Responding to the announcement of changes to several key Net Zero policies, Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the BCC, said:   

   

“If we are to meet the challenge of making the UK Net Zero by 2050 then we must have pragmatic goals, that business can be confident they will be supported to reach. 

 

“Companies want to address climate change but cannot plan for future investment if the sands keep shifting.   

 

“This means political consensus about the goals, combined with pragmatism on the solutions. Constant tinkering with Net Zero policies will only have further negative impacts on business confidence and investment plans. 

  

“Other countries and trading blocs are pouring billions into low-carbon technology, and we are getting left behind.  

  

“But if we get this right, and play to our country’s strengths then there is huge opportunity for UK Plc. It is vital we have a long-term Net Zero strategy which Government must demonstrate it can stick to.” 

The Energy Training Academy (ETA), a Dalkeith-based social enterprise that provides high-quality training and education in the gas and renewables industry, has secured £300,000 investment from the Catalyst Fund. The investment will help ETA address a looming skills shortage in engineers trained to install air source heat pumps and other renewables technology.

The Energy Training Academy was launched early this year by two experienced founders – Andrew Lamond and Mark Glasgow. Having previously set up and run successful boiler installation and maintenance companies, Andrew and Mark spotted an unaddressed critical skills gap for engineers trained to install air source heat pumps and other renewables technology in domestic and commercial premises in Scotland.

Heat pumps play a vital role in achieving the Scottish Government’s aim of removing fossil fuels from heating in more than a million homes by 2030 as part of its Net Zero strategy. But currently, there aren’t enough trained heat pumps engineers to meet the demand.

According to the Scotland’s Retrofit Workforce report unveiled this week by the Just Transition Commission, an additional 22,500 FTE workers will be needed in Scotland by 2028, to deliver improvements to existing buildings that will reduce energy demand. That represents an increase of around 9% of the current size of the workforce. This is compounded by the fact that the sector also faces an ageing workforce, with 50,000 workers expected to retire in the next ten years. To achieve its long-term net-zero targets, Scotland needs to retrain all existing engineers and develop thousands of new ones.

Mark and Andrew chose to start the Energy Training Academy as a social enterprise to help young people, veterans, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds gain highly marketable skills in the new green economy. The Academy will work with construction companies to ensure that they have the workforce needed to deliver their projects and with schools and colleges to reach young people looking to learn a trade.

As a social enterprise start-up needing flexible investment, they approached the Catalyst Fund for support. Delivered by Scotland’s social enterprise agency Firstport, the Catalyst Fund is a £15m fund backed by the Scottish Government. It provides flexible finance for ambitious social enterprises making a positive social or environmental impact.

Daisy Ford-Downes, Head of Group Investment Programmes at Firstport, said, “We’re excited to back experienced entrepreneurs like Andrew and Mark, who are choosing social entrepreneurship as a way to make an impact. They’ve assembled a fantastic team and have a brilliant market opportunity in front of them. With this investment, the Energy Training Academy will be able to roll out their training programmes, making a huge impact on people’s lives and the decarbonisation challenge.”

Andrew Lamond, Director at ETA, said: “We are delighted that The Energy Training Academy has been awarded significant funding from the Catalyst Fund. This marks an important milestone in our journey towards creating a community-focused energy training facility.

The funding will help us achieve our ambitious goal of enhancing skills and employment opportunities in South East Scotland while simultaneously helping our community work towards a greener future by embracing the net-zero transition. With this support, we are poised to make a real and lasting impact, and we are excited to embark on this exciting journey with the backing of Firstport.”

Wellbeing Economy Secretary Neil Gray said: “Social enterprises like the Energy Training Academy (ETA) can play an important role in providing people with the training and skills needed for the green jobs of the future that will drive forward Scotland’s net zero ambitions.

“That is why the Scottish Government is supporting initiatives like the Catalyst Fund, which provide innovative social investment enabling ETA to further build on the good work being done to identify and fill any gaps in the in the gas and renewables industry. The £300,000 investment will help more people, businesses and communities benefit from Scotland’s renewables revolution.”

The Catalyst Fund offers loans starting at £50,000.  It uses a revenue-based repayment model that provides social enterprises with flexible finance without compromising their social mission. Its innovative funding mechanism means that social entrepreneurs repay the investment via a share of their revenue as their businesses grow.

