WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.319 Um, you know, usually when we start these deep 00:00:02.319 --> 00:00:05.240 dives, we were looking at a specific trend or, 00:00:05.240 --> 00:00:08.119 uh, maybe a historical event or even a massive 00:00:08.119 --> 00:00:11.000 tech company. But today we're actually looking 00:00:11.000 --> 00:00:15.240 at something, um, geometrical. Geometrical. Well, 00:00:15.339 --> 00:00:17.699 that's a, that's a new angle for us. Literally. 00:00:17.780 --> 00:00:20.359 We're looking at a triangle and no, this isn't, 00:00:20.379 --> 00:00:22.379 you know, a high school math lesson gone wrong. 00:00:22.679 --> 00:00:25.179 We're taking a deep dive into the Edinburgh science 00:00:25.179 --> 00:00:28.519 triangle. Yeah. The EST. Right. The EST and to 00:00:28.519 --> 00:00:31.449 the untrained eye. or maybe just a tourist passing 00:00:31.449 --> 00:00:33.369 through Scotland, that might just sound like 00:00:33.369 --> 00:00:35.609 a catchy marketing slogan. Oh, absolutely. It 00:00:35.609 --> 00:00:37.170 sounds like something a tourism board just made 00:00:37.170 --> 00:00:39.810 up for a brochure. Exactly. But when you actually 00:00:39.810 --> 00:00:42.229 dig into the source material, which I have been 00:00:42.229 --> 00:00:45.450 burying myself in all morning, you realize it 00:00:45.450 --> 00:00:48.710 is arguably one of the most significant economic 00:00:48.710 --> 00:00:52.460 engines in the UK. So our mission today is to 00:00:52.460 --> 00:00:55.060 break down what this thing is, what sources of 00:00:55.060 --> 00:00:57.659 data and research we have on it, and why you 00:00:57.659 --> 00:01:00.460 should care about how all these pieces fit together. 00:01:00.820 --> 00:01:03.520 It really is massive. And I'm glad you started 00:01:03.520 --> 00:01:05.799 with that distinction because the Edinburgh Science 00:01:05.799 --> 00:01:08.599 Triangle, it isn't just a branding exercise. 00:01:08.760 --> 00:01:10.620 It's not just a logo on a letterhead somewhere. 00:01:10.780 --> 00:01:14.019 No, not at all. It is a highly deliberate engineered 00:01:14.019 --> 00:01:17.500 ecosystem. We are talking about a multidisciplinary 00:01:17.500 --> 00:01:20.420 partnership that fuses universities, government 00:01:20.420 --> 00:01:23.579 bodies, the NHS, science parks, and research 00:01:23.579 --> 00:01:26.900 institutes all into one single operating unit. 00:01:27.099 --> 00:01:29.519 Which sounds honestly like a lot of moving parts. 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:31.519 I mean trying to manage all that sounds like 00:01:31.519 --> 00:01:34.879 herding cats. It's incredibly complex for sure, 00:01:35.299 --> 00:01:38.150 but the mission is singular. The sources make 00:01:38.150 --> 00:01:40.349 it really clear. The goal isn't just to have, 00:01:40.349 --> 00:01:42.510 you know, nice buildings with shiny glass fronts. 00:01:43.230 --> 00:01:45.870 It's to build a genuine professional scientific 00:01:45.870 --> 00:01:48.430 community. The documentation is very explicit 00:01:48.430 --> 00:01:50.250 about this. It's about attracting indigenous 00:01:50.250 --> 00:01:52.290 investment, which means growing local startups 00:01:52.290 --> 00:01:54.409 from the ground up. Exactly. Growing the local 00:01:54.409 --> 00:01:58.090 talent and also inward investment, which is pulling 00:01:58.090 --> 00:02:00.730 in the global giants to set up shop right there 00:02:00.730 --> 00:02:04.170 in Scotland. So before we start drawing. lines 00:02:04.170 --> 00:02:06.250 on a map and figuring out where this thing actually 00:02:06.250 --> 00:02:08.810 lives, let's ground this in reality. Because 00:02:08.810 --> 00:02:10.849 these massive infrastructure things, they don't 00:02:10.849 --> 00:02:13.530 usually happen by accident. Someone had to cut 00:02:13.530 --> 00:02:15.210 a ribbon at some point, right? Definitely. This 00:02:15.210 --> 00:02:17.610 wasn't just organic growth where things accidentally 00:02:17.610 --> 00:02:19.930 bumped into each other. It was highly strategic. 00:02:20.409 --> 00:02:22.990 The EST was officially launched back in September. 