With established links to thousands of world-class leading experts, Interface finds and introduces companies to the perfect academic partner.

Discover the 2020-2021 Interface Annual Review in a new interactive format which showcases the outcomes and impacts from a very busy 12 months.

5882 business-led expertise searches sent to academic partners
Facilitated 3567 business-academic discussions
2826 collaborative business-academic projects initiated
97% of businesses said that their project would either not have happened or taken longer without support from Interface
92% of expertise searches identified capability and capacity within partner universities, research institutes and colleges for consideration by the companies
83% of businesses recorded reduced operating costs, increased productivity, profits, export, turnover and new or safeguarded employment
71% of first-time company/university collaborations involved companies seeking expertise in a discipline different to their own business sector

Interface is crucial to Scotland’s economic resilience
Interface’s place-based approach means that all rural and urban businesses and communities can access innovation support
Interface delivers right across Scottish Government priorities including health, environment, communities, education, young people, and international development
Interface brokers projects that deliver short term impacts, e.g. responding to COVID-19, as well as contributing to longer term targets, like net zero
75% of businesses have ongoing relationships with universities through Interface’s service
The Interface team creates enduring and effective R&D relationships between businesses and universities
The Interface team are effective, knowledgeable and build trust with businesses
85% of businesses felt their projects had the potential to transform lives either locally, nationally or internationally
100% satisfaction with Interface service