation

The Glasgow Science Centre (GSC) is set to deliver an interactive exhibition focused on the innovation taking place across the country.

In partnership with the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), Idea #59 will explore how AI, big data, robotics advanced manufacturing, precision medicine and IOT are helping to inspire the next generation of innovators, engineers and scientists.

The exhibition will be fun and engaging for people of all ages and aims to highlight how new technology will impact future generations.

The exhibition will also showcase the work that is being carried out by Scotland’s eight Innovation Centres.

Intended to be released in spring 2019, GSC has raised £250,000 for the exhibition as is calling on businesses to help raise the remaining £750,000.

GSC hope that project will also help the Scottish government increase innovation within the country. The Scottish government has outlined proposals to help the advanced manufacturing, energy and financial technology sectors, to offer additional support for graduate entrepreneurs and to help companies access finance. The Scottish government has also increased its research and development support from £22 million to £37 million per year over three years.  

GSC will work alongside Scotland’s Innovation Centres and a group of experts from academia and industry to develop the exhibition.

Dr Stephen Breslin, chief executive of Glasgow Science Centre, said: “Over the next five years, as AI and machine learning become ingrained in all forms of technology they will deliver exciting new opportunities. Big data, AI and the internet of things, will create new services and breakthroughs in science, as the merging of human intelligence and the digital world gathers pace to transform the global economy.

“The constant flow of new digital tools will reshape every aspect of the professional realm and society in the future. Scotland, being at the forefront of much of the world's most exciting research and development, is a particularly fertile ground for high-tech careers. With Idea #59 we aim to bring together some of the most exciting research and development partners to inspire the next generation of innovators.”

Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said: “Scotland was forged on innovation and we must aspire to be the inventor and the manufacturer of the digital, high tech and low carbon innovations that will shape the lives of our children and grandchildren.

“It is this Government’s ambition to make Scotland a STEM Nation and it is my hope that Idea #59 will inspire the next generation of Scotland’s innovators, encouraging them to develop the skills needed for the jobs of the future. We are a forward looking, innovative nation and this exhibition is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the ground-breaking work of Scotland’s innovation centres.”