Business Opportunities for Companies in the Highlands & Islands

Highlands & Islands Enterprise works closely with partner organisation, Scottish Development International, to attract inward investors and also to help existing businesses realise their full potential.

By highlighting the excellent supply chain in place throughout the Highlands & Islands, we can offer companies from outside the area the opportunity to take advantage of the extensive skills to be found within our local businesses.

The HI-energy team often receive details of potential opportunities for local businesses, and as such, we will post these here, under the key documents section, providing details of the opportunities, and what to do if you are interested.

Valuing intellectual assets in renewables companies in the Highlands and Islands

Building on prior research which shows that some 80% of companies do not understand how to recognise, manage and exploit the value of their intellectual assets, the Intellectual Assets Centre has developed a programme to work with 25 Highlands and Islands Renewables companies.

Poject VIA – Valuing Intellectual Assets in Renewables Companies - is a project to be run working with 25 companies involved in the renewable energy sector in the Highlands and Islands.  The project follows on from the successful Project VIA for Software Companies in the Highlands and Islands which ended in April 2009.

The programme will be delivered by industry experts through a series of workshops and masterclasses and is designed to raise awareness among participants of the importance of intellectual assets and the role these assets can play in supporting business development and innovation. It offers participants an opportunity to focus on critical business areas such as; product and process development, identification and creation of new revenue streams, marketing strategies and licensing of intellectual assets.

In addition it provides an opportunity for networking, knowledge sharing and collaboration with other Highlands and Islands renewable energy companies. Specially selected industry champions and influencers will also offer participants an insight into their own business challenges and successes through the Masterclasses in the project.

The programme will run though to April 2010, with opportunities for one-to-one management support and peer group interaction.  A key programme outcome will be the creation by participants of an Action Plan which will lay the foundations for a new approach to the measurement, management and development of intellectual assets in their business. The programme will involve the utilisation of a number of online tools developed by the IA Centre
The project was launched on 30 Jun 2009 at The Drumossie Hotel, Inverness, but there are still opportunities to join the programme.

Visit www.ia-centre.org.uk to read about companies which have previously participated in the programme or for further information call Mhairi Wardner, Project Manager of Project VIA. Mhairi is based in the Highlands and can be contacted on 07919 281081 or mhairi.wardner@ia-centre.org.uk

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