FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon has officially opened the Roslin Innovation Centre and announced a £5 million investment in a programme that matches businesses to Scotland’s world-leading academic expertise.

The Interface programme was established in 2005 to connect organisations from a variety of industries to universities, research institutes and colleges.

Funding will come from the Scottish Funding Council, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Companies supported by Interface contribute an estimated £64.2m (gross value added) to the economy each year and it has introduced almost 3000 businesses to academic partners.

Sturgeon said: “Scotland is home to some of the most highly-rated research institutions in the world and we continue to invest to ensure this leads to practical industry innovation.

“This further investment from the Scottish Funding Council and the enterprise agencies in Interface will help to amplify our talent and expertise by connecting national and international industry with all of Scotland’s universities, research institutes and colleges. This boosts productivity, profits and exports and creates jobs, and many companies that have benefited from Interface funding say their project would not have happened without its support.”

Interface director, Dr Siobhan Jordan, said: “Businesses don’t always know how to tap into academic expertise; this funding will ensure that Interface can continue to make valuable connections leading to transformational collaborative research and development. By fostering new connections between industry and academia we can tackle economic and societal challenges in innovative ways.”

Edinburgh University’s principal and vice-chancellor, Professor Peter Mathieson, added: “The opening of Roslin Innovation Centre brings opportunities for enterprise together with our excellent teaching and research facilities.”