ECONOMY BULLETIN | Scotland’s National Innovation Week, Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for small businesses, and more.

THE ECONOMY BULLETIN BRINGS YOU SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT NEWS AND INFORMATION TO ENSURE YOU ARE UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST POLICY DEVELOPMENTS.

Scotland’s National Innovation Week runs from 22 September to 26 September

The centrepiece will be the National Innovation Summit, taking place on 25 September, which brings together Scotland’s innovation ecosystem, reinforcing the country’s position as a globally recognised innovation nation.

If your organisation is interested in hosting an event, or already has something planned that could align with National Innovation Week, please contact Ross MacSween.

UK - India Free Trade Agreement signature

Some of Scotland’s most important industries will benefit from a new Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the UK and India.

The deal is set to improve market access across sectors with tariffs slashed on imports of Scotch Whisky into India from 150% to 75% on day one of entry into force, with staged reductions down to 40% over 10 years.

You can find the impact assessment, which sets out the potential economic, sectoral, distributional and environmental impacts of this FTA here and contact Grant Wallace,  FTA Coordination Team, with any questions.

Non-Domestic Rates Revaluation 2026 pre-agreements

Proprietors, tenants and occupiers of non-domestic properties can pre-agree their rateable value with Assessors in advance of the 2026 Revaluation which takes effect from 1 April 2026.

The pre-agreement period closes on 20 February 2026. Guidance for those wishing to engage in pre-agreements is available here.

Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for small businesses

A practical webinar exploring how AI can help improve business marketing is being offered by Business Gateway.

The event takes place on 11 August 2025. More information and registration is available here.

CivTech Round 11.5 applications now open 

Applications are open for the next Round of CivTech, a Scottish Government programme that drives innovation in the public sector.

Innovators, start-ups, SME’s and established businesses can apply for Round 11.5 which seeks innovative technology solutions to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Scottish Government’s impact assessment processes.

The closing date is 2 September 2025. There will be an online Q&A session on Wednesday 13 August 2025 where interested parties can find out more information. 

Employing People with lived and living experience of substance use 

Businesses are invited to review and endorse a set of ‘Guiding Principles' which will support employing people with experience of substance use.

A support toolkit for Employers has also been developed to help businesses attract, recruit and support employees.

Any business or organisation agreeing to endorse the principles will be recognised on the Scottish Government website. Contact drugsandalcoholworkforce@gov.scot to do so.

Webinar: navigating the new skilled worker salary rules

A free webinar hosted by Scotland’s Migration Service is being run to help Scottish employers understand the changes to the Skilled Worker visa route introduced in July 2025.

The session will cover changes to the eligible occupation list and increased salary thresholds, as well as practical legal guidance from immigration experts at Seraphus.

The webinar will take place on 17 September.

Read full article here.