This investment is four times the initial target of £50 million and in half the time set as part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal signed in 2018.

Over the course of five years, the university has provided specialist programmes and initiatives to help 500 cutting-edge companies raise funds to boost their work to drive innovation. Half of the funding has been secured by businesses registered within the city region area. 

New businesses securing investment in high-growth sectors include E.V.A. Biosystems, a start-up which is developing new degradable packaging products to tackle huge issues of plastic waste in landfills and oceans. 

The company’s founder Dr Alex Speakman took part in the university’s Venture Builder Incubator programme, which works with PhD students and academics to maximise the commercial opportunities of their designs and products. Support from the university helped secure £10,000 to buy equipment and grow the business. 

Also based in Edinburgh, Trade in Space uses satellite technology to broker better deals for coffee suppliers and producers, by tracking the bean through the supply chain. 

The Trade in Space team secured £380,000 after taking part in the university-led AI Accelerator programme designed to nurture AI-driven scale-ups and help garner investment. This enhanced the business’ understanding of the benefits of AI can provide, and how to be investor-ready.