Interface

Interface: Catalysing Collaboration between Scaleups and Academia in Scotland

Endorsed by the Scaleup Institute in 2023, Interface stands as a crucial bridge connecting ambitious scaling businesses with Scotland’s wealth of academic expertise. With a mission centered around environmental, economic, and social prosperity, Interface is dedicated to fostering innovation and supporting Scotland's transition to a net-zero carbon society.

Core Offerings of Interface:

• Academic Collaborations: Facilitates introductions to academia, enabling scaleups to access university and college knowledge, skills, facilities, and technologies.
• Funding Awareness: Raises awareness among scaleups about available resources and funding opportunities for collaborative projects.
• Benefits for Scaleups:
• Access to Facilities: Scaleups benefit from access to laboratory spaces, workshops, specialised equipment, and expert in-house knowledge.
• Ecosystem Integration: Interface helps integrate scaleups into Scotland's innovation ecosystem, connecting them with accelerators, hubs, and business support networks.
• Talent Access: Collaborative projects with academic institutions provide scaleups access to students, graduates, and researchers, offering valuable support for business challenges.

Supporting Scaleup Funding:

• Collaborative Project Facilitation: From August 2018 to January 2023, Interface facilitated 1,446 collaborative projects.
• Inward Investment Catalyst Fund (IICF): Attracts scaling businesses to collaborate with Scottish academic institutions, offering up to £10k in funding and insights into investment opportunities.

Innovation Voucher Schemes:

• Standard Innovation Vouchers: Offers £1k – £5k vouchers for new product, process, and service development, requiring match funding.
• Student Placement Innovation Vouchers: Provides up to £5k for scaleups to work with PhD and Masters students on projects.
• Advanced Innovation Vouchers: In partnership with Scottish Enterprise, offers up to £20k in match funded grants for sustained collaboration between scaleups and academia.

Sector-Specific Support:

• Food and Drink Sector Initiatives: Includes the Healthier Products Innovation Fund and the Scottish Food & Drink Net Zero Challenge Fund, aligning with Scottish Government investment priorities.

Impact and Achievements:

• Product and Service Development: Interface's collaborations have led to the development of numerous new or improved products, processes, services, and supply chain enhancements.
• Economic Impact: According to the latest report, Interface has generated an annual net additional impact of £311.2 million GVA and supported 4,789 jobs, offering a high return on investment for the Scottish economy.

Interface serves as a model for effective collaboration between business and academia, driving innovation and economic growth in Scotland. Its comprehensive support system and diverse funding options make it an invaluable resource for scaleups looking to harness academic expertise and resources.