Sir Ian Wood’s mission to build a stronger, more resilient north-east economy is far from over, he revealed today.
The veteran entrepreneur and chairman of economic development partnership Opportunity North East (One) was speaking on the building site of another major asset for the region – a £27 million One SeedPod “hub” for food and drink sector innovation.
Key people in the Aberdeen City Region deal-funded project today attended a topping out ceremony.
The 30,000sq ft building Robertson Group is constructing on the Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) campus at Craibstone, in Aberdeen, is on track to open during 2025.
Highest point milestone
Today’s ceremony marked the milestone of its highest point being reached.
The roof is on and construction work is now largely focused on the inside.
Sir Ian told The Press and Journal One SeedPod was another big and important development for Aberdeen and the wider region, alongside the £40m One BioHub facility – which opened at Foresterhill last May – and Energy Transition Zone (ETZ).
One BioHub is a focal point for life sciences in the region.
ETZ is taking shape near the new south harbour in Aberdeen. It s expected to become the heart of energy transition in the city renowned as the oil and gas capital of Europe.
Another key project, One Tech Hub, has delivered a £1.5m digital technology-focused centre for start-ups in the heart of Aberdeen.
But One’s billionaire chairman is keeping a wary eye on issues that could yet thwart efforts to build strong foundations for future economic success across the north-east.
Sir Ian said: “I think we are slowing down a lot with offshore gas developments. We really need to speed that up.”
Asked how his and One’s ambitions are shaping up otherwise, he added: “There is still a long way to go but we are well on our way.”
The UK Government recently introduced legislation to ensure offshore oil and gas licensing rounds take place annually, part of a policy shift in favour of greater energy security.
It is hoped this may help to unblock investment in new gas projects in the North Sea.
Meanwhile, One SeedPod is expected to deliver a major boost for the north-east’s £2.4 billion annual turnover food and drink manufacturing and production industry.
Politicians’ plaudits
Politicians on hand to heap plaudits on the project included Scotland Office Minister John Lamont and Gillian Martin MSP, the Scottish Government minister for energy, just transition and fair work.
Mr Lamont and Ms Martin were both keen to highlight how SeedPod can be a boon for the north-east economy.
But they had different perspectives on the export potential of food and drink firms already employing about 129,000 people in the region.
Hailing the “very exciting project”, Mr Lamont said many north-east food and drink producers were already enjoying success on the world stage and there would be more opportunities for firms to grow exports as a result of UK trade deals around the world.
Ms Martin said One SeedPod would create “a raft of opportunities for new products to come through”.
MSP’s red tape concerns
And highlighting her party’s support for a swift return to the EU single market, the SNP MSP for Aberdeenshire East added: “Some of our food and drink firms have been exporting for a long time.
“It will be good to see even more Aberdeen and north-east firms at the forefront of that.
“But we need to make sure red tape in the way of getting food and drink to our European neighbours is diminished, and in fact eradicated.
“We need to bring down those barriers”.
One SeedPod is expected to offer a range of benefits to ambitious businesses in the food and drink sector.
Project partners including the UK Government, Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, Just Transition Fund and Scotland’s Rural College believe it will be a platform to scale up production of food-grade manufacturing, develop new products and processes, and showcase north-east food and drink online and in a demonstration kitchen.
The new facility is also intended to be “a vibrant community for entrepreneurs, founders, and business leaders to connect and access tailored support to accelerate growth”.
Creating and nurturing more innovative Scottish start-ups and scale-ups is vital to achieving the economic transformation we are targeting.”
Adrian Gillespie, chief executive, Scottish Enterprise
Food Hub (NES) is the not-for-profit company that was set up to deliver the project.
David Kilshaw, it’s chairman, said: “One SeedPod is a unique home for the entrepreneurial ecosystem that provides ambitious businesses with commercial facilities, sector expertise, growth support and industry connections under one roof.”
Scottish Enterprise chief executive Adrian Gillespie said the topping-out event was “welcome milestone” in the development of One SeedPod.
He added: “Creating and nurturing more innovative Scottish start-ups and scale-ups is vital to achieving the economic transformation we are targeting.”
ONE SeedPod food manufacturing innovation hub marks construction milestone. Partners celebrate progress of unique industry growth project – ONE, @UKGovScotland @scotgov @SRUC @scotent @AberdeenCC @Aberdeenshire #ONESeedPod #ABZDeal @RobertsonGroup 👇 https://t.co/TvL9eqcSmc pic.twitter.com/IQd8PEwWG4
— Opportunity North East (ONE) (@Opportunity_NE1) March 25, 2024
SRUC provost and deputy principal Jamie Newbold said: “The north-east of Scotland has long had a thriving local food and drink sector and we are delighted to be working with Opportunity North East on SeedPod.
“We are excited to mark the next stage in its development and look forward to working with ONE and other businesses to grow the size and value of the region’s food and drink sector.”
One SeedPod ‘promises to be a game-changer’ for north-east food and drink
Meanwhile, Aberdeen City Council co-leader Ian Yuill said: “The One SeedPod food manufacturing hub is a perfect example of what can be achieved when the public and private sectors come together to drive innovation and growth.
“The north-east is already home to some of the finest produce in the UK and, of course, the keenest business and scientific minds.
“The hub promises to be a game-changer for the food and drink sector in the north-east, harnessing that expertise to help start-ups and established companies alike. Its launch next year will mark another important milestone in diversifying our economy.”
Project funding details
One has committed £5.4m of funding towards the delivery of One SeedPod’s objectives.
The Scottish and UK governments chipped in £5m through the multi-partner city region deal.
One also secured £3.1m for the project from the Just Transition Fund in 2022.
Economic development quango Scottish Enterprise is contributing a further £2m.
