Minister for Innovation, Technology and Tertiary Education
Alyn Smith MSP was appointed as Minister for Innovation, Technology and Tertiary Education in September 2026.
Responsibilities
Supports the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic.
- tertiary education
- apprenticeships
- positive destinations and Education Maintenance Allowances
- careers and young people's transitions to work
- adult learning and lifelong learning
- non-advanced vocational skills
- widening access
- qualifications and accreditation
- student support
- community learning and development
- youth work
- university research
- international education strategy
- Scottish Funding Council (SFC)
- Skills Development Scotland (SDS)
- Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS)
- Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland (OCSA)
- scientific engagement and advice
- STEM education (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)
- innovation and technology
- artificial intelligence policy and strategy
- young people's arts and music
- UNESCO World Heritage
Biography
Born in Glasgow in 1973, Mr Smith grew up in Scotland and Saudi Arabia. He studied Law and European Law at Leeds University and graduated from Nottingham Law School in 1996. He also gained a Masters degree in European Studies from the College of Europe in Warsaw.
After a year teaching English in India and working with Scotland Europa in Brussels, Mr Smith moved to London where he qualified as a lawyer with commercial law firm Clifford Chance. In 2000 he moved back to Scotland, working first for a legal firm in Edinburgh, and from 2002 as an adviser to Richard Lochhead MSP and the SNP Group at Holyrood on European, Justice and Business policies.
He was elected to the Scottish Parliament in May 2026 for the Stirling constituency.
Prior to that, he was a Member of the European Parliament for Scotland from 2004 to 2019 and a Member of the UK Parliament for Stirling from 2019 to 2024.
- Read more about Mr Smith on the Scottish Parliament website.