Background

Therme Group is an industry leader in the wellbeing sector with multiple major water-based wellbeing facilities throughout Europe with new facilities in the UK and Canada under construction.

Therme’s guiding philosophy is “Wellbeing for all” which delivers a holistic approach to wellbeing and includes a social outreach dimension to make the facilities available to all of the community in the city regions where they have sites. This holistic approach encompasses the aesthetics and design of the built environment, the impact of the water based, and other wellbeing treatments offered and extends to nutrition and the sources of food offered on site.

Therme UK has plans to open a major new £125M facility on the Clyde serving as the regional centre in Scotland to deliver Therme UK’s 90:90 UK access strategy. This seeks to position Therme facilities such that 90% of the UK population are within 90 minutes’ drive of a Therme facility.

The Challenge

Therme Group have five main guiding principles and areas of focus around which they build their business model and facilities. These are Health, Equity, Security, Learning and Environment. In each case they are interested in strategic research partners that can help Therme as a group deliver improved operational delivery, minimise environmental impact and ultimately improve customer experience.

They have developed subject specific strategic research & development (R&D) relationships with the University of Florence for the built environment and in Scotland they have supported research activity in the University of Glasgow and James Hutton Institute (Dundee) developing frameworks of wellbeing and food technology respectively.

The collaboration facilitated by Interface came about from the combination of a planned major facility in Glasgow and the recognition of the strength in the University of Glasgow in four key areas of research, Wellbeing Research, Informing Policy, Wellbeing Technology and Environmental Technology directly relevant to Therme’s long term needs. This led to a feasibility study, supported by Interface, which provided an evidence base for exploring the creation of a global Centre of Wellbeing Research Excellence (WellEX) in Glasgow.

The Solution

Interface made initial introduction and discussions between Therme Group and the University of Glasgow who successfully applied to the Inward investment Catalyst Fund to support a WellEX feasibility.

The basis of the feasibility study was to raise awareness of the opportunity and develop connections between senior management at the Therme Group responsible for Innovation and the relevant Business, Social Science, Health and Technology academics and departments within the University. In particular, the feasibility exercise and subsequent discussions identified four areas of future collaboration where Therme’s interests and the University of Glasgow’s expertise aligned.

These included:

Wellbeing innovations: Therme Group is primarily interested in understanding how wellbeing improvement can be brought about for individuals and populations, and the broader benefits of wellbeing on society, the economy, and the environment through evidence-based research.

Informing policy: Through close collaboration with the local government and communities, the research conducted by WellEX is expected to support the work of the University of Glasgow to explore, validate, and inform wellbeing strategies and policies at the local and national levels, working to understand the complexity of policy intervention.

Wellbeing technology: To explore, develop and test “wellbeing technology” focused on improving the effects of wellbeing innovations and users’ experience within and outside Therme Group sites.

Sustainability practices: To explore and validate sustainability practices for Therme wellbeing activities and facilities to leverage renewable energy sources and reduce carbon emissions.

The feasibility study validated the concept of a Global Centre of Excellence, providing an evidence base for a Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) funding application in 2022 and ongoing funding applications.

The findings showed that the University of Glasgow was well placed to both anchor and act as an international R&D hub for Therme’s aspirations to develop a world-class centre of excellence in wellbeing. The planned development of a major new facility in Glasgow, serving the Scottish population catchment area, offers a unique opportunity to create such a WellEX and capture the significant research, societal and economic benefits this would bring to Scotland.

The University of Glasgow are commited to developing this proposition further and presenting a full business case for consideration by Therme Group, the University, and strategic partners such as Glasgow City Council and Scottish Government agencies, including Scottish Funding Council (SFC), Scottish Development International (SDI), and Scottish Enterprise (SE).