00:02:23.740 --> 00:02:27.039 2004. OK, 2004. Yeah. And it was kicked off by 00:02:27.039 --> 00:02:29.400 Jim Wallace, who is the deputy first minister 00:02:29.400 --> 00:02:31.639 at the time. And the location of that launch 00:02:31.639 --> 00:02:34.580 seems significant, too. I noticed in the reading 00:02:34.580 --> 00:02:36.979 that they didn't do it at Edinburgh Castle or, 00:02:36.979 --> 00:02:39.199 you know, in the city chambers. No, they didn't. 00:02:39.199 --> 00:02:42.219 And that is a crucial detail. They launched it 00:02:42.219 --> 00:02:46.060 at the Roslyn Bio Center in Midlothian. That 00:02:46.060 --> 00:02:48.280 was a signal right from day one. It was basically 00:02:48.280 --> 00:02:50.219 saying this isn't just about the city center. 00:02:50.280 --> 00:02:52.479 This is about the periphery. This is about the 00:02:52.479 --> 00:02:54.889 entire. region okay so let's visualize this for 00:02:54.889 --> 00:02:57.370 a second if you are listening to this and driving 00:02:57.370 --> 00:02:58.810 around Scotland or maybe you're just looking 00:02:58.810 --> 00:03:02.030 at a map on your phone right now how do you find 00:03:02.030 --> 00:03:05.210 this triangle what are the anchors right so imagine 00:03:05.210 --> 00:03:07.949 the actual city of Edinburgh as your center of 00:03:07.949 --> 00:03:11.050 gravity just dead in the middle to draw the triangle 00:03:11.050 --> 00:03:14.270 you first head west to Livingston which is in 00:03:14.270 --> 00:03:16.550 West Lothian okay so Livingston is point one 00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:20.319 Exactly. Then you sweep all the way over to the 00:03:20.319 --> 00:03:23.219 East Coast to Musselburgh and East Lothian. That 00:03:23.219 --> 00:03:25.819 is your point two. And the third point. You head 00:03:25.819 --> 00:03:29.219 south down to the Easter Bush campus in Midlothian. 00:03:29.479 --> 00:03:31.979 So you have West Lothian, East Lothian and Midlothian 00:03:31.979 --> 00:03:34.620 all acting as the corners, basically hugging 00:03:34.620 --> 00:03:37.479 the capital city right in the middle. It's interesting 00:03:37.479 --> 00:03:40.340 because just looking at the governance of that, 00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:43.860 that structure. forces collaboration across different 00:03:43.860 --> 00:03:45.860 council lines. It's not just the City of Edinburgh 00:03:45.860 --> 00:03:47.979 council running the whole show. Right, it creates 00:03:47.979 --> 00:03:50.759 this greater Edinburgh mindset. It forces these 00:03:50.759 --> 00:03:53.280 completely different political entities to act 00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:56.699 as one regional hub. Which is no small feat. 00:03:56.879 --> 00:03:59.460 No, it's not. And the funding model actually 00:03:59.460 --> 00:04:02.060 backs that up. You've got this incredibly complex 00:04:02.060 --> 00:04:04.280 web of support. There's Scottish Enterprise, 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:06.400 the European Regional Development Fund, plus 00:04:06.400 --> 00:04:08.340 the local councils of Edinburgh, Midlothian, 00:04:08.379 --> 00:04:10.639 and Westlothian all chipping in. See, it sounds 00:04:10.639 --> 00:04:12.460 like it could be a bureaucratic nightmare. I 00:04:12.460 --> 00:04:15.159 mean, trying to get three councils and a national 00:04:15.159 --> 00:04:17.139 body to agree on what color to paint a bench 00:04:17.139 --> 00:04:19.480 is hard enough. Oh, for sure. But the sources 00:04:19.480 --> 00:04:22.000 suggest it actually functions as a really unified 00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:24.480 front for investment. It really does. It essentially 00:04:24.480 --> 00:04:27.850 tells investors, look, We aren't just one crowded 00:04:27.850 --> 00:04:31.470 city fighting for space. We are a vast region 00:04:31.470 --> 00:04:35.230 with a unified cohesive strategy. It actually 00:04:35.230 --> 00:04:37.290 operates as part of Edinburgh's local investment 00:04:37.290 --> 00:04:40.180 partnership. So we have the map we have the funding 00:04:40.180 --> 00:04:42.120 in place now I really want to get into the meat 00:04:42.120 --> 00:04:45.360 of this Because the diversity inside this triangle 00:04:45.360 --> 00:04:47.600 is what completely blew me away in the research. 