Scotland’s national summit for innovation has launched the #SMEstage competition, offering small and medium sized Scottish businesses (SMEs) and Start-ups the opportunity to win invaluable exposure to a global audience of over 800 investors, academics, entrepreneurs and innovators.
The CAN DO Innovation Summit is being held virtually from 23rd February 2022, with some in-person elements in the proceeding weeks. The event is designed to help SMEs explore how tech adoption combined with inclusive leadership can boost productivity and drive purposeful change for people and planet.
The competition offers SMEs the chance to win one of three slots on the CAN DO Innovation Summit’s virtual #SMEstage, where the best examples of innovation from SMEs across Scotland will be allocated five-minutes to showcase their business to an international audience. Winners will also win two days of support with an innovation specialist from Scottish Enterprise, valued at £2,000.
The overarching theme for the Summit this year is Digital Transformation. To be in with the chance of securing a slot, entrants must submit a 60 to 90 second film to the candoinnovation.scot/smestage-competition-2022/ website by midnight on 21st December, demonstrating how their business is driving innovation through at least one of the following routes:
- Embracing innovation to emerge stronger after recent economic challenges
- Adopting digital technology to advance social value as well as business growth
- Overcoming barriers in their digital transformation journey
A panel of business innovation leaders in Scotland have been selected as competition judges to review applicant videos and select the winning SMEs: Evelyn McDonald – CEO at Scottish Edge, Enoch Adeyemi – CEO at Black Professionals Scotland and Alison Munro – Head of business services and advice at Scottish Enterprise.
Dr Laura Bell of the CAN DO Innovation Summit said: “We are really excited to hear from SMEs across all sectors, from healthcare and advanced manufacturing to renewables, finance, construction and the creative sectors and see how they are using innovation and adaptation to unlock opportunities – and to help them survive and thrive in this turbulent time.
“The #SME stage can provide a much-needed boost to small businesses and start-ups by giving them a great platform and profile with innovation leaders across Scotland and the UK. I wish all applicants the best of luck with their entries. For the best chance of success, keep in mind the event’s aim of driving purposeful change as well as this year’s Digital Transformation theme – the more relevant your entry to this the better!
“For those of you who aren’t selected, we hope that you will register to join the Summit where you can make the right connections and hear from our world-class speakers on how innovation can help you survive and thrive through our current economic challenges.”
Last year’s #SME stage winners were Edinburgh-based Scene Connect, Aberdeen-based Recycl8 and Edinburgh-based Space Intelligence.
The CAN DO Innovation Summit will showcase local and international leaders and SMEs at the forefront of innovation, including Wade Davis, Vice President of Inclusion Strategy for Product at Netflix; Gayemarie Brown, Forbes Top Female Futurist and Kate Forbes MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy. It will connect SMEs with leading innovators, academics, entrepreneurs and investors to help them maximise their potential and tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time.
For competition terms and conditions, more information, or to submit a video clip entry, visit the CAN DO Innovation website.
