Scottish Business Buzz

Scottish Business Buzz (12.09.18)

Written by Michelle Rodger

V&A Dundee opens its doors for the first time to the public on Saturday 15 September 2018. Today its beautiful, light-filled interiors designed by acclaimed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma have been revealed for the first time.

As Scotland’s first design museum, V&A Dundee tells a global story, investigating the international importance of design alongside presenting Scotland’s outstanding design achievements.

V&A Dundee’s construction and fit-out took three and a half years to complete and it stands at the centre of the £1 billion transformation of the Dundee waterfront, once part of the city’s docklands.

At the heart of the museum the Scottish Design Galleries feature 300 exhibits drawn from the V&A’s rich collections of Scottish design, as well as from museums and private collections across Scotland and the world.

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Oil and gas platforms in the North Sea may have to be shut down if there is either a hard Brexit or no deal on EU withdrawal, according to an industry body.

The latest economic report from Oil and Gas UK warns that new rules on accessing labour markets from EU countries could leave the sector with a skills shortage.

About 5% of workers in the UK oil and gas sector come from other EU countries and the report said it was “vital that arrangements are in place between the UK and EU to allow the continued frictionless movement of people”.

If difficulties arose in recruiting replacements then platforms would have to shut down operations and production.

The report also highlights implications for movement of critical equipment and for growing the UK’s share of the global oilfield services market.

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Scottish craft brewers are being showcased in the US and China as part of a co-ordinated campaign to boost beer and spirits exports.

It comes as JW Filshill International and the Clan Brewing Company revealed they have landed a major deal with a significant French importer, meaning more Scottish premium craft beers will appear in specialist drinks shops and bars across the wine-loving country.

Later this month, the Clan Brewing Co and social enterprise beer Brewgooder will be showcased at the NBWA Annual Convention in San Diego, California, putting the innovative products into the hands of influential industry insiders and distributors.

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Landmark Perth Hotel, The Lovat, has announced it will start accepting a recently launched cryptocurrency as payment from customers, with the aim of future proofing the hotel.

The hotel has become the first official partner of Incognito (INC), a cryptocurrency launched earlier this year by a University of Strathclyde graduate.

The cryptocurrency describes itself as the most secure coin currently on the market.

The idea was sparked by a conversation between a customer and new owner, Alfredo Alongi, when they discovered they both trade the same cryptocurrency.

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A new multi-million pound Innovation for Games and Media Enterprise (InGAME) project will establish a dedicated research and development centre for the Dundee video games cluster with a view to driving product, service and experience innovation across the industry.

Led by the city’s Abertay University, in partnership with the University of Dundee and the University of St Andrews, the project will offer a high level resource to local, Scottish and UK games companies, benefiting from significant funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s (AHRC) Creative Industries Clusters programme and the Scottish Funding Council.

The project is the latest investment in a string of success for Dundee – the UK’s first UNESCO City of Design – with the announcement coming just a week before the opening of the £80.1m V&A Dundee Museum of Design.

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About the author

Michelle Rodger

Michelle is a former national newspaper journalist who co-founded an award-winning IT business before launching Tartan Cat Communications. A social media and crowdfunding expert she manages media and communications for Business for Scotland.

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