00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:50.279 It's not just tech It's not just medicine. It 00:04:50.279 --> 00:04:52.500 covers a lot of ground. It really does. It's 00:04:52.500 --> 00:04:55.279 these highly specialized clusters Let's look 00:04:55.279 --> 00:04:58.800 at the sectors. They target life sciences informatics 00:04:58.800 --> 00:05:01.959 micro and opto electronics and energy Let's start 00:05:01.959 --> 00:05:03.639 with that southern anchor. You mentioned earlier 00:05:03.639 --> 00:05:06.519 Easter bush down in Midlothian. Ah Easter bush. 00:05:06.660 --> 00:05:09.050 This is just a fact Fascinating spot if you are 00:05:09.050 --> 00:05:11.870 into animal health. This is arguably one of the 00:05:11.870 --> 00:05:13.829 most important post codes on the planet That 00:05:13.829 --> 00:05:16.529 is a pretty big claim It is, but the density 00:05:16.529 --> 00:05:19.629 of expertise there is just staggering. This is 00:05:19.629 --> 00:05:22.470 where the famous Dick Vette is located. The Royal 00:05:22.470 --> 00:05:24.550 Dick School of Veterinary Studies. I have to 00:05:24.550 --> 00:05:26.410 say, I love that everyone just casually calls 00:05:26.410 --> 00:05:28.490 it the Dick Vette. It's a total institution. 00:05:28.589 --> 00:05:30.149 Yeah. And it actually used to be right in the 00:05:30.149 --> 00:05:33.389 city center. But in September 2011, they fully 00:05:33.389 --> 00:05:37.509 relocated from Edinburgh proper out to a brand 00:05:37.509 --> 00:05:40.569 new purpose built building on the Easter Bush 00:05:40.569 --> 00:05:43.310 campus. Which is what, about 11 kilometers south 00:05:43.310 --> 00:05:45.879 of the city? Yeah, right. But that move wasn't 00:05:45.879 --> 00:05:48.040 just about, you know, getting more parking for 00:05:48.040 --> 00:05:50.100 the students or finding cheaper land to build 00:05:50.100 --> 00:05:52.660 on, was it? Not at all. It was entirely about 00:05:52.660 --> 00:05:54.899 the cluster effect. You don't just have the vet 00:05:54.899 --> 00:05:57.220 school sitting out there alone in a field, right 00:05:57.220 --> 00:05:59.899 next door, literally sharing the space. You have 00:05:59.899 --> 00:06:02.819 the Roslyn Institute. Wait, the Roslyn Institute? 00:06:02.990 --> 00:06:05.290 the people who gave us Dolly the sheep. The very 00:06:05.290 --> 00:06:07.790 same. They are world renowned for animal health 00:06:07.790 --> 00:06:10.689 science and genetics. And then you add the Morden 00:06:10.689 --> 00:06:13.689 Research Institute and the Scottish Agricultural 00:06:13.689 --> 00:06:16.069 College to the mix. So it's basically like a 00:06:16.069 --> 00:06:19.449 massive university campus. But every single person 00:06:19.449 --> 00:06:22.629 there is hyper focused on the exact same broad 00:06:22.629 --> 00:06:25.670 topic. Precisely. Suddenly you have vet students, 00:06:26.029 --> 00:06:28.389 senior researchers, agricultural experts and 00:06:28.389 --> 00:06:31.269 geneticists all bumping into each other in the 00:06:31.269 --> 00:06:34.319 cafeteria line. It creates this immense critical 00:06:34.319 --> 00:06:37.620 mass of knowledge regarding animal welfare. But 00:06:37.620 --> 00:06:40.480 here is the kicker, and this is the detail and 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:42.879 the source material that really grabbed me. You 00:06:42.879 --> 00:06:45.300 might think, okay, it's a farm campus, lots of 00:06:45.300 --> 00:06:47.680 biology, lots of livestock, maybe some muddy 00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:50.779 boots. Sure, that's the stereotype. Right. Sitting 00:06:50.779 --> 00:06:52.899 right there, right in the middle of all this 00:06:52.899 --> 00:06:56.399 agricultural research, is the EPCC's advanced 00:06:56.399 --> 00:06:59.019 computing facility. A supercomputer center, right 00:06:59.019 --> 00:07:01.899 on a farm. Exactly. I mean, the contrast is just 00:07:01.899 --> 00:07:03.819 brilliant. But you know, that tells you everything 00:07:03.819 --> 00:07:05.699 you need to know about modern science. You can't 00:07:05.699 --> 00:07:07.899 just do biology with a microscope and a notepad 00:07:07.899 --> 00:07:10.240 anymore. You need big data. You need massive 00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:13.220 data. You need genomic sequencing. You need to 00:07:13.220 --> 00:07:17.560 model complex viral spreads. by placing the advanced 00:07:17.560 --> 00:07:20.040 computing facility right there at Easterbush, 00:07:20.459 --> 00:07:23.319 they are totally bridging the gap between biological 00:07:23.319 --> 00:07:26.240 sciences and high level informatics. That is 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:28.500 