The Catalyst Fund is open for Expressions of Interest. For more information, visit the Firstport website.

The national charity for working parents and carers, Working Families, has announced that DWF has been awarded a place on its prestigious list of the top family-friendly employers in the UK.

Now in its fourteenth year, employers large and small from across the public, private, and third sectors compete annually to gain a coveted place on the charity’s list of Top Employers for Working Families. DWF has been in the top 30 every year since 2018.

Employers were assessed using Working Families’ Benchmark and were scored on four key areas to build a comprehensive picture of their flexible and family-friendly policies and practices that specifically support parents and carers.

The Benchmark—which captured the experience of over 330,000 UK employees across the organisations that took part— highlights trends in flexible and family-friendly policies and practices. This year the key findings include:

• 86% of this year’s Benchmark entrants already offer flex from day one – showing that the best employers are already well-prepared for the new legislation coming in 2024.
• 92% of employers assess some, or all, jobs to determine the potential for flexible working prior to advertising.
• 78% of organisations provide details of the options to work flexibly on their website.
• Almost half (48%) of employers are already using the ‘Happy to Talk Flexible Working’ strapline and logo on all their job adverts.

Louise Rogerson, Chief People Officer at DWF, said: “We are proud to be recognised as an employer of choice for working families once again. Our belief is that an inclusive and supportive working environment allows people to be themselves, develop and be happier at work.

“We want our colleagues to feel able to combine their career with family responsibilities and have worked hard to implement initiatives to support this, such as enhanced leave provision, agile and flexible working and a variety of internal support groups for returning parents and carers, among others.”

Jane van Zyl, CEO of Working Families, said: “We are delighted with the standard of entries for this year’s Top Employers for Working Families list. These employers show they are leading the way in building family-friendly and flexible workplaces in the UK and are already ahead of the curve when it comes to implementing the changes needed to comply with the new flexible working legislation coming into practice next year. Almost nine out of ten of our Benchmark entrants are already offering flexible working as a day one right.”

Reacting to the latest inflation data from the ONS, David Bharier, Head of Research at the British Chambers of Commerce, said:  

 

“Today’s CPI rate of 6.7%, while proving stubborn, shows that inflation is continuing to gradually ease off. Producer price inflation (PPI) fell by 2.3%. This should give the Bank of England pause for thought with the interest rate decision tomorrow. 

 

“Inflation remains the top concern for businesses across our surveys, and firms will be concerned that fuel prices are the largest contributor to the CPI rate today. But the rising interest rate has also been a growing problem for many over the last year.

 

“Recent research by the BCC’s Insight Unit found that 46% of companies said current interest rates are having a negative impact, as costs for borrowing and mortgages go up. Smaller firms and those in the consumer facing sector are disproportionately impacted.

 

“The BCC’s latest economic forecast expects growth for the next two years will remain subdued. Businesses will now be worried that any further rises in the interest rate could could diminish consumer demand and make investment even harder.” 

Peter Mumford, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty’s UK Construction Regional Civils business, has featured in New Civil Engineer exploring how the company is spearheading a new way of delivering coastal protection works.

In the article, Peter emphasises the importance of adapting with agility and rethinking traditional approaches to combat the threats posed by extreme weather conditions.

As a result, Balfour Beatty has introduced its innovative climate resilience offering which leverages the company’s civil engineering expertise and experience in working with nature to safeguard coastal communities whilst also enhancing biodiversity, supporting local economies, and providing employment opportunities.

Peter explains that at the core of this climate resilience offering is collaboration. By partnering closely with local authorities, Balfour Beatty can prepare for emergencies effectively and implement measures that protect homes and businesses from flooding and erosion.

Commenting on the critical importance of collaboration, Peter said: “Collaboration with our long-standing customers allows us to be on the front foot and act quickly to put in place measures that will protect hundreds – if not thousands – of homes and businesses across the length and breadth of the UK from the risk of flooding and coastal erosion.”

To read the article in full, click here.

The firm’s Corporate Group has completed the acquisition of a 99MW battery energy storage system on behalf of Pulse Clean Energy

Burges Salmon has advised Pulse Clean Energy Limited, a London based energy transition company, on its acquisition of a 99MW battery energy storage system in Hampshire from Harmony Energy Income Trust plc.