The Benefits

• Validated the concept of a Global Centre of Excellence to be based in Glasgow, providing an evidence base for a BEIS funding application in 2022 and ongoing funding applications.
• Development of a much deeper relationship with Therme Group as partners on wellbeing which can be developed further as the new Glasgow facility is built.
• Development of a cross disciplinary working group in Glasgow in response to Therme’s interest and catalyzed by the Interface report. This cross disciplinary group is currently developing funding applications around the theme of healthy ageing.
• Potential to generate a strategic new initiative at the institutional level by encouraging the University of Glasgow for the first time to carry out a strategic review of all its wellbeing research strengths across all disciplines for Therme Group as a serious industrial partner.
• The WellEX initiative has the potential to generate significant new jobs and economic activity in Glasgow, provisionally estimated between 10-20 net additional FTEs.
• This collaborative research also aligns well with the developing Wellbeing Economy policy of the Scottish Government.

This project benefitted from the Scottish Inward Investment Catalyst Fund. The Scottish Inward Investment Catalyst Fund launched by Interface and the Scottish Government promotes Scotland as a leading destination for inward investment and supports businesses not yet located in Scotland but seeking to establish stronger ties with academia here. As well as funding research and development it provides an opportunity for the company to establish relationships and give insight into other aspects of the Scottish landscape, such as further investment opportunities, supply chains and the skills base to strengthen the case for investing in Scotland.

This joint event organised by both the Biochemical Engineering Special Interest Group (BESIG) within the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) and the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre’s (IBioIC) Scottish Fermentation network (SFN), is being hosted at The University of Strathclyde’s Technology Innovation Centre (TIC) in Glasgow.

The majority of organic chemicals, nutraceuticals, fuels and polymers are still derived from fossil-based feedstocks, predominantly oil and gas. Advances in molecular biology techniques and an increased awareness and understanding of many emerging microorganisms, engineering biology methods and bio-based feedstocks, are now allowing scientists and engineers to rethink how the chemicals of the future are produced.

This one-day conference will look to bring together those with an interest in chemistry, biology, engineering and entrepreneurship, which are all the skills that will be needed to transition chemical production to bio-based methods using bio-based feedstocks. Talks will feature a range of speakers from universities and industry, covering a range of sectors looking to address this conversion. Featuring not just how they are addressing technical challenges, but also how to scale these to production, supported by several organisations that can help support with their services from cell identification to engineering and de-risking scale-up.

Scottish Research Partnership in Engineering (SRPe) Annual Conference 2023 on 31st October is the annual opportunity for industry, academia and government to share the latest technological advances and research in Scotland.
Centred around SRPe’s Strategic Themes; Advanced Manufacturing; Robotics and Autonomous Systems; Engineering for Health and Care; Infrastructure & Environment, the event will take place at the Technology & Innovation Centre in Glasgow.

In addition to Keynote Speakers, there will be Strategic Theme sessions with updates from respective Theme Chairs, and each will host a Guest Speaker with Q&A at the end of each session.

Speakers confirmed are:

• Professor Peter Bonfield OBE (Vice-Chancellor and President, University of Westminster, and Co Chair of the EPSRC ‘Tomorrow’s Engineering Research Challenges’ Report)
• Dr Hina Khan (Executive Director, Space Scotland)
• Dr Janette Wark (EPSRC Head of Regional Engagement – Scotland)
• Professor Trish Connolly (Chair of the SRPe ‘Engineering for Health and Care’ Thematic Leadership Group, Director of the Strathclyde Institute of Medical Devices, University of Strathclyde)
• Professor Sean Smith (Chair of the SRPe ‘Infrastructure and Environment’ Thematic Leadership Group, Director of Centre for Future Infrastructure, University of Edinburgh)
• Professor Bill Ion (Chair of the SRPe ‘Advanced Manufacturing’ Thematic Leadership Group, Emeritus Professor; Design, Manufacturing & Engineering Management, University of Strathclyde )
• Joe Galloway (Research Support Manager – Overseas Funders, University of Glasgow)

There will also be opportunities to learn about SRPe’s industry focused doctorate programmes; the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland Industry Doctorate Programme (NMIS-IDP) and the Scottish Research Partnership in Engineering Industry Doctorate Programme (SRPe-IDP), as well as the latest collaborative funding opportunities for industry and academia in a Funding Showcase.

For further information, please get in touch with Andrew Dryden at andrew.dryden@srpe.ac.uk.

