Scottish companies invest £100 million in R&D in first half of 2008

The companies have received funding contributions of £16,283,880 from Scottish Enterprise, through its general R&D grant, as part of their overall R&D investment.

Carole McCarthy, director for Innovation at Scottish Enterprise, comments, “The investments made since the start of this year by these companies is testament to the value which R&D can contribute to competitive edge. It is extremely encouraging that these companies believe in the benefits of R&D, especially given the challenging business environment at the moment.

“For every £1 in R&D grant contribution the public sector has made, the private sector has contributed over £6, which is a great return on our investment and indicative of the priority these companies place on innovation.”

The general R&D grant, administered by Scottish Enterprise, provides support for innovative projects across Scotland. Three existing grant schemes have been consolidated into one general R&D grant to simplify the process of securing Government support for research and development.

Some of the companies investing in R&D in the last six months and which have received general R&D grant contributions are:

• Goodrich, a global supplier of systems and services to the aerospace, defense and homeland security markets, is establishing its Aerostructures R&D Centre in Prestwick.
• Rolls-Royce, a provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, had created the Non-Destructive Testing Demonstration Cell project. This has brought an R&D presence back to the East Kilbride site and should result in the creation of a new centre of excellence that will increase levels of R&D, Aero-engine component repairs and competitiveness of the site.
• National Semiconductor, a leader in analogue linear integrated circuits used in personal mobile devices, sensing detecting, healthcare electronics and communication infrastructure, is establishing a facility to grow R&D activity at its Greenock site.
• Doosan Babcock, a multi-specialist energy services company operating in the power, nuclear, petrochemical, oil and gas and pharmaceutical industries, is committed to R&D to help establish the company as a global leader for clean energy technologies including power station boilers and associated environmental control technologies.
• Dialog Semiconductor is a new inward investor which is expanding its European Design offices in Edinburgh, which opened with a core team in March 2007. The company develops and supplies power management, audio and display driver technology which targets the wireless, automotive and industrial markets and is investing in the creation of advanced audio technology with world-beating audio performance while still enabling the integration of the power management elements.
• Ineos Refining, Europe’s leading independent crude oil refiner, will carry out R&D on a new technology to produce bio-diesel by hydrogenation rather than using conventional production methods.

Applications for innovative developments at any level are open to small, medium and large firms alike. For information on eligibility and applying for a general R&D grant, companies should visit www.scottish-enterprise.com/innovation-grants