a perfect example of that multidisciplinary approach 00:07:28.500 --> 00:07:30.680 we mentioned in the intro. It takes what looks 00:07:30.680 --> 00:07:33.399 like a rural traditional setting and turns it 00:07:33.399 --> 00:07:36.199 into a hardcore high tech hub. And that whole 00:07:36.199 --> 00:07:39.120 ecosystem is supported by the Pentlands Science 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:41.899 Park nearby, which focuses specifically on animal 00:07:41.899 --> 00:07:45.100 health and welfare as well. So. Point one of 00:07:45.100 --> 00:07:47.360 the triangle is very clearly defined. It's the 00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:50.160 one health capital animal research directly powered 00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:52.639 by supercomputing. OK, so we've got super vets 00:07:52.639 --> 00:07:54.819 and supercomputers down in the south. Now let's 00:07:54.819 --> 00:07:57.100 travel west over to Livingston because this feels 00:07:57.100 --> 00:07:59.600 like a completely different vibe. We are essentially 00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:02.199 leaving the farm and entering the factory. We 00:08:02.199 --> 00:08:04.300 really are. This is the heart of what people 00:08:04.300 --> 00:08:06.519 used to call and actually still call Silicon 00:08:06.519 --> 00:08:09.319 Glenn. If Easter Bush is all about wet labs and 00:08:09.319 --> 00:08:12.339 biology, Livingston is all about hardware. And 00:08:12.339 --> 00:08:15.329 the main anchor here is the ALBA Innovation Center, 00:08:15.389 --> 00:08:18.300 right. Correct. The Alba Innovation Center is 00:08:18.300 --> 00:08:21.899 a Scottish enterprise project. It's managed by 00:08:21.899 --> 00:08:24.500 Innovation Center Scotland, which, just to add 00:08:24.500 --> 00:08:26.879 another fun layer of connection, is actually 00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:29.860 a subsidiary of Lanarkshire Enterprise Services. 00:08:29.939 --> 00:08:32.220 It's partnerships all the way down. It really 00:08:32.220 --> 00:08:35.139 is. But the center itself is laser focused on 00:08:35.139 --> 00:08:38.960 a very specific niche micro and optoelectronics. 00:08:39.419 --> 00:08:41.120 Optoelectronics. Now that is one of those words 00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:43.559 that just sounds expensive. For you listening, 00:08:43.639 --> 00:08:46.409 what are we actually talking about? We say optoelectronics. 00:08:46.750 --> 00:08:48.669 Think of it as the intersection of light and 00:08:48.669 --> 00:08:51.409 electricity. OK. It's the core technology behind 00:08:51.409 --> 00:08:54.669 LEDs, lasers, fiber optics, advanced sensors. 00:08:55.070 --> 00:08:57.409 It's the physical hardware that makes the digital 00:08:57.409 --> 00:08:59.649 world interact with the real physical world. 00:08:59.830 --> 00:09:01.990 And so the Alba Innovation Center is specifically 00:09:01.990 --> 00:09:04.490 designed to incubate companies that are building 00:09:04.490 --> 00:09:07.690 this stuff. Yes. Incubation is the key word there. 00:09:08.009 --> 00:09:10.110 It's a dedicated space where small companies 00:09:10.110 --> 00:09:12.690 can start up, share expensive resources, and 00:09:12.690 --> 00:09:15.789 grow. But they aren't working in isolation. The 00:09:15.789 --> 00:09:17.730 sources highlight a really critical connection 00:09:17.730 --> 00:09:20.169 to the University of Edinburgh here, specifically 00:09:20.169 --> 00:09:22.809 the Scottish Micro -Electronics Centre. That's 00:09:22.809 --> 00:09:25.110 a joint venture, isn't it? It is, between the 00:09:25.110 --> 00:09:27.789 university and Scottish enterprise. It serves 00:09:27.789 --> 00:09:30.549 as a business incubator specifically tailored 00:09:30.549 --> 00:09:33.250 for the semiconductor sector. See, this is what 00:09:33.250 --> 00:09:35.230 I find so interesting about the spatial layout 00:09:35.230 --> 00:09:38.070 of this whole project. You have the heavy university 00:09:38.070 --> 00:09:40.129 research happening right in the city center, 00:09:40.549 --> 00:09:43.610 but the commercial incubation for hardware is 00:09:43.610 --> 00:09:45.769 deliberately pushed out to the west where there 00:09:45.769 --> 00:09:48.289 is actually space for manufacturing. That's exactly 00:09:48.289 --> 00:09:51.710 the logic. You can't really build a massive semiconductor 00:09:51.710 --> 00:09:54.570 fabrication, plant a fab on the Royal Mile. Right, 00:09:54.649 --> 00:09:56.590 it's too historic, way too cramped. Exactly. 