ScotlandIS Data

2020 changed much in the world but what impact has that made to your business when you
are looking to attract talent?

Our industry was known for great offices, fun environments, regular fruit deliveries, pool
tables, games rooms and more – how do you now set your business apart from your
competitors when a beer fridge isn’t an option? Flexible and remote working used to be a
benefit, now it’s a reality that we all have to contend with.

Join our culture, HR and recruitment experts, including Nikola Kelly, MD of Be-IT, on 28th January to hear some of the ways your organisation can differentiate itself from the rest of the marketplace and recruit the talent that’s right for your business.

Do you have an idea for an innovative data product or service? Are you looking to perfect your pitch for investors or customers? Would you like advice from experts?

The Data Innovation clinics are a friendly forum which allows Scottish data & AI companies to practise their business pitch and receive insights and feedback from key experts.

The panel:

• Mike Chantler, Professor of Computer Science, Heriot Watt University.

• John Brodie, founder of Aquila Insights, The Data Lab board member.

• Ross Tuffee, founder of Dogfi.sh, chair of SDS Digital Skills group.

• Mark McLauchlin, Director and CTO at KOSELIG SOLUTIONS LTD.

Criteria for applying:

• You need to be a start-up, a company emerging into data and AI space or scaling data and AI company.

• You need to have a clear ask from the panel – i.e. feedback on pitch / products, introductions etc. If you do not need anything from the panel then please do not apply

To apply please send in the following to katy.guthrie@scotlandis.com:

• A short description of your company covering size and focus with a brief history (this will be included in the info provided to panellists)

• Why do you want to apply? (One line response is fine!)

• What are you hoping to get from participating? (one line response is fine)

Note, we are not creating any kind of non-disclosure agreements with panellists, so please consider what information you share.

As we go through another lockdown, you might still have some confusion as to the latest rules regarding the government support schemes, how to access them or when you can access them. Or you might be having to make some difficult decisions about the shape of your company going forward.

Join us on 3rd February with guest speaker Morag Moffett, Partner (Employment Law) at Burness Paull LLP, as we outline good furlough and redundancy practices alongside detail on the current support schemes available and eligibility criteria.

Cyber Cluster event which provides an opportunity for the cyber cluster to get together as a community to network and to collaborate. There will also be a number of speakers providing insights and info to support your business growth and development.

This months speakers are:

• Jill Trebilcock, Director of the Chartered Institute of Information Security and part of the UK Cyber Security Council Foundation Project – will talk about why the Council is being set up and what the benefits are for the industry.
• Scott Barnett, Head of Information and Cyber Security at NHS National Services Scotland, will provide an overview of the plans and strategy for cyber security within NHS Scotland.

This is an open friendly cyber community event which provides a chance to speak directly to the speakers as well as with the cyber community. There will be an opportunity for news and announcements as well as a brief update from the Cyber Cluster manager, Ciara Mitchell.

Click ‘Learn More’ to register for this event.

There are many cyber clusters set up in the UK, Europe and globally. The UK alone has over 20 official cyber clusters. So why is there such a focus on and growth in cyber clusters? What benefit do they bring to the local region and to the companies that operate there?

With speakers from DCMS, Scottish cyber cluster, North East England cyber cluster and Cyber Ireland, we will explore what clusters are all about – what benefits do they bring and could they be doing more?

This is also an opportunity to learn about the Scottish, North East England and Irish cyber clusters and gain insights on how to connect and collaborate with these clusters!

Are you an innovative Scottish cyber company? Do you have a new product or service that you are developing or scaling? Or do you simply have a good idea?

If you are interested in pitching to a friendly, experienced panel with extensive industry insights into running a cyber security business please contact ciara.mitchell@scotlandis.com

Women in Cyber Scotland are having a special event for Cyber Scotland Week 2021 with Jane Frankland, a world renown cyber security influencer, speaker and bestselling author, speaking at this event.

Jane will provide an overview of her successful career in the cyber security sector, sharing insights on how she succeeded in such a male dominated environment, covering aspects such as supporting each other, retaining female talent and encouraging the next generation of females. And will share her thoughts on the key trends for cyber security in 2021!

Yes, we were all a bit sick of GDPR after the legislation was brought in a couple of years ago – however, the digital shift and working at home for the last nine months has brought challenges when it comes to reaching our audiences. We thought it was a good idea to have a bit of a refresher session to ensure that marketers are still as data-savvy as ever and recognise when compliance might be compromised.

Additionally, Brexit has just come into effect. What’s the implication for you when you want to run a new campaign? We’ll still be governed by the DPA but the equivalence agreements are still to be confirmed for PECR and GDPR, will there be any changes you have to make to how you and your team work?

We’ll be joined by Helena Brown, Data, Commercial and IP Partner at Addleshaw Goddard, who will lead this session on 25th February, from 3-4pm.

So come along for an update, a chinwag and play along with acronym bingo, it’ll be lovely to see you.

The quarterly S.E.L.F grouping provides a forum for software engineering leaders, CIO’s and CTO’s across the Scottish tech sector to share ideas and explore common challenges. The meetups also provide opportunities for informal mentoring and potential opportunities for joint working.

This event is exclusive to ScotlandIS members only.

Where space, digital and climate technologies collide

Scotland is home to an incredible wealth of talent and expertise in space technology and has a burgeoning spaceport program. We’re also home to c4000 digital technologies companies.  When the two come together and utilise the data that’s available they become a force to be reckoned with when we look to tackle the current climate challenge.

Join us for two days to discover the very real, and active, relationship between these technologies and find out more about the innovation and emerging technologies and businesses that are leading the world, from Scotland.

We’ll be joined by Dr David Alexander of Rice Space Institute and Prof Bonnie J Dunbar a woman leading the space race who has flown on five Space Shuttle mission, including two dockings with the Mir space station.  As well as Prof Callum Norrie of the University of Edinburgh, Prof Jim Hansom of the University of Glasgow, Ecometrica, Space Intelligence, QuinetQ, SiteKit (Condatis) and many more.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the event, and to find out when tickets will be released please email Heather Donnelly