Since 1975, Scotland has been a major beneficiary of European Structural Investment Funds (ESIF), with an estimated investment of £4 billion between inception and 2006, a further £820 million allocated for the period 2007/13, and approximately £780m for the 2014/20 programme. ESIF, European Social Fund (ESF) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programmes, are seen …
Author archives: Chris Kelly
New appointment at EKOS
EKOS are delighted to announce that Neil Ross will be joining them as Principal Consultant Neil brings a wealth of experience of managing, leading and supporting change and transformation in the public and third sectors. Prior to joining EKOS in 2021, Neil’s background was primarily within a consultancy environment and in senior leadership roles within …
Scotland’s Town Toolkit
Scotland’s Town Toolkit is a free online resource which supports all those who seek to turn aspirations for their towns into reality. Launched this summer, the Toolkit was developed by Scotland’s Towns Partnership with support from Scottish Government and over 200 contributing organisations. EKOS were pleased to contribute to the Measuring Success section, which sets out …
Economic and social value of MG ALBA
EKOS were recently commissioned to undertake an economic and social impact study of MG ALBA, the Gaelic media company. The study, carried out by Ekos and supported by HIE, outlines the financial returns of MG ALBA and its supply sector, who serve the BBC ALBA platforms as well as the key brands FilmG, LearnGaelic, & …
Measuring the Impact of Investment in Innovation
In 2020, EKOS undertook a review of the methods for measuring the impacts of investments in innovation in Scotland. The study was part of a wider programme of work being progressed by the Scottish Government on behalf of the Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board. Specifically the research focused on the activities of the Enterprise and …
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Mackintosh’s Tea Rooms – Evaluating the Impact of a Prestigious Heritage Lottery Project
Around two years ago, EKOS was approached by a local charity, The Willow Tea Rooms Trust, to assist with putting together an evaluation of their impressive heritage restoration project, which had been ongoing since 2014. The Trust had been established with the aim of acquiring Miss Cranston’s Tea Rooms on Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, aiming to …
Evaluation of the Moray LEADER Programme
In autumn last year, EKOS were commissioned by tsiMORAY to undertake an evaluation of the LEADER and FLAG programmes in Moray for the 2014-2020 period: LEADER is a European Union funding programme which provides support to rural development projects initiated at the local level. It is locally led, with volunteers forming a Local Action Group …
Skills in Planning Research
EKOS was commissioned by Skills Development Scotland and Partners in Planning (PiP) to review skills challenges and gaps within the planning sector in Scotland. In the process of compiling this report, we examined numerous sources of evidence (legislation/policy review, baseline and consultation) to identify the scope, nature and drivers of issues affecting the sector. Bringing …
Data Skills for Work: Developing a Skills Framework
In spring 2020, EKOS were commissioned by The Data Lab to develop a framework for data skills that will be used to support the work of the Data Skills for Work programme, the upskilling and retraining strand of the Data Driven Innovation Skills Gateway initiative in the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region. We …
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Qualitative Review of Scottish Enterprise’s Large Grant Programmes
In 2019, EKOS were commissioned to undertake a qualitative review of Scottish Enterprise’s large grant programmes (2009-10 to 2017-18), covering around 1,300 individual companies that had received almost £512 million, through 1,700 grants. The review covered the following grant programmes: Regional Selective Assistance (RSA), SMART, R&D, Training Plus, High Growth Spinout Programme (HGSP), Proof of …
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Made In Scotland Agency