00:09:57.110 --> 00:09:59.789 So Livingston becomes the practical engine room 00:09:59.789 --> 00:10:02.450 for the hardware side of things. So we've gone 00:10:02.450 --> 00:10:05.029 from animal health and genetics in Midlothian 00:10:05.029 --> 00:10:09.169 to microchips and lasers in Westlothian. That 00:10:09.169 --> 00:10:12.070 brings us to the third massive pillar of this 00:10:12.070 --> 00:10:14.909 triangle. And frankly, in terms of sheer scale 00:10:14.909 --> 00:10:17.029 and direct public impact, this might be the biggest 00:10:17.029 --> 00:10:20.129 one. The life sciences and the NHS. Yes, the 00:10:20.129 --> 00:10:22.629 medical hub. This is where the integration between 00:10:22.629 --> 00:10:24.750 the public health system and the research community 00:10:24.750 --> 00:10:28.860 becomes incredibly visible. The list of hospitals 00:10:28.860 --> 00:10:31.500 involved here is just massive. It honestly feels 00:10:31.500 --> 00:10:34.299 like half the NHS in Scotland is plugged directly 00:10:34.299 --> 00:10:36.740 into this triangle. It really does. You're looking 00:10:36.740 --> 00:10:39.360 at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, the Western 00:10:39.360 --> 00:10:42.039 General Hospital, the Royal Hospital for Sick 00:10:42.039 --> 00:10:44.539 Children, the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion. 00:10:44.779 --> 00:10:47.059 And even St. John's Hospital out in Livingston 00:10:47.059 --> 00:10:49.559 connects back into this. Yes, exactly. But they 00:10:49.559 --> 00:10:51.480 aren't just treating patients, are they? The 00:10:51.480 --> 00:10:53.440 source material is very clear. This isn't just 00:10:53.440 --> 00:10:56.409 about, you know, efficient bed management. It 00:10:56.409 --> 00:10:58.750 mentions something called the Edinburgh Bio Quarter. 00:10:59.490 --> 00:11:01.570 What is the distinction there? The Bio Quarter 00:11:01.570 --> 00:11:04.490 is just a master stroke of urban planning. It's 00:11:04.490 --> 00:11:06.929 a dedicated district designed to sit right alongside 00:11:06.929 --> 00:11:09.570 these major clinical settings. The entire idea 00:11:09.570 --> 00:11:12.610 behind it is bench to bedside. Bench to bedside. 00:11:12.669 --> 00:11:14.830 Now I hear that phrase a lot in medical dramas 00:11:14.830 --> 00:11:17.490 on TV. Let's unpack what that actually means 00:11:17.490 --> 00:11:20.590 in reality. It is essentially the holy grail 00:11:20.590 --> 00:11:24.450 of medical research. The bench is the laboratory. 00:11:24.750 --> 00:11:28.590 It's where you discover a new molecule or isolate 00:11:28.590 --> 00:11:32.110 a specific stem cell therapy. The bedside is 00:11:32.110 --> 00:11:34.730 obviously the patient in the hospital. Right. 00:11:35.090 --> 00:11:37.070 Now, in a traditional setup, the lab might be 00:11:37.070 --> 00:11:38.990 10 miles away from the hospital or even in a 00:11:38.990 --> 00:11:42.129 different city entirely. But in the bio quarter, 00:11:42.509 --> 00:11:45.029 they are literally neighbors. So if you are a 00:11:45.029 --> 00:11:48.029 researcher. at the Queen's Medical Research Institute, 00:11:48.289 --> 00:11:50.929 which is part of this network, you are physically 00:11:50.929 --> 00:11:52.950 walking distance from the actual patients who 00:11:52.950 --> 00:11:55.230 might need the cure you're working on. Exactly. 00:11:55.480 --> 00:11:57.620 You have the Queen's Medical Research Institute, 00:11:58.179 --> 00:12:00.120 the Institute for Stem Cell Research, and the 00:12:00.120 --> 00:12:02.200 massive research capability of the University 00:12:02.200 --> 00:12:05.059 of Edinburgh's medical school, all co -located 00:12:05.059 --> 00:12:07.440 with the Royal Infirmary. It totally speeds up 00:12:07.440 --> 00:12:10.259 the feedback loop. Drastically. If a clinician 00:12:10.259 --> 00:12:13.559 sees a pattern in patients, say, a really specific 00:12:13.559 --> 00:12:16.299 unexpected reaction to a drug, they can literally 00:12:16.299 --> 00:12:17.820 walk across the street to the researcher and 00:12:17.820 --> 00:12:19.720 say, hey, look at this. You can't get that kind 00:12:19.720 --> 00:12:22.500 of collaboration over a Zoom call. No, that