City of Glasgow College Named Scottish Innovation Institute to Boost Growth

Scottish IKE is a natural extension of our Investor in Innovations that benchmarked our innovation capability with global leading-edge organisations

Innovation is considered to be the engine for business and regional growth. It is the key to improved productivity, market differentiation and ultimately profitability and prosperity. However, the notion of innovation is often misunderstood. Applying innovation successfully often lacks access to the right knowledge, tools and support. Developing innovation capability and capacity is fundamental to Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. That’s why the Institute of Innovation and Knowledge Exchange (IKE) is establishing national bases around the UK and has selected the City of Glasgow College as its Scottish home.

Roy Gardner, Executive Director for Corporate Development and Innovation said: “I am delighted that City of Glasgow College has been chosen to host the Scottish Institute for Innovation and Knowledge Exchange. This partnership further reinforces the College’s position as a global leader in technical and professional education and builds upon our culture of excellence through innovation. Scottish IKE is a natural extension of our Investor in Innovations that benchmarked our innovation capability with global leading-edge organisations.”

Professor Sa’ad Medhat, IKE’s CEO said: "City of Glasgow College has demonstrated consistently a flair for innovation leadership not only in its primary activity of teaching and learning, but also in embracing new and emerging technologies, as well as in establishing mechanisms and partnerships to support fledgling businesses to succeed and grow. The College is the only establishment outside of the direct commercial sector to achieve the Investor in Innovations standard in Scotland. Innovation is a discipline that can be learned and applied in a systematic way to ensure successful outcomes."

Douglas Morrison STEM and Innovation Lead said: “The Scottish Institute for Innovation and Knowledge Exchange will support the transformative potential of innovative collaboration between businesses and academics to create inclusive economic growth and prosperity for the Scottish economy. Projected labour market growth in key economic sectors requires innovative educational solutions as technology advances and the adoption of new products, services and techniques leads to improved business performance. This new partnership will enable us to anticipate and respond to the future needs and expectations of our students and industrial partners to ensure our developing workforce have the skills and experiences to flourish in the workplace.”

Baroness Sandip Verma, IKE Institute’s Patron said: “We are confident that the Scottish IKE will accelerate the adoption of innovation by students and businesses alike. Investing in innovation is unquestionably critical to raising long-term economic growth. It supports free market economics. In the current economic climate, uncovering new sources of growth and leveraging the opportunities raised by global innovation are a priority for us all in business, education and Government throughout the United Kingdom.”

NOTES FOR EDITORS

About the Institute of Innovation and Knowledge Exchange (IKE Institute)

IKE Institute is the professional body for innovators in the UK. It accredits and certifies innovation practices, and confers the Investor in Innovations® standard and the IKE Assured® accreditation. The Institute influences the inter-relationship between education, business, and government through research and collaborative networks. IKE’s Innovation Manifesto highlights its commitment to support the development of innovative people and organisations.

IKE’s accreditation work is guided by the Innovation Council, which brings together over forty C-suite business leaders representing different economic sectors. Companies such as BAE Systems, Thales, MBDA and Panasonic (Research & Development) amongst others have also been through the Innovation Standards. In addition, the Institute has also a remit to accredit the skills in all the UK Nuclear Site Licenced Companies (e.g. EDF Energy, Magnox, Horizon / Hitachi) in partnership with NSAN.

About City of Glasgow College

City of Glasgow College was created from a merger in 2010. Since then, the College has transformed the delivery of college education in terms of their physical estate, performance levels and reach. The quality of their learning and teaching is sector-leading and the College’s new twin site super campus development is heralding a new era in college education. City of Glasgow College, like Scotland as a nation, is a real melting pot of diversity, equality and excellence. Their innovative approaches to teaching and learning enable personalised development for all their 27,000 students across a range of nearly 2,000 courses from Access Level to Masters. City of Glasgow College. To date, the College has delivered 420 modern apprenticeships; 3162 work experience placements; 3467 work-based learning projects and they work directly with 1500 industry partners.

Press Contact Information

IKE Institute
Michelle Medhat, Operations & Strategy Director
Michelle.medhat@ikeinstitute.org
Tel: 07720 286633

City of Glasgow College
Roy Gardner, Executive Director, Corporate Development & Innovation
Roy.gardner@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk
Tel: 0141 375 5208

Douglas Morrison, STEM & Innovation Lead
Douglas.morrison@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk
Tel: 0141-375-8041