Scottish Government events in Brussels: 2021

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Tourism and COVID-19 Recovery: 19 January 2021

Scotland House Brussels launched its 2021 events calendar with a webinar on the role of data and innovation in the responsible recovery of the European tourism sector. The event was moderated by Cristina Nuñez, Director of NECSTouR (Network of European Regions for Sustainable and Competitive Tourism) and brought together European tourism stakeholders to showcase three excellent examples of how they are using data and innovation to drive a sustainable recovery. 

In doing so, the speakers demonstrated how this is contributing to the development of smarter destinations. VisitScotland shared how it is using data to predict future tourism demand and capacity; VisitFlanders highlighted its work on the YouFlanders app, which helps visitors avoid crowds and identify alternative tourism experiences; and Andalusia Tourist Board shared its innovative approach to statistics and sustainable development.

Scotland’s Winter Festivals - Burns Night: 25 January 2020 to 29 January 2021

Scotland House Brussels hosted its annual celebrations in honour of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns, this year in a virtual celebration of poetry and song and a virtual toast on social media on the theme of a #BurnsNightIn.

On Monday, 25 January, in a series of virtual concerts, Postcards from Scotland, showcased some of Scotland’s best-known traditional music bands, including Breabach, Elephant Sessions, Niteworks, Skerryvore and many more.

On Friday, 29 January, Scottish Poetry Library prepared a pass-the-mic session between Scottish and Irish poets and musicians, drawing on the spirit of Burns for a fresh mix of spoken word and verse. The event was hosted by Vic Galloway with Victoria McNulty, Kevin Gilday, Courtney Stoddart, Kapil Seshasayee and more.

Scottish universities addressing global challenges : 5 February 2021

This conversation taking place after confirmation of the UK's association to Horizon Europe, focused on how the world-leading research undertaken by Scottish universities remains important and relevant to Europe. The event brought together Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli and Professor Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-Chancellors of the University of Glasgow and the University of Edinburgh respectively, with Professor Kurt Deketelaere, Secretary-General of the League of European Research Universities (LERU) and Professor Jan Palmowski, Secretary-General of The Guild.

They discussed through Horizon Europe, Scotland's researchers will continue to work with partners across Europe to address our shared global challenges and the crucial role networks will play in keeping UK universities engaged in European research discourse and collaboration.

EU Industry Week event: 22 February 2021

As part of the European Commission’s EU Industry Week, Scotland House Brussels hosted a discussion alongside the Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc (MSIP), and ID4CAR, based in the Grand Ouest region of France, focussed on innovation models developed by both MSIP and ID4CAR in order to support the transition of the sector to zero emission mobility and explore how these models could be replicated elsewhere.

Sarah Petrie, Innovation Director at Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc, Stuart Greig, Director Low Carbon Economy at Transport Scotland, Isabelle Dussutour, Director Innovation and International at ID4CAR, and Stephen Marvin, Director R&D at Plateforme Automobile (PFA), looked at how the automotive sector can efficiently support the development of new supply chains in Europe, as well as how collaboration at European level could help the automotive industry to reach large-scale delivery and industrialisation of new technology and products.

 EU Industry Week event: 25 February 2021

As part of the European Commission’s EU Industry Week, Scotland House Brussels supported an interactive event co-hosted by CivTech Scotland, GovTech Lithuania and Accelerate Estonia, which focussed on digital innovation in GovTech and the key role that the public sector plays in supporting SMEs to develop innovative and exportable technologies. The session explored proven methods of digital innovation, including through GovTech programmes, and showed how these solutions are delivering better outcomes for citizens using digital technologies in their day to day lives and shaping their interaction with government and society.

Two of Europe's leading female entrepreneurs, Vicky Brock, CEO of VistalWorks & Winner of Scotland's Most Inspiring Female CEO, and Mayri Tiido, CEO of Excess Materials Flow, were joined by Alexander Holt, Founder of CivTech Programme, Mikk Vainik, Head of Accelerate Estonia, and Arune Matelyte, Manager of GovTech Lab Lithuania at MITA to discuss how the entrepreneurial mindset is accelerating public sector culture change. They looked at best practice for government innovation, and for entrepreneurs looking to work with governments and provided tips and tricks to form long lasting, valued relationships.