physical 00:12:22.500 --> 00:12:25.379 proximity drives innovation faster than email 00:12:25.379 --> 00:12:29.059 ever could. It creates a seamless flow from discovery 00:12:29.059 --> 00:12:32.340 directly to clinical application. So we have 00:12:32.340 --> 00:12:35.100 three distinct corners to this map now. Animals 00:12:35.100 --> 00:12:37.279 and data down to the south, electronics out in 00:12:37.279 --> 00:12:39.399 the west, and human medicine right in the center 00:12:39.399 --> 00:12:42.179 and east. But a triangle falls apart if the corners 00:12:42.179 --> 00:12:45.159 aren't connected. What is the glue holding all 00:12:45.159 --> 00:12:47.519 these disparate fields together? It's the academic 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:50.419 backbone. None of this works without a continuous 00:12:50.419 --> 00:12:52.779 talent pipeline, and that talent comes directly 00:12:52.779 --> 00:12:54.899 from the universities. We've mentioned the University 00:12:54.899 --> 00:12:56.539 of Edinburgh a few times, which is obviously 00:12:56.539 --> 00:12:59.179 the 800 -pound gorilla in the room, just given 00:12:59.179 --> 00:13:02.240 its age and size. But they aren't the only ones 00:13:02.240 --> 00:13:04.539 driving this engine. Not at all. You have Harriet 00:13:04.539 --> 00:13:06.899 Watt University, which has a very strong engineering 00:13:06.899 --> 00:13:09.080 focus and even runs its own general science park. 00:13:09.460 --> 00:13:12.529 You have Edinburgh Napier University. And then 00:13:12.529 --> 00:13:14.370 anchoring that eastern point in Musselburgh we 00:13:14.370 --> 00:13:16.490 talked about earlier, you have Queen Margaret 00:13:16.490 --> 00:13:18.690 University. Right, their campus in Musselburgh 00:13:18.690 --> 00:13:20.750 opened fairly recently in the grand scheme of 00:13:20.750 --> 00:13:22.789 things. I think the documentation said 2008. 00:13:23.330 --> 00:13:26.289 Yes, 2008. So you have four major universities 00:13:26.289 --> 00:13:29.330 constantly feeding graduates, PhDs, and fresh 00:13:29.330 --> 00:13:32.360 research into this triangle. But, and this is 00:13:32.360 --> 00:13:35.279 really the core of our deep dive today, having 00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:37.840 smart people isn't enough. Right. You need a 00:13:37.840 --> 00:13:40.320 dedicated mechanism to get the ideas out of the 00:13:40.320 --> 00:13:42.120 university and into the market. This is what 00:13:42.120 --> 00:13:43.860 people call the valley of death for startups, 00:13:43.980 --> 00:13:45.960 isn't it? Right. Where great ideas just die in 00:13:45.960 --> 00:13:47.460 a lab notebook because they can't figure out 00:13:47.460 --> 00:13:50.080 how to become viable businesses. That's exactly 00:13:50.080 --> 00:13:53.740 it. And the EST has specific organizations dedicated 00:13:53.740 --> 00:13:56.120 solely to building a bridge over that valley. 00:13:56.600 --> 00:13:59.059 It's a process called technology transfer. Okay, 00:13:59.139 --> 00:14:01.299 so who are the fixers here? Who actually makes 00:14:01.299 --> 00:14:03.519 that transfer happen on the ground? The sources 00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:05.980 list a few key players. You have the Edinburgh 00:14:05.980 --> 00:14:08.299 Technology Transfer Center. You have specialized 00:14:08.299 --> 00:14:11.379 groups like Roslyn Cell Lab. You have Harriet 00:14:11.379 --> 00:14:14.659 Watt Technology and Research Services. And this 00:14:14.659 --> 00:14:16.639 one is actually my favorite because it sounds 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:19.620 so futuristic. The Artificial Intelligence Applications 00:14:19.620 --> 00:14:21.899 Institute. Applications being the keyword in 00:14:21.899 --> 00:14:25.019 that title. Precisely. Notice it's not the Artificial 00:14:25.019 --> 00:14:27.179 Intelligence Theoretical Institute. It's about 00:14:27.179 --> 00:14:30.240 applications. It really shows that the underlying 00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:34.139 mindset of the EST is How do we use AI to make 00:14:34.139 --> 00:14:36.799 a business work better right now? It seems like 00:14:36.799 --> 00:14:39.360 AI is woven through everything here. Even going 00:14:39.360 --> 00:14:41.720 back a few years, we saw it with a supercomputer 00:14:41.720 --> 00:14:44.019 at Easterbush and now here