Glasgow : Scottish Cities Alliance

Glasgow is the powerhouse of the Scottish economy. The Glasgow City Region is the largest integrated economic region in Scotland: producing around a third of Scotland’s output, business base, research power and employment.

Investor and developer confidence in Glasgow is high. Glasgow’s innovation economy, along with our vibrant tech and start-up scenes, make it a brilliant place to do business. Glasgow is consistently ranked strongly for FDI attractiveness and capital investment (EY and fDi intelligence).

Glasgow boasts a robust business base and well-established infrastructure including a globally recognised International Financial Services District. The city is home to an exciting mix of start-ups, scale-ups and HQs for corporations including JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Barclays and ScottishPower. Top investors cite the availability of a deep and wide talent pool coupled with costs up to 40% lower than London.

Glasgow is the UK’s third fastest-growing tech hub for investment, and second most innovative city outside London. A dynamic and collaborative ecosystem, from incubators and accelerators to catapults and innovation centers strengthening Glasgow’s position as a global innovation hub. Anchored by our exceptional universities, the City Region’s three innovation districts amplify strengths in life sciences, quantum and photonics, and advanced manufacturing.

Continued investment in innovation assets and skills fuels our drive for entrepreneurship, creativity and discovery:

Glasgow City Region Investment Zone builds on existing strengths and will turbocharge space, semiconductor and maritime sectors.
Our pioneering Innovation Action Plan is unleashing creativity and economic potential across the region.
While Clyde Mission will transform Glasgow greatest asset: the River Clyde.

The UK’s friendliest city (as voted by readers of Conde Nast traveller two years in a row), Glasgow has a thriving cultural scene, iconic music venues, a diverse and award-winning food and drink scene, and the largest retail destination in the UK outside of London, there’s something for everyone.

Global business leaders are choosing to locate and invest in Glasgow, where ambition, growth and success converge.

Check out our current Investment opportunities in the Glasgow 2025 Pitchbook.

Cllr Susan Aitken
Leader, Glasgow City Council

“Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city and the beating heart of a metropolitan region of breadth, diversity, experience and opportunity. Ours is a growing city of almost 650,000 inhabitants, part of a wider region with a population of 1.8 million.

Glasgow is outward-looking, dynamic and ambitious. A renowned centre of culture, sport, education, innovation and commerce, Glasgow is becoming a global leader in new, low carbon economies within digital, science and technology, as well as life sciences and precision medicine. The city’s internationally acclaimed universities and colleges have helped reconnect the city with its DNA of business, creativity, life sciences, engineering and design, both attracting and retaining a professional and skilled talent base.

Building on Glasgow’s rich heritage of industry, ingenuity and invention, we are home to three innovation districts: Glasgow Riverside Innovation District, Glasgow City Innovation District and Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland. Glasgow city region is one of three UK innovation accelerators and is also home to a new Investment Zone which is expected to generate around £300 million of initial private sector investment.

Glasgow is setting the ambitious target of becoming a carbon neutral city by 2030 and building on its global standing as a leading city in transition, we are prioritising the innovation and ingenuity that will set the pace for a cleaner, greener, fairer and more productive net zero future.”

Case Studies