Six councils, a quarter of Scotland’s population and one mission: to break the cycle of low productivity, inequality and flagging skills in a bid to kick start a decade of data-driven regeneration. 

With a £1.3bn government-backed war chest, the historic City Region Deal for Edinburgh & South East Scotland marks a new era of pan-regional cooperation to drive economic growth on a scale not seen before.

Data Driven Innovation (DDI) will be at the heart of this bold new strategic approach which represents the profound digitalisation of industries old and new and which, if successful, will utterly Scotland’s local and national economic fortunes.

With £600m earmarked towards supporting five key research institutes across the Universities of Edinburgh and Heriot Watt - the Edinburgh Futures Institute, the Bayes Centre, the Usher Institute, Robotarium, and Easter Bush campus – the investment into creating a ‘world class data infrastructure’ is worth almost half the total £1.3bn committed to the City Region over the next decade.

FutureScot's latest iteration of the Digital Cities & Regions nationwide series of policy and technology conferences will be the hotbed for digital and economic discussion as the Edinburgh & South East Scotland City Region moves from strategy to operational reality; join us as we check progress on the Deal, test leaders' thinking and evaluate the opportunity and threat landscape for 2019 and beyond.