Month: February 2019

SPRINT programme launched in Scotland

Launched at DATA.SPACE 2019, Scottish businesses can access funded UK university expertise to drive commercial product development
A new programme has been launched to help Scottish SMEs access funded support up to £90,000 for the expertise, data and technology from five of the UK’s top space universities.

The SPRINT (SPace Research and Innovation Network for Technology) programme provides unprecedented access to university space expertise and facilities to help businesses develop new commercial products for space and other key sectors.

The new, £5 million SPRINT programme is supported by Research England and the Scottish Funding Council. It is being delivered by a consortium of five of the UK’s leading space universities, led by the University of Leicester and including the University of Edinburgh, Open University, University of Southampton and University of Surrey.

The programme will support UK small to medium enterprises in the innovation and development of new space-enabled technologies, services and applications, helping them to enter the growing space sector with existing and new products, and using technologies or data from space to innovate products for their markets.

The SPRINT programme was launched in Scotland at DATA.SPACE 2019, the information conference of the new space revolution, held from 24-25 January 2019 in Glasgow.

Professor Iain Woodhouse, Professor of Applied Earth Observation; Head of Geography and the Lived Environment Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh said: “The University is proud to be a SPRINT partner to support Scottish businesses developing commercial products for space and other key sectors.

“We bring to SPRINT a research heritage in advancing the use of satellite and geospatial data for the development of downstream services of space. We are also developing geo-data science techniques for integration of EO data from satellites, ground sensors, high-altitude platforms, drones and UAVsAt space data.”

Robin Sampson, Founder of Trade in Space Ltd, developing technologies to enable asset securitisation based on satellite imagery said: “We’re delighted to make contact with the SPRINT network and look forward to further engagement and access to Earth Observation expertise, especially through this initiative.”

Steve Greenland, Founder and CEO of Craft Prospect Ltd, a Glasgow-based space engineering practice said: “Craft Prospect has engaged with the SPRINT programme and received great support to investigate potential collaboration projects.

“As a small business, having a single point of contact allows us a greater awareness of cutting edge research within UK universities. We are now evaluating and prioritising how best to move forward.”

Dr Ross Burgon, Head of the SPRINT Programme at the University of Leicester added: “We launched the SPRINT programme at this year’s DATA.SPACE event and it was very well received by the Scottish space sector.

“We’re now working closely with our partner universities in Scotland, the University of Edinburgh and the Open University to explore with SMEs how SPRINT can to support their business growth through the exploitation of space data and technologies.”

For more information on the SPRINT programme, visit https://sprintnetwork.space

 

 

Edinburgh Compact: Is It Working?

Third Sector: Time to tell us what you think!

The Edinburgh Compact Partnership is a citywide partnership between the Public and Third Sectors which seeks to improve working relationships, influence public policy and encourage closer collaborative working between organisations and agencies.

The Edinburgh Compact Partnership works to the Strategic Framework and Action Plan 2015-2020. Continue reading Edinburgh Compact: Is It Working?

GMB welcomes withdrawal of ‘pay-cut proposals’ for ambulance and NHS staff

GMB Scotland has welcomed the withdrawal of planned reforms which would have resulted in cuts to terms and conditions of Scottish Ambulance Service and NHS staff.  Continue reading GMB welcomes withdrawal of ‘pay-cut proposals’ for ambulance and NHS staff

“Not fit for purpose”: Holyrood Committee calls for changes in census legislation

A Scottish Parliament Committee has found serious deficiencies in the way consultation was carried out around planned changes to the 2021 census.  In a report published today, they recommend wider consultation and propose amendments to avoid the perception that sex is being conflated with gender identity.

The Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee has been scrutinising the Census (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill in preparation for the next census which will take place in 2021. 

The bill proposes that new questions on sexual orientation and transgender identity should be voluntary. In its guidance for the bill, National Records of Scotland also proposed that the mandatory sex question should include a non-binary response option as well as male and female.

In its stage one report, MSPs found the lack of consultation with a range of organisations including a broad range of women’s groups, to be a serious deficiency in the process when considering issues of sex and transgender status. The Committee concluded that many of these issues, particularly in relation to the perceived conflation of sex and gender identity, could have been avoided if there had been an adequate process of consultation.

The Committee also recommended by a majority that the next census should continue to offer a binary male/female question in order to maximise response rates and maintain consistency with previous censuses.

Under current legislation, all census questions are compulsory apart from questions on religion. The Committee agreed that a voluntary approach to new questions on sexual orientation and gender identity/trans-status is appropriate.

Joan McAlpine MSP, Convener of the Committee said: “The purpose of the census is to accurately reflect our society and gather vital information for the provision of public services and the development of policy. However, there has been a serious lack of consultation with a range of women’s groups which has led to legislation being published which is not fit for purpose. Had a proper, robust consultation been undertaken in the first place a lot of these issues could have been avoided.

“The Committee also found that some of the language within the legislation has created confusion and a perception that the Bill conflates issues around sex and gender identity. We have recommended that the Scottish Government addresses this issue through a range of measures including amendment of the Bill at stage two.

“To maximise response rates and ensure consistency, a majority of the Committee concluded that the sex question should remain binary. People who identify as transgender or non-binary will still have the option of a separate question on their identity, which the Committee agreed should be voluntary.”

The report can be found here.