Innovation Academy

The Innovation Academy is designed for senior leadership teams in established, high-growth Scottish businesses. It aims to deepen your understanding of innovation principles and provide a structured approach to developing an innovation roadmap.

Delivered in partnership with Connect 3, the programme supports your organisation to embed innovation within your strategic planning. You'll learn to apply practical tools and methodologies for continuous improvement and creativity.

Through a blend of facilitated workshops, interactive tools, and one-to-one expert support, you'll learn to:

• Use tools, techniques, and approaches to create your own innovation roadmap
• Innovate more effectively to reduce risk and maximise returns
• Accelerate your time to market, grow profits, and stay ahead of competitors
• Learn about intellectual property (IP) and funding options to turn ideas into reality

By the end of the programme, you’ll have:

• A tailored innovation roadmap with a 3–5 year outlook
• A toolkit to evolve your innovation strategy
• Ongoing support from a Scottish Enterprise innovation specialist

The programme is fully-funded by Scottish Enterprise, so the only cost to you is the overnight stay, which is likely to be around £160.

Over the course of the programme, you'll:

• Learn key principles of innovation
• Explore new product development, innovative processes, IP, and funding strategies
• Gather a suite of tools to foster innovation in your business
• Develop a strategic roadmap to guide innovation projects over the next 3-5 years
• Work closely with Scottish Enterprise innovation specialists and IP/funding experts to refine and action your ideas.

By the end, you'll have the skills and knowledge to:

• Prioritise your innovation activities
• Speed up your time to market
• Boost your profitability and productivity
• Increase your innovation success rates
• Generate more diverse and profitable ideas
• Build your business resilience and adaptability
• Explore IP and funding opportunities

The programme is delivered across three in-person sessions over the course of two months from September to October 2025.

Introductory workshop: 11 September at V&A Dundee

At the first session you'll meet fellow attendees, get an overview of the programme, and learn about key innovation principles to prepare for the next sessions.

Two-day residential: 1–2 October at Dalmahoy Country Club, Edinburgh

At this structured retreat, you'll dive deeper into innovation tools and strategies while networking and enjoying a dinner with peers.

The overnight stay is the only cost to delegates and is expected to be around £160.

Roadmap presentation: 13 October at V&A Dundee

At the final session, you'll present your innovation roadmap, share insights, and continue collaboration with the cohort.

The programme is open to companies from all industries that have at least 10 full time employees and a minimum annual turnover of £1 million.

We recommend two people from each company attend the programme. Ideally, these will be:

• Senior leaders or key decision makers
• Change agents with a desire to innovate
• Able to commit to developing a strategic roadmap 

Please note: one delegate from each company must attend all sessions. If that's not possible, we can add you to the waitlist for a future programme.