The acquisition will help advance Pulse Clean Energy’s pipeline of battery energy storage system projects in the UK market and support the company as it aims to build a portfolio of over 1GW of energy storage assets to support the UK’s net zero ambition.

The legal team advising Pulse Clean Energy was led by Burges Salmon’s Corporate Group including partner Jonathan Eves, senior associate Bethan Penrhyn-Jones, associate Elena Visser-Adams and senior apprentice Charlie Morgan. The Corporate team had support from specialists across the firm, including Alec Whiter, a partner in the firm’s energy projects team.

Jonathan Eves comments: “We’re pleased to have advised Pulse Clean Energy on this important acquisition which complements its ongoing work to build a market leading portfolio of battery storage and stability assets.”

Pauline Barker, Investment and Development Director at Pulse adds: “This acquisition is a continuation of Pulse’s success through recent BESS and Pathfinder acquisitions, debt-raise activity and the transformation of the diesel generation sites. We’re very appreciative to the team at Burges Salmon for their work on the project.”

Burges Salmon has a strong corporate practice in the UK, acting on high value and complex transactions, and supporting fast growing companies with their growth ambitions. Over the past year, the team has advised on over 110 transactions for domestic and international clients, particularly in the energy, healthcare, life sciences and financial services sectors.

Dentons, the world’s largest global law firm, has announced the hires of Philip Knight and Steph Innes as partners in Scotland. Philip joined the firm’s Edinburgh office on 12 September, while Steph joined in Glasgow on 18 September.

Claire Armstrong, Managing Partner of Dentons in Scotland, said: ‘Steph and Philip will be real assets to our growing Scottish offices. We are committed to investing in Scotland’s brightest legal talent and using Dentons’ unique global reach to support clients on their most complex issues across practices, sectors and geographies.’

Steph Innes rejoins Dentons from leading industrial energy solutions provider Aggreko, where she was Head of Group Legal. Prior to this, she spent ten years as a Senior Associate in Dentons’ Scotland TMT practice. Steph is also a part time commercial contracts tutor at the University of Glasgow.

Henrietta Baker, Head of Dentons’ TMT practice for the UK, Ireland and Middle East said, ‘I am delighted to welcome Steph back to Dentons. As a partner specialising in intellectual property, data protection and technology transactions, her arrival will allow us better to serve our clients in Scotland, the rest of the UK and internationally.’

Philip has joined the firm’s Litigation and Arbitration practice, arriving from Womble Bond Dickinson where he was head of litigation in Scotland. Previously, he spent 11 years in DWF’s Real Estate Litigation team. He has extensive experience advising on contractual disputes, real estate disputes, insolvency and director disqualification, licensing, regulatory, professional negligence, interdicts and financial services disputes. He joins Dentons’ fast-growing Disputes team, which currently includes over 90 lawyers across the UK and Ireland. In the firm’s recent announcement of its partner promotions seven originated from the Disputes team.

Louisa Caswell, head of the Disputes team for Dentons in the UK said, ‘I am thrilled to welcome Philip to our Disputes team. His broad experience as a first-class litigator will help us towards our goal of creating a thriving Scottish disputes practice that is leading on cases for local, national and international clients.’

Paul Jarvis, Chief Executive for the UK, Ireland and Middle East (UKIME) region of Dentons, added, ‘We are delighted that Philip and Steph have joined the high-quality group of partners who are committed to strengthening our position as the premium international law firm in Scotland.’

• University food experts have developed a new ingredient to replace palm fat in a wide variety of products across the bakery sector, such as cakes and biscuits.
• This development could reduce dependency on palm-based ingredients.
• New palm fat replacer is healthier than palm oil – with less total fat and less saturated fat and increased fibre and protein. It is also allergen-free, coconut-free, and has no added sugar, sweeteners, flavourings or colourings.
• New ingredient is 100% plant based, clean-label.
• All the materials in the new ingredient can be sourced from within the EU and UK.
• New ingredient addresses both sustainability and nutrition goals.

