COMPANIES in rural Scotland are being given a £100,000 boost to help create “digital communities” in a pilot scheme to help them expand and improve their connections with customers.
The funding will go towards the Smart Villages Scotland pilot which will include networking events and online mentoring – partnering young entrepreneurs with older business owners to enable them to exchange skills.
A Smart Village is a “super-connected” community, which is either based around a settlement, a cluster of settlements or a community of interest.
Under the initiative, the traditional term village is stretched so the settlements can range in size from a hamlet to a small town – becoming digital communities promoting enterprise support and connectivity for rural businesses.
It is a collaborative project which has received funding from Scottish Enterprise, the Rural Perth and Kinross Leader Programme and Perth and Kinross Council. The Scottish Government also supported the first phase of the project with £60,000 of funding.
Throughout the next year the network is aiming to stretch across the whole of Scotland, connecting existing and potential Smart Villages. By becoming a Smart Village, the rural communities will benefit from connecting into this dynamic network in a number of ways.
They will be able to stay up to date with what is going on in other settlements, along with adding to the discussion surrounding smart, connected villages and sharing best practice. They will also be able to put their community and campaigns on the map by posting news or submitting articles through the GrowBiz network, which is delivering the Smart Villages Scotland pilot.
Through this, the communities will have their voices heard at national level and connect with other smart communities and organisations from across the world.
Mairi Gougeon, Rural Affairs Minister, said: “We want Scotland’s rural economy to support and sustain vibrant and flourishing communities, and to provide a range of employment opportunities for local residents. This new funding has the potential to achieve this and bring real benefits and growth to rural businesses.
“It is extremely important that we recognise and fulfil the potential of technology to deliver a diverse range of services and support.
“The Smart Villages Scotland project will prioritise digital upskilling and create a network of enterprise ‘hotspots’ throughout rural Scotland.”
Jackie Brierton, chief executive of GrowBiz, added: “Over the past three years, GrowBiz has worked with more than 1000 rural entrepreneurs in Perthshire and this pilot project will enable us to extend our successful peer-learning, mentoring and networking approach to enterprises in other parts of rural Scotland.
“Using a Smart Village model, the project will work collaboratively with local businesses and communities, increasing the use of digital applications and contributing to an inclusive and vibrant rural economy.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here