Hansard

It is always a challenge to follow Stewart Stevenson. I will certainly not talk about investigatory powers or snoopers charters. I was going to start with a note of history, but Mr Stevenson has already taken us back to the era of Napoleon, so I am a wee bit snookered on that. Nevertheless, I shall start.

Scotland is, of course, the birthplace of Alexander Graham Bell, Alexander Fleming and James Watt, and it is no stranger to innovation. The challenge is to turn innovators into entrepreneurs. The can do framework recognises our nation’s strengths and opportunities. Linda Fabiani talked of the need to increase the number of women entrepreneurs, but we also need to encourage the young in particular. Our schools, colleges and universities have an important role to play in encouraging the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. Youth unemployment rates, although they are at their lowest levels since 2008, are still too high. Self-employment rates for under-34s—the key group for innovators and new enterprises—are still some way behind those for older workers. Encouragement is needed.

Earlier this year, the Prince’s Trust combined the explore enterprise programme and Youth Business Scotland to establish the enterprise programme in Scotland, which does an excellent job in providing support to young people who are looking to start and grow their own businesses. More could be done, however, for example by introducing explore enterprise courses in Scotland. Currently the nearest four-day course for aspiring entrepreneurs in Scotland is in Berwick-on-Tweed. Wales and Northern Ireland, on the other hand, will be home to five and seven such courses, respectively. I, for one, would welcome an attempt to have some of those courses nearer to home.

On a more positive note, the provision of a £205,000 grant from the Scottish Government to support the young innovators challenge, as part of Scotland can do, as Linda Fabiani mentioned, is welcome. That is just one way in which future generations of entrepreneurs are being supported in Scotland. The 2015 theme of the young innovators challenge is social innovation,

“and entries that could address problems and create opportunities related to healthcare and wellbeing, low carbon and sustainability and smarter communities are invited.”

Emphasised throughout the “Scotland CAN DO” document is

“smart, sustainable and inclusive growth”,

with the hope that the programme will

“accelerate Scotland’s ambition to be a world-leading entrepreneurial and innovative nation.”

The horizon 2020 programme emphasises the need for sustainable development. Nowhere is innovation in the pursuit of sustainable growth more ably displayed than at the University of St Andrews, which continues to make a profound impact on innovative new projects every academic year and undoubtedly has significant influence on some of its students.

In 2013, academics in St Andrews led research into the use of a tractor beam; until then, that had been nothing more than a fantastical idea from the mind of Gene Roddenberry that was brought to life by the film and television series “Star Trek,” beloved of Roseanna Cunningham—she is not with us today, but is probably with us in spirit. The university’s physics department recently opened the doors to its brand-new, unique, state-of-the-art research laboratory, which will allow it to conduct further work into the use of lasers and the study of individual atoms.

Elsewhere at the university, the biology department and the sea mammal research unit have led the way in research into the world’s oceans and the behaviour of some sea mammals, through the tagging and tracking of harbour seals. Such work sets St Andrews apart in Scotland as the home of some of the most groundbreaking scientific research.

Scotland has a key role to play in research. It is very pleasing that, according to the research excellence framework that was published in December, all of Scotland’s universities are undertaking world-leading research. It should not be the case, however, that Scotland’s universities work independently of the business sector when it comes to research and innovation; a great deal of collaboration could take place between the two sectors.

St Andrews is leading the way on that front, too, with a forthcoming £25 million energy ecohub at Guardbridge, which could one day be home to new renewable technologies and training opportunities. The potential for the university’s Guardbridge site has not yet been fully tapped, but I am delighted that the Scottish Government, together with the European regional development fund, has invested in it to the tune of £11 million of funding for the project. That type of collaboration between our universities and our business community will engender new links and new opportunities for future generations of Scotland’s workforce and will provide fresh and exciting opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs.

North East Fife is no stranger to entrepreneurialism. Dozens of sole trading firms and small businesses are flourishing in the rural economy, courtesy of, not least, superfast broadband connectivity. We must encourage superfast broadband everywhere. Without that connectivity, opportunities for innovation and for budding entrepreneurs will undoubtedly be diminished. The provision of suitable facilities from which to trade is also essential to success for entrepreneurs, which is why the fresh start scheme is important. We can point to an increase in the number of businesses in Scotland, even if, as Murdo Fraser pointed out, the number of business start-ups has not caught up with the rest of the UK. I, too, would be interested to hear comments on that from the cabinet secretary in his closing speech.

Business gateway plays a valuable role in supporting 10,000 start-up businesses every year. I hope that the banks will provide funding more readily in the future, as that is essential for entrepreneurs. I also hope that they will provide more funding than they have provided in the past, as there are early signs in the press that things are easing. The Scottish Government is playing its part through the development of the Scottish Investment Bank, and let us not forget the importance of the small business bonus, which is a lifeline for many new businesses while they get up and running. I am delighted by the First Minister’s commitment to that in the next session of Parliament, should the SNP Government be re-elected. The provisions in the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill to give local authorities new powers to create local business rates relief schemes to address local priorities are also much welcomed.

Scotland can do because it already does. However, the potential exists to do much more.