CASE STUDY: Digital Tech Sector Insights for NE Scotland

Category: Blog

By Janice

28/11/2023

Opportunity North East (ONE)

Opportunity North East (ONE) partnered with Scottish Enterprise to commission this project. ONE is the private sector driver diversifying north-east Scotland's economy. Developing and
delivering projects to accelerate entrepreneurial growth, innovation and increase productivity.

They work with regional and national partners and co-invest and co-fund to maximise opportunities in growth sectors.

ONE Opportunity North East report on the Digital Tech Sector

Summary

Data analysis, interpretation and reporting on the digital technology sector in the North-East of Scotland (Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire). This project was subject to competitive tender and the contract was subsequently awarded to Company Connecting and Analysis Logic who submitted a joint proposal. Company Connecting and Analysis Logic have collaborated over several years and work closely together for projects like this.

Business Challenge

ONE Digital Tech aims to foster a prosperous digital economy in the north-east of Scotland. Their objective is to nurture the growth of 10 to 20 technology companies to each achieve a turnover of £20 million or more. Key to this goal is gaining valuable insights and a comprehensive understanding of the companies operating in the sector.

To accomplish this they needed to understand the technology clusters in the region and the companies operating in them. The clusters identified are:

AgriTech
EnergyTech
FinTech
CleanTech
HealthCareTech
ClimateTech
Sustainability
Cyber Security
Other

The report considers various attributes of the businesses, i.e. size, age, scalability, innovation potential, whether they are product or service led, along with financial aspects.

The Solution

The primary aim of the study was to determine and categorise technology companies operating in the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire council areas. The crucial step in categorising these companies was the identification of the clusters mentioned above. The Company Connecting database served as the primary source of the information. It contains detailed curated information on digital technology companies in Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of England. The Company Connecting data was augmented by further data from ONE.

Among other attributes this data encompasses sectors, skills, and focus areas. A methodology was devised to assign each company to one or more cluster classification(s). The research identified active Technology companies in the region, based on SIC codes. Each company underwent a thorough review, and the existing taxonomy classifications were verified and adjusted as needed. Additional classifications were introduced to account for scalability and innovation.

Data exploration and analysis was undertaken in R Studio. Processing routines were developed to assign companies to industry verticals, or clusters and to generate the statistics which form the basis of the report. Cross checks are made to differentiate between popular marketing terms and capabilities, including published technology skills. The resultant dataset was made available to the client for their own future internal requirements. To aid this, a power BI dashboard was developed which allows them to query and drill down into the clusters and companies on an ad-hoc basis. The report was written and provided key insights, based on the data uncovered by this analysis.

Findings

The report and the underlying dataset, analysis and tools produced for this project has been well-received by Opportunity North-East, Scottish Enterprise and their wider partner organisations with whom it has been shared.

It is being used to set a baseline from which their efforts may be measured over the coming years. Indeed, a subsequent project phase has already begun which has this material and insight as input.

Analysis Logic and Company Connecting were delighted to undertake this interesting and insightful project. As believers in the ability of 'tech' to transform outcomes, when undertaken with care, we are heartened that it wll be used in programmes to strengthen the digital economy of north-east Scotland.

Feedback

Karen O’Hanlon, Director of Digital Tech at ONE, said “ The data insights obtained will allow ONE to tailor support and create programmes aimed at accelerating entrepreneurial growth and innovation in north east Scotland. It served as a tool for ONE to measure progress against its regional goal of growing a high growth cluster of tech companies. The findings revealed a thriving cluster, encompassing over 300 companies, employing nearly 4,400 individuals, and generating an annual turnover exceeding £520 million. “

Your Company Data Opportunity

With the ever growing curated database of technology companies held by Company Connecting and data analysis / data science capabilities of Analysis Logic we are actively seeking opportunities to help more organisations understand the Tech landscape of their cities and regions and to join together in collaboration for mutual benefit.

Such data and analysis has many uses. As demonstrated here it allows greater and more meaningful insight to market areas. Not only can it be leveraged by development agencies, but there are many other purposes it could be applied to. For example, by companies looking to partner with or acquire businesses in a particular area.

Company Connecting research

Company Connecting has over 5,000 tech companies on its database of which 2,688 are based in Scotland, a further 700 are in Ireland, the remainder are in England, Estonia and a few other countries. In 2023 we will take a look at technology in Wales.

Technology Companies Database

We have the most detailed database of Scottish Tech and IT companies. We want to promote Scottish tech and allow companies to find each other as we see collaboration between business as one of the most important areas for any company. If you would like more information please contact us via e-mail on support@companyconnecting.com