Support for businesses in the north-east and across the Highlands and Islands has been strengthened with two new appointments by Interface, which connects organisations and companies to academic expertise for research and development projects.
Kirsty Buchanan has joined the Highlands and Islands team from Inverness College UHI, one of the largest partners of the University of the Highlands and Islands. Her role at Interface involves liaising between businesses and universities, research institutes and colleges to encourage new partnerships as well as long-term business-academic collaborations.
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“This is a great time to join Interface as we aim to inspire more businesses to partner with Scotland’s universities, research institutes and colleges to develop and create new products, services and processes. These partnerships can really boost all of the parties involved, and the economy,” Kirsty said.
Meanwhile, Gary Hogan has been seconded from Robert Gordon University’s Commercial Operations Support Team, to Interface, supporting businesses in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
He said: “I am delighted to join Interface. With my university background I understand the importance of bringing real-world business challenges into the classroom or lab, and from a business viewpoint, tapping into the knowledge and expertise in our universities opens doors and makes a difference to everyday life for the better.”
Business-academic projects supported by Interface have enabled Scottish companies to generate £64.2 million gross value added (GVA) a year for the Scottish economy, supporting around 1,060 Scottish jobs.
The long-term economic impact attributable to Interface could increase to more than £195.3 million GVA/year, supporting almost 3,500 jobs if future expectations of the businesses are realised.
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