with the tech transfer 00:14:44.019 --> 00:14:46.659 groups. It's the horizontal layer that cuts across 00:14:46.659 --> 00:14:49.000 all the verticals. Whether you are doing stem 00:14:49.000 --> 00:14:52.340 cells or semiconductors, you are utilizing AI 00:14:52.340 --> 00:14:56.330 and big data. Let's trace the life cycle of an 00:14:56.330 --> 00:14:59.429 idea here. A student has a brilliant idea at 00:14:59.429 --> 00:15:01.789 Harriet Watt. They use the technology transfer 00:15:01.789 --> 00:15:04.090 services to spin it out into a company. Where 00:15:04.090 --> 00:15:06.190 do they go next? Because they can't stay in the 00:15:06.190 --> 00:15:07.990 university library forever. That's where the 00:15:07.990 --> 00:15:09.789 commercial parks come in. We've mentioned some 00:15:09.789 --> 00:15:11.850 of the specialized ones, like Pentlands, but 00:15:11.850 --> 00:15:14.190 there are also places like the Edinburgh Technopole 00:15:14.190 --> 00:15:16.529 in Midlothian, which is a massive general science 00:15:16.529 --> 00:15:19.429 park. And then there is the bio campus. The bio 00:15:19.429 --> 00:15:21.330 campus. And that focuses on bio manufacturing, 00:15:21.490 --> 00:15:26.269 right? Yes. And that distinction is vital. Biomanufacturing 00:15:26.269 --> 00:15:29.370 isn't finding the cure in a test tube. It's brewing 00:15:29.370 --> 00:15:32.710 the cure. It's large -scale industrial production. 00:15:32.889 --> 00:15:34.610 Which historically usually gets outsourced to 00:15:34.610 --> 00:15:36.769 other countries. You invent the amazing drug 00:15:36.769 --> 00:15:39.129 here, but then you shoot the recipe off and make 00:15:39.129 --> 00:15:41.960 it somewhere cheaper. Very often, yes. But by 00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:44.620 having a dedicated bio campus, the Edinburgh 00:15:44.620 --> 00:15:46.659 Science Triangle is saying to the startups, no, 00:15:46.960 --> 00:15:49.460 don't leave. When you are ready to scale up, 00:15:49.820 --> 00:15:52.820 stay right here. We have the space, the clean 00:15:52.820 --> 00:15:54.960 rooms, and the facilities for you to manufacture 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:57.679 at scale. So it captures the entire value chain. 00:15:57.860 --> 00:16:00.539 Research, incubation, and final manufacturing. 00:16:02.800 --> 00:16:05.419 inside the region. Stepping back, if we look 00:16:05.419 --> 00:16:08.259 at this whole picture, the complex funding, the 00:16:08.259 --> 00:16:11.220 sprawling geography, the distinct sectors, what 00:16:11.220 --> 00:16:13.340 makes the Edinburgh Science Triangle actually 00:16:13.340 --> 00:16:15.620 work? Because let's be honest, you see science 00:16:15.620 --> 00:16:17.220 parks all over the world. They're just empty 00:16:17.220 --> 00:16:19.710 office blocks with nice landscaping. That is 00:16:19.710 --> 00:16:21.870 very true. I think the secret sauce here is the 00:16:21.870 --> 00:16:24.450 underlying structure of the collaboration. It's 00:16:24.450 --> 00:16:27.450 what economists call a triple helix model. A 00:16:27.450 --> 00:16:29.629 triple helix. Let's break that down. You have 00:16:29.629 --> 00:16:33.029 the public sector. So the NHS and the local councils 00:16:33.029 --> 00:16:35.690 providing the infrastructure, the funding and 00:16:35.690 --> 00:16:39.009 critical things like health data. Then you have 00:16:39.009 --> 00:16:41.850 the academic sector. The universities providing 00:16:41.850 --> 00:16:44.370 the brain power, the research and the students. 00:16:44.809 --> 00:16:46.909 And finally, you have the private sector, the 00:16:46.909 --> 00:16:49.269 science parks, and the businesses providing the 00:16:49.269 --> 00:16:51.450 commercial drive and the capital. And they are 00:16:51.450 --> 00:16:53.950 all forced to sit at the exact same table. They 00:16:53.950 --> 00:16:57.309 have to. The EST is explicitly designed to force 00:16:57.309 --> 00:16:59.789 that collision between those three strands. And 00:16:59.789 --> 00:17:02.169 it's not just for local consumption either. The 00:17:02.169 --> 00:17:04.369 sources point out that Scottish Development International 00:17:04.599 --> 00:17:07.240 actively uses this triangle as a calling card 00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:09.400 globally. Right. It's an international sales 00:17:09.400 --> 00:17:11.900 pitch. It is. When their reps go to a massive 00:17:11.900 --> 00:17:14.119 tech conference in Boston or Tokyo, they don't 00:17:14.119 --> 00:17:15.779 just say, come to Scotland. The scenery is nice 00:17:15.779 --> 00:17:18.019 and the golf is great. They say, come to the 00:17:18.019 --> 00:17:21.200 EST. We have the world class hospitals, the raw 00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:24.160 computing power, the fabrication plants and the 00:17:24.160 --> 00:17:26.660 commercial space all within a 20 minute drive. 