Scottish Cities Alliance

Scottish Cities Week 2026 brought Scotland’s eight cities to the heart of London for a
three day programme designed to strengthen long term relationships with investors,
developers and senior policy stakeholders.

Held from 19–21 January, the event highlighted how Scotland’s cities are working collaboratively to unlock economic opportunity, align with national industrial strategies, and accelerate investment at scale.

Across six high‑value sessions, the week provided a powerful platform for government ministers, global investors and city council leaders and senior officers, to engage directly with Scotland’s competitive strengths. Discussions highlighted the nation’s leadership in clean energy, digital and data innovation, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and the creative industries – high‑growth sectors central to the UK Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy, and areas in which Scotland’s cities have established, globally recognised specialisms.

This year’s format emphasised deeper dialogue, peer learning, and practical collaboration, and was widely praised by participating cities as the strongest and most strategically aligned programme to date.

Day One: Scotland’s Sectoral Strengths on the Global Stage
The opening session explored the sectoral growth opportunities across Scotland’s cities, with contributions from leaders including:

• Ivan McKee MSP
• Blair McDougall MP
• Mark Cook (Life Sciences Scotland)
• Claire Mack OBE (Scottish Renewables)
• Isabel Davis (Screen Scotland)
• Karen Meechan (ScotlandIS)
• Barry McCulloch (British Business Bank)
• Jenny Edwards (NatWest Group)
  

Key takeaways emphasised the need for a unified national investment narrative, improved
scale up pathways, stronger city-to-city cluster coordination, and more evidence-led
storytelling to secure investor confidence, and distinguish Scottish cities from competitors.

Day Two: Government, Investors and the Foundations for Growth

Day Two began with a strategic conversation between city leaders and UK Government officials, focusing on the Modern Industrial Strategy and how Scotland’s cities can shape and influence national delivery. With attendance from:

• Michael Shanks MP
• Kirsty McNeill MP
• Lucy Buzzoni, Office for Investment
• Tim Newns, Office for Investment

Discussions centred on aligning priorities, addressing barriers such as viability gaps and grid constraints, and ensuring that Scotland’s cities are positioned as key engines of UK growth, especially through the lens of the Modern Industrial Strategy.

This was followed by a high level investor briefing delivered by the Office for Investment
and TheCityUK, with participation from major institutions including BlackRock, Aviva,
Phoenix Group and Barclays.

The session also introduced the Scotland Investment Acceleration Programme, designed to
support cities in refining propositions and accelerating readiness for largenscale
investment.

A further session examined the foundational enablers of economic growth, highlighting challenges in infrastructure, finance, and policy alignment, and reinforcing Scotland’s strong collaborative environment as a unique advantage.

The evening concluded with an international-facing Burns Supper in partnership with Nordic
Chambers of Commerce, aiming to deepen cross-border ties and showcasing Scotland’s cultural and
investment offer, with several leading Nordic organisations in attendance, such as, IKEA, AP Møller – Maersk, NOKIA, Wartsila, AstraZeneca, Vattenfall, and Statkraft.

Day Three: Devolution, Leadership and the Future of City-Region Growth

The final day convened city leaders from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for a joint
discussion on the future of city-region devolution. The session underlined shared
priorities around flexible governance, enhanced capital budgets, place-based skills
models, and building long-term alliances across devolved nations. With ample area for continuation of the important discussion.

Scottish Cities Week 2026 demonstrated the collective strength, ambition and
investmentnreadiness of Scotland’s cities. With strong ministerial participation, deep
engagement from global investors, and overwhelmingly positive feedback, the event
reinforced Scotland’s position as a collaborative, forwardnlooking and internationally
competitive investment destination.

For further information about Scottish Cities Week, and engaging with our city leaders and officers, please reach out to Daniel.ClarkGibb@scottishcities.org.uk