The UK’s biggest festival for a zero-carbon built environment will play host to transformative discussion and knowledge exchange on how we can break through barriers to accelerate our journey to zero carbon.

As we reach COP28 let’s accelerate the progress made in the last year and do what needs to be done to keep the momentum going.

BE-ST Fest 2023 is a three-month festival showcasing best practice, new solutions, hands-on training, and emerging opportunities for a zero-carbon built environment. The month will build up to the summit at our innovation campus on Wednesday 1st November. The conference will bring together different players across the sector who are focussed on the future of decarbonising our built environment.

This event is for anyone working in the built environment looking to accelerate their journey to zero carbon. It aims to not only inspire action but engage in the real challenges and real solutions.

The BE-ST Fest Summit is a rich programme featuring a morning conference and expo, with a chance to dive deeper into specific topics through a mix of workshops, hackathons, seminars, and other events in the afternoon.

Morning conference with thought-provoking keynote speakers Networking with 500 attendees
50+ exhibitors & demos of low carbon solutions
14 afternoon seminars & workshops
Innovation factory tours

Programme
Hosted by Sara Edmonds, Co-Director National Retrofit Hub and Head of Citizen Engagement at BE-ST.

08:30 Coffee & Networking

09:30-12:30 Conference

12:30-14:00 Lunch, networking & expo

14:00-16:30 Workshops, seminars, demos, tours and expo

7th Nov | Glasgow Science Centre (+Livestreamed) | Free
800+ Delegates | 40+ Speakers | 20+ Sessions | Support Village

The CAN DO Innovation Summit returns for its fourth year bringing together Scotland’s tech ecosystem to the iconic Glasgow Science Centre, to explore essential tech trends, insights and tools to allow SMEs and Startups across all sectors to keep up and stand out in a tech-driven and virtual future.

From AI and augmented reality to the metaverse and sustainable tech – advances in tech, data and innovation are happening at a rapid pace. Hear how these transformational technologies alongside the right business cultures can help tackle industry and societal challenges. 

Book your free ticket today and be inspired by stories and insights from business leaders at the forefront of Scotland’s thriving innovation sectors, as well as global thought-leaders from Glasgow, London, New York including:

• Elena Cochero Director of Emerging Tech at DowJones Live | Globally Recognised Tech Futurist
• Edafe Onerhime, Data Specialist & Global Financial Services Lead | Top Twenty Most Influential Women in Data 2023
• Opé M, Fashion Creative and Futurist | Top 3 Finalist New York AI Fashion Week 2023
• Nick Rosa, Emerging Technologies Innovation Lead, Accenture
• Richard Lochhead MSP, Scottish Government Minister for Small Business, Innovation, Tourism and
• 40+ SME (homegrown and international) business leaders

For more information on speakers and the conference programme visit CAN DO Innovation Summit 2023

Funded by Innovate UK, Scottish Enterprise & Glasgow City Council.

The CENSIS Technology Summit, taking place on 2 November 2023 at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, is Scotland’s leading sensing, imaging and IoT event – a free day of top class speakers, exhibitors, debates and networking. This is a fully in-person event and will not be streamed live.

• Hear about challenges, solutions and innovation across the sectors  from presenters and panellists
• Meet exhibitors from industry and academia showcasing new technologies and products
• Understand how businesses are delivering sensing, imaging and IoT solutions across a range of markets 
• Network and connect with key business people, policy makers and researchers 

Who should attend

You’ll get the most from the day if you are a business developing sensing, imaging and/or IoT products or services or a company or organisation of any size and in any sector interested in using, sensing, imaging and/or IoT to  improve or grow your business. Academics and researchers will also find the day interesting, as will anyone working in knowledge exchange or business development in this space.

Find out more about this year’s CENSIS Technology Summit 2023.

Registration is now open.

The Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition, which is being held at the SEC Glasgow on the 25th October 2023, will serve as a national forum for manufacturers and operators involved throughout the associated supply chains from across Scotland to gather to discuss pressing issues facing the industry. The event is being organised in order to successfully connect key stakeholders across the full manufacturing spectrum in Scotland, including the food and drink, energy, renewables, electronics, aerospace, biopharma, medtech, healthcare, construction, textiles, procurement, and precision engineering sectors.

Once boasting the most sophisticated shipbuilding industry in the world, the manufacturing sector in Scotland has changed rapidly in recent years and, following a period of sharp decline in the 1980s and 1990s, has now been regenerated and successfully diversified. Employing more than 180,000 people across the country, manufacturing plays a vital role in the Scottish economy, accounting for half of all exports and half of the research and development spend. Furthermore, the diversification of the manufacturing industry in Scotland has resulted in the creation of highly skilled jobs with median earnings almost 20% higher than those for the economy as a whole.

Scotland still enjoys global pre-eminence in traditional sectors like whisky, seafood and handmade clothing but also now in newer areas including software development, particularly international gaming. Scotland also enjoys an international reputation for fostering a highly supportive business environment, where companies across all sectors are helped to innovate, scale up and create high-value employment.

An impressive line-up of manufacturing leaders, academics and government agencies who will engage in a stimulating blend of key note addresses and debates is being assembled for the Scottish event. The Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition in Glasgow will also feature an extensive exhibition showcasing the latest technological solutions and business services.

Sign up for a day of inspiration, insights, learning and networking. Supply chain resilience, industry 4.0 technologies, leadership & culture, operational excellence and sustainability will all be covered. Find out how the manufacturing sector responded to a global pandemic, how it can recover and how we will reimagine the future.

The conference, previously known as the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS) National Manufacturing Conference, will arm manufacturing sector and supply chain businesses with the ambition, vision, knowledge, tools and networks to increase productivity and maintain future competitiveness.

Making Scotland’s Future is a partnership between Scottish Government, public agencies, industry and academia that are collectively taking forward a programme of activity designed to secure a strong, sustainable future for Scotland’s manufacturing sector, aligned to the Scottish Government’s ambitions in the National Strategy for Economic Transformation. The power of Making Scotland’s Future lies in harnessing all of its collective networks, channels and support to help drive productivity, innovation and competitiveness, maintain and create high-quality jobs, and attract and develop talent, while embedding low carbon and sustainable manufacturing as its core. The vision is for Scotland to be a country inventing, designing, developing and manufacturing world-leading products and technologies. Through continuing support and investment, we are making Scotland’s future today.

The Making Scotland’s Future Conference is being led by Scottish Enterprise on behalf of the Making Scotland’s Future partnership.

Interface are exhibiting and we’d love to see you there!

The award-winning event series, Art of Possible returns in August alongside the World Cycling Championships, and this time we will explore how innovation and technology can unlock Scotland’s pedal-based transport industry.

Art of Possible: Beyond Bikes – Unlocking Scotland’s pedal-based transport industry
14.00 – 17.00 on 8 Aug 2023
Free, In-person at Glasgow Science Centre, and livestreamed

Cycling is one of Scotland’s fastest growing sectors, with huge research and development potential for associated industries. Join Glasgow City of Science and Innovation as they bring together the tech and innovation community for the chance to network over beers, wine and nibbles – and hear how our SMEs are leading the way to developing sustainable, practical alternatives to traditional forms of transport – from electric pedal-assisted vehicles to innovative cycling accessories!

The event will also include a special-edition exhibition where you can network, meet the companies shaking up Scotland’s cycling industry and experience the latest tech from virtual reality to space data-based products and the newest e-bikes disrupting the pedal-based markets.

As well as hosting the inaugural Cycling World Championships this year (bringing together 13 international competitions in one country for the first time in 2023), Scotland is home to the Mountain Biking Centre of Scotland (MTBCOS), the world’s first centre for open innovation in the mountain bike industry – and a new Innovation Centre at Innerleithen, in the Scottish Borders, providing industry support with market research, developing, testing and launching new products. With strong infrastructure and market opportunities, the future of the Scottish bike industry is bright. Hear how new tech and innovations in the circular economy and remanufacturing are revolutionising the industry.