Food experts at Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh have developed a new ingredient which has the potential to replace palm oil in bakery products. The new palm fat substitute is healthier and more environmentally friendly than palm oil, which is currently used in a vast amount of baked goods. The University’s novel replacement ingredient could offer significant solutions for the food industry allowing manufacturers to satisfy increasing consumer demand for tasty, lower fat, healthier food products, whilst reducing deforestation of the world’s rainforests.

Working successfully as a replacement for palm-based fat in baked goods, the newly developed ingredient, which has 25% less fat and 88% less saturated fat, allows goods, such as cakes and biscuits, to maintain their texture, flavour and colour.

Palm oil is a major functional fat ingredient used widely across the food industry in products such as cakes, biscuits, pastries, confectionery, ready meals and sauces. Due to its composition, high yield and low production costs, the food industry has become increasingly dependent on palm, resulting in its over-cultivation. Its high saturated fat content, which allows it to remain solid at room temperature, has proven crucial to the industrial bakery sector.

The new ingredient, which includes a by-product from the linseed industry, fibre and rapeseed oil, can be produced locally at the global scale and is cost-competitive. If used by the food industry to replace palm oil, it has the potential to significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the impact of food miles and deforestation of global rainforests associated with palm production. The implementation of this innovative new strategy would assist the food industry in reducing its reliance on the over-cultivation of palm.

The innovative new palm substitute known as PALM-ALT has been developed by Dr Julien Lonchamp, Reader in Food Science, and Catriona Liddle, Head of the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation (SCFDI) at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. The team has been motivated to address the current challenges facing the industry and provide a positive solution to the environmental damage associated with current palm cultivation.

Catriona Liddle explained why palm-based fat is such an important ingredient to the global food industry. She said: “Palm based fat works particularly well in bakery products due to its composition, taste and mouthfeel. For example, it helps produce cakes which are light, with a good taste profile which has a pleasant mouthfeel.

“However, despite efforts to develop more sustainable cultivation practices, the industry has found it difficult to identify another fat which delivers the cost benefits and physical characteristics (bland taste, food shelf-life and ambient storage) that palm offers, and which is not linked with health concerns. Currently there is no palm oil replacement that is sustainable, healthy and cost-effective.”

Catriona continued: “Palm can only be harvested in rainforest areas of the globe, thousands of miles away from many of the countries that use the product. Current production methods leading to deforestation of tropical rainforests in Malaysia and Indonesia have led to the destruction of animals’ natural habitat, and high greenhouse gas emissions linked to its global transport. It is therefore essential to develop an alternative product, which works well for the food industry and helps reduce the world’s overreliance on palm.”

The University’s research confirms that the new replacement product, which has a mayonnaise style consistency, is palm and coconut free, 100% plant-based, healthier due to having less total and saturated fat, and more sustainable. It’s not only better for the environment, it’s also a wholesome, clean label, allergen-free product with no added flavourings, sugar, sweeteners, preservatives or colourings.

Dr Julien Lonchamp discussed the motivation behind the research: “We set out to develop a new ingredient that would not only be better for the environment but also healthier than palm fat and current alternatives.

“Following a preliminary study to show the potential of a novel ingredient composed of a linseed industry by-product, fibre and rapeseed oil, the QMU team secured funding from *Innovate UK to demonstrate the feasibility of PALM-ALT, develop its production to factory level, and collaborate with a range of food companies to develop palm-free versions of their commercial products.”

Discussing the success of the PALM-ALT research project, Catriona stated: “It is very satisfying to have developed a product which delivers on so many different levels for the food industry, satisfies growing consumer market for tasty healthy foods, can support local economies and won’t damage the environment.”

Dr Lonchamp confirmed: “Our team has patented the PALM-ALT composition and process and we are currently in discussions with a number of partners to implement the novel palm replacer at the industry level. We are therefore keen to connect with food companies who are interested in replacing palm-based fat in their products using our novel ingredient.”

*Funding for this research project was provided by Innovate UK via their Sustainable Innovation Fund in 2020-22.

• The key materials used in PALM-ALT, the innovative new palm shortening substitute – linseed industry by-product, fibre and rapeseed oil – are available on all continents. This means that PALM-ALT can be produced locally on a global scale, thereby minimising the environmental impact of transportation.
• During the University’s sensory tests there was no impact on flavour, texture or colour when using the new ingredient instead of palm fat. This provides food companies with the confidence to trial PALM-ALT in their new and existing food products on the understanding that it should not adversely affect the sensory properties.

