It’s a new era for CENSIS following funding changes

Like most organisations, we have also undergone some significant changes in that time. Our first phase, as part of the wider launch of the Scottish Funding Council’s Innovation Centre programme, saw us embed ourselves at the centre of Scotland’s emerging sensing and imaging community. By the time our second phase began in 2019, we had formally incorporated IoT into our offering. Now, as this phase comes to an end, we’ve delivered more than 400 projects that have grown in scope and value, and are working with some of the most impactful public and private sector organisations in the country.

It is no secret that CENSIS enters its third phase in a different position. The Scottish Funding Council will no longer be our principal funder and we will instead look to alternative sources. The funding model for the Innovation Centres was always going to change over time, and CENSIS was very much on the road to self-sufficiency when the funding announcement was made, so we are well prepared for the journey to come.

The next phase of growth will be about building on the strong foundations laid over the past 11 years. As we become an independent, not-for-profit research and technology organisation, that will mean developing and growing our existing relationships with the public sector – in Scotland and increasingly in other parts of the UK – enhancing our reputation as a trusted adviser and proven delivery partner. We’ll also continue our work with ambitious companies on innovation projects that will help them to thrive.

Similarly, we will continue our outreach activities and encourage the development of Scotland’s technology ecosystem. Our events schedule will still include our annual CENSIS Technology Summit, taking place this year on 14 November, a popular forum to network, learn about and showcase our collective achievements.

We plan to invest time in some long-term strategic themes with our partners. For example, we are particularly interested in the digitalisation of telecare, and the growth of sustainable electronics – on the latter, a consortium of partners brought together through a CENSIS workshop recently won significant funding from EPSRC to take its outcomes forward.

Our bonds with universities and colleges will also remain important. While we focus our efforts on specific areas, we will endeavour to form deeper relationships with research groups across Scotland’s academic institutions whose work we can translate into assets that will benefit society and the economy.

Finally, product creation – developed from CENSIS-derived IP – will be a core part of our future strategy. Our first product, a system for monitoring fire door use, is soon to be followed by others. But, it’s important to say that this isn’t a hard shift in our business model – we will do it in and around the support and advice for which we have come to be known.

Change is a constant and, while the way CENSIS operates in the background may be evolving, we will still deliver positive economic, social, and environmental impact for Scotland and beyond.