Credit: Shearings Holidays/CC BY 2.0

A new Scottish Government-funded programme will be offered to up to 16 companies in the Highlands and Islands to help support the development and application of Internet of Things technologies.   

Scotland’s innovation centre for sensing, imaging, and IoT technologies, CENSIS, aims to provide support to key areas of the economy like renewable energy, manufacturing, food and drink, tourism, and health and wellness.   

The Internet of Things Evolve initiative, which is supported by the Scottish Government and development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), runs until August 2023. 

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It has three strands. The first focuses on commercial impact, particularly on challenges that explore product development, process improvement, meeting net zero targets, and improving employee wellbeing or creating new jobs. 

The next strand aims to assist businesses using IoT to reduce their carbon footprint. The third involves research into global trends in IoT and how it may also be applied into the Highlands and Islands economy.   

The programme aims to encourage and support rural businesses to maximise the opportunities available, as the area’s businesses adopts more digital methods of working. 

Alistair Longmuir, business development manager at CENSIS, said: “There’s a growing awareness of IoT, but many companies are still unsure how they can benefit from it. This programme will open up new possibilities to further the development of IoT and start a conversation in the Highlands and Islands around what is needed to support adoption. More companies should discover the business benefits IoT can deliver. The IoT Evolve programme is about helping companies explore how they might become more productive, efficient, sustainable and competitive through the use of digital technology, helping the Scottish ecosystem to become more connected.  We are looking forward to assisting more businesses to take the next steps towards IoT adoption, whatever their experience level with the technology.”