00:17:27.579 --> 00:17:30.519 That is a very compelling pitch to a CEO in a 00:17:30.519 --> 00:17:33.500 world where time is quite literally money. It 00:17:33.500 --> 00:17:36.339 really challenges our mental image of what a 00:17:36.339 --> 00:17:38.779 tech hub is supposed to look like. We usually 00:17:38.779 --> 00:17:40.920 just think of a bunch of coders drinking cold 00:17:40.920 --> 00:17:43.400 brew in a loft in Shoreditch or San Francisco. 00:17:44.200 --> 00:17:46.779 But this is heavy industry. high -end biology 00:17:46.779 --> 00:17:49.480 and clinical medicine all mashed together. It 00:17:49.480 --> 00:17:52.440 is. It's a regional strategy rather than a localized 00:17:52.440 --> 00:17:56.099 city strategy. And judging by the heavy -hitting 00:17:56.099 --> 00:17:59.180 names involved, Dolly the Sheep, Roslyn, the 00:17:59.180 --> 00:18:02.460 Dig Vet, the Microelectronic Center, it has created 00:18:02.460 --> 00:18:04.940 a center of gravity that very few other regions 00:18:04.940 --> 00:18:07.420 in Europe can match. It's fascinating to think 00:18:07.420 --> 00:18:10.700 that in our hyper -digital age, physical proximity 00:18:10.700 --> 00:18:12.720 just being geographically located in the same 00:18:12.720 --> 00:18:15.650 triangle still matters so much. argue it matters 00:18:15.650 --> 00:18:17.809 more than ever. You can email massive data sets 00:18:17.809 --> 00:18:19.589 across the world in seconds, you can jump on 00:18:19.589 --> 00:18:21.849 a video call with a colleague in Tokyo, but you 00:18:21.849 --> 00:18:24.150 cannot email the kind of spontaneous innovation 00:18:24.150 --> 00:18:26.569 that happens when a laser engineer randomly meets 00:18:26.569 --> 00:18:29.009 a veterinarian at a local seminar. That requires 00:18:29.009 --> 00:18:31.650 shared physical space. It requires actually bumping 00:18:31.650 --> 00:18:34.049 into people. And that brings us to the final 00:18:34.049 --> 00:18:37.059 takeaway for you listening today. We often talk 00:18:37.059 --> 00:18:39.599 so much about specialization getting deeper and 00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:42.359 deeper into your own specific niche. We are taught 00:18:42.359 --> 00:18:44.339 that success is knowing absolutely everything 00:18:44.339 --> 00:18:47.700 about one tiny thing. But the whole concept of 00:18:47.700 --> 00:18:50.059 the Edinburgh Science Triangle suggests that 00:18:50.059 --> 00:18:52.480 the real magic actually happens at the edges, 00:18:53.099 --> 00:18:55.079 right where completely different worlds collide. 00:18:55.480 --> 00:18:57.799 Absolutely. The silos are where innovation goes 00:18:57.799 --> 00:19:00.339 to stagnate. The messy intersections are where 00:19:00.339 --> 00:19:02.880 it actually lives. It makes you wonder what happens 00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:05.900 next. What happens when the optoelectronics experts 00:19:05.900 --> 00:19:08.240 in Livingston start building advanced light sensors 00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:10.920 for the animal welfare researchers down in Easterbush? 00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:13.680 Or when the AI specialists at the university 00:19:13.680 --> 00:19:16.359 apply their latest code directly to the manufacturing 00:19:16.359 --> 00:19:19.319 lines at the BioCampus? That is the billion -dollar 00:19:19.319 --> 00:19:21.680 question. And that is exactly what this triangle 00:19:21.680 --> 00:19:23.940 was built to answer. It's a geometry of innovation. 00:19:24.190 --> 00:19:26.750 and it's happening right now hidden in plain 00:19:26.750 --> 00:19:28.750 sight. Thanks for taking this deep dive with 00:19:28.750 --> 00:19:31.049 us today. Keep looking for those intersections 00:19:31.049 --> 00:19:33.289 in your own work and we will see you on the next 00:19:33.289 --> 00:19:33.490 one.