Over 10,000 young minds have been inspired to consider a career in robotics, thanks to the significant public engagement activities fostered by the National Robotarium that aim to increase the representation of disadvantaged young learners.

The world-leading centre for robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) has successfully hosted over 50 in-person and virtual events at its facility in Edinburgh since opening in September 2022 with a host of industry and educational partners including Glasgow Science Centre and social enterprise group Datakirk.

With the aim of broadening access to revolutionary technology, the facility’s public outreach and engagement programme is building key skills and encouraging more young people from a wider range of backgrounds to consider starting a career in robotics, data analytics, and AI.

This summer [2023] also marks the 5th anniversary of the South-East Scotland City Region Deal. The National Robotarium is part of the £1.3 billion 15-year investment programme jointly funded by the UK Government, the Scottish Government, and regional partners.

Its pioneering £22.4 million facility is the largest and most advanced of its kind in the UK and acts as an innovation hub for the practical application of robotics and autonomous systems in industry and society.

Its objectives include partnering with various organisations including charities with a mission to increase the engagement of disadvantaged learners with the technology sector to tackle digital exclusion. The National Robotarium is also collaborating with groups that aim to encourage greater gender diversity among those applying to STEM subjects at university.

Sabaht Bashir is industry and schools engagement co-lead at the National Robotarium. She said:

“Innovation and collaboration are at the heart of the Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal which is helping to accelerate knowledge and cutting-edge technologies into Scotland and the UK’s economy.

“At the National Robotarium, we’re showcasing ways robots can help humans do things better, for the benefit of industry and society, and inspiring the next generation of roboticists and AI pioneers.

“The research our world-leading experts are conducting today to make our lives safer, healthier, and more productive will be the world that our young learners inherit tomorrow. It’s an incredible milestone to have engaged with so many young people from a range of diverse backgrounds since opening our doors last year. We look forward to continuing to work with schools and educators from all around the world to bring careers in robotics to life.”

Libby Robertson, a year 6 pupil at Glasgow’s Knightswood Secondary School, said:

“The activities were fun and insightful about what robotics could do and have already done to the world we live in. The visit was so amazing that I’m now considering doing it as a future career choice.”

Gordon Cooper, Technical Teacher at Glasgow’s Knightswood Secondary School, said:

“The team at the National Robotarium were friendly and informative and our pupils had a great day enjoying the variety of experiences planned for them.

“The fully and semi-immersive reality activities were fascinating and showed our students the potential uses of these types of technology. The robotic dog was definitely the star of the day. All of our students were awakened to the possibilities on display, and many are now seriously looking into careers in this field. “

Lauren Stalker, Curricular Leader of Computing Science & Digital Literacy at St Thomas of Aquin’s R.C High School in Edinburgh, said:

“I would highly recommend this trip for all students as seeing the robots in real life is a fantastic experience. The information shared inspired pupils to want to get into robotics and see possible career opportunities. All the students thoroughly enjoyed the virtual reality experience and getting to see a programming language they learn in school being used in that way.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland, Malcolm Offord, said:

“The National Robotarium is a prime example of how the City Region Deal is creating exciting opportunities, driving economic growth, and inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.

“The UK Government is investing £21 million in the National Robotarium and more than £380m in levelling up across South East Scotland.”

Scottish Government Wellbeing Economy Secretary, Neil Gray, said:

“I congratulate the National Robotarium on its successful first year inspiring technological innovation and sharing those advances with young people to help seed the next generation of entrepreneurs. In 2021 the Scottish Government committed to supporting the development of ethical artificial intelligence as part of Scotland’s AI Strategy, which will be complemented by actions in the recently published National Innovation Strategy.

“Through the Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal we are delivering a fair and sustainable wellbeing economy which aims to create even more good quality jobs.”

Jarmo Eskelinen, Executive Director of the Data-Driven Innovation initiative and South-East Scotland City Region Deal, said:

“The National Robotarium is one of six hubs at the University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University offering a world-leading platform for data-driven innovation across ten industry sectors. As the DDI initiative marks its fifth anniversary, it’s fantastic to see the hubs developing as individual institutes and centres and very exciting to be working with them to explore joint opportunities in tackling societal and industry challenges.”