Big pay-off for Glasgow partnership

A partnership between academia and industry to commercialise Glasgow's science base has made a significant impact on the city's economy, says a report published yesterday by the Glasgow Development Agency.

The survey also reveals that of Glasgow's 360 technology-based firms, 44 are university spin-offs that have been established mostly in the past five years.

The Technovate partnership includes Glasgow's three universities, the Scottish Office, the Department of Trade and Industry and the GDA. An independent survey of four technology sectors showed that the number of software and bioscience companies in Glasgow had risen nearly fourfold in five years.

Stuart Gulliver, GDA chief executive, said: "The figures show that our partnership with local industry and academia has created a thriving technology sector that is creating thousands of high-quality jobs and bringing significant wealth to the local economy."

Research, page 30