Scotland packs a punch with opportunity and culture

Scotland draws in researchers, students and innovators from around the world. It's a thriving and lively country: one that has long led the way in scientific research and literature. You might know it for the invention of television or discovery of penicillin, or the beloved Robert Burns or Robert Louis Stevenson. More than a century on, the Scottish drive to innovate and create is impossible to ignore.

I chose Scotland as my new home because when it came to finally saying goodbye to London, I was desperate to move somewhere where I could breathe fresh air and do long runs that didn't involve circling industrial parks 20 times. My job in a thriving tech company had its headquarters in Edinburgh, while the city's buzzing theatre scene, great food and opportunities to access the outdoors on demand sealed the deal.

I'd been to Edinburgh every year for the Edinburgh International Festival but wanted to get under the skin of what Scottish creatives and scientists were doing day-to-day too. It felt like the perfect mix of a lively tech scene coupled with world-beating culture. And if I got bored, I could always head to the hills. After all, few other places can offer the opportunity to leave the house in the morning for a windy mountain run before spending the afternoon soothing my legs in the churning North Sea.

Renewables ready

All that wind and weather Scotland is famous for has been put to good use: the country's renewable energy sector is growing. Sarah Clark, media manager at Orbital, a tidal energy company based in Orkney that generates power from the sea, also found joy in the outdoors when she chose Scotland as her new home. "The opportunities on offer for the outdoors were suddenly endless. Scotland inspired me to start saying 'yes' to everything. It's amazing I can just hop on a bike and just ride along the coastline from Edinburgh."

After moving to Scotland from Manhattan, she was instantly drawn to working in renewable energy.

"At Orbital, we know that people in Scotland have the skills to make the changes needed and the investment is there," says Clark. "There's a real drive for change and we have the resources ready to make tidal power work. Not every country has access to such a powerful and strong natural energy resource and Scotland knows how to make the most of it."

If there's one thing Scotland has in bucket loads it's access to fast-moving tidal waters, especially off the coast of Orkney where Orbital's technology is based. The 02, Orbital's commercial generator can generate enough low carbon energy to both power around 2,000 UK homes and offset around 2,200 tonnes of C02 each year. According to Orbital, if tidal energy is harnessed to its full capacity over £300bn of renewable energy could be generated.

Clark explains that Orbital's success is down to having figured out how significant a role tidal energy can play. "They've taken a punt on technology that's been proven to work and now they're in the process of scaling up. More people need to do that in the renewables field if we're to make it work as a primary energy source."

From Silicon Valley to satellites

Investment in a new sector and the potential for a thriving career was what also brought Abhijeet Mulay to Scotland. Born in India and educated at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, Mulay left his work in California's established space sector to head to Glasgow's burgeoning one to become the space satellite core systems lead at Spire.

"When I first moved, I was initially here on a six-month secondment," he explains. "It was a bit of a change from California, but I saw that there was serious opportunity in Scotland for space satellites. There were lots of smaller companies starting out which was exciting."

The Scottish government gave Spire funding as part of its space sector investment, and it has continued to grow. Scotland has become a thriving hub for the UK's space sector: in a 2023 UK government report on the space industry, it's estimated that 228 space organisations in Scotland generated a combined income of £298 million in 2021/22. Fifteen per cent of the UK's National Space Technology Programme's funding went to Scotland, which is significant for a country of its size.

"Although I was meant to go back to the US, staying in Scotland just made sense," Mulay says.

"We quickly realised we had a huge opportunity here. There's local talent, great universities, there's significant investment into the space sector, and thanks to the available space we were able to set up our own manufacturing centre and test facilities."

Abhijeet Mulay, Spire

What's special about Spire, Mulay explains, is that it does everything from start to end. It can design its own satellites and operates its own fleet. He even had the opportunity to name a satellite after his parents – he called it LEMUR2-SMITA-SHARAD, Smita being his mother's name and Sharad his father's.

Glasgow had never been Mulay's long-term plan. But after the best part of nine years, he's committed to staying. "There's something about Glasgow," he says. Initially it was all about getting the opportunity to work on interesting projects, but then it became more about the people, the vibrancy of the city, and from a family perspective it's a really great place to be.

New Scots like me all cite the warmth of the Scottish people as a key reason they decide to stay after relocating. There are few places in the world where you'll lock eyes with a stranger on the bus and ten minutes later know where they're going, when their birthday is and that you happen to work with their cousin's best friend. This has happened to me on several occasions. After years of pretending to be standoffish in big cities, I relaxed into loving everyday interaction with strangers. It's how I've got the best restaurant recommendations.

Established creative communities

For Nuno Sacramento, Scotland is a land of stories and storytellers. It has a thriving creative heartbeat, he says, and one he was drawn to as soon as he landed to study at Edinburgh College of Art in 1997. Today, Nuno runs Peacock Visual Arts, a printmaking studio in north-east Scotland. He has spent his artistic career focused on building artistic communities and encouraging new artists in their creative practice.

"25 years ago I arrived with nothing more than a rucksack and five words of English. Today, I've been told I have a full Glaswegian accent."

Nuno Sacramento, CEO and founder of Aberdeen based printmaking studio Peacock.

Nuno, who is originally from Portugal, hadn't intended to end up in Scotland. Sacramento says: "I actually had a picture of a Welsh castle on my wall at home and wanted to go and see it on my first trip to the UK. When I arrived in London, I was told there were no coaches to Wales, but I could get one to Edinburgh if I liked. I didn't look back."

 Sacramento began going to arts openings and networking. He felt that in Scotland there was an openness he really appreciated. "It's less about who knows who. I think in Scotland there's a lot of space for experimentation – there's plenty of different tribes of artists and it's both serious and vigorous."

"What I wanted to do was help build an artistic community for artists post-graduation."

Peacock Visual Arts, as well as being a printmaking studio, runs workshops - spaces dedicated to making crafts and art. Its goal is to discover latent talent and support those from a diverse range of communities. "We're a studio, which means we can choose to work with anyone – graffiti artists, vulnerable communities, or those who have been forgotten."

Sacramento's aim is to continue developing skills while continuing to keep artistic conversation going. "That's unique to Scotland," he says. "As is the fact that creativity and art isn't confined to the two main cities. Of course, Glasgow and Edinburgh are famously strong art hubs, but Dundee has so much energy and a brilliant art school. Orkney too – given its size, its art centres are second to none."

What is Sacramento's biggest advice for artists and creatives considering Scotland? "Bring your fleece," he chuckles, alluding to the famously frigid temperatures.

One thing that unites all of us new Scots, whether we've been in Scotland for three decades or three years, is that we've found at least one thing that drives us to make our lives here. Orbital's Sarah Clark's words probably ring true for all of us: "Scotland felt like coming home."