Scottish Enterprise hails £2bn-plus in exports despite ‘challenging’ global backdrop
“Companies across Scotland continue to show ambition, innovation and resilience” – Adrian Gillespie, chief executive
Scottish Enterprise said it had helped firms generate £2.15 billion in exports last year, marking one of the strongest performances of the past five years.
The figure is revealed in the national economic agency’s latest annual report, which notes that the solid overseas trade performance came despite a “challenging” global economic environment.
It said its targeted support had helped businesses to innovate, secure investment, increase international exports and accelerate the transition to net zero.
During 2025/26, the agency achieved or exceeded target ranges across most of its key performance measures.
Scottish Enterprise said it had helped businesses create and safeguard in the region of 12,450 jobs for Scotland - slightly below the agency’s expectations for the year. Meanwhile, £348 million in growth funding was leveraged by Scottish businesses and £355m in innovation investment was secured, helping businesses develop and commercialise new technologies.
The results were announced following a visit to Stirling-based CAVU Aerospace UK, a space engineering company developing technologies for satellites and deep-space missions. With support from Scottish Enterprise, the company expanded its international reach and generated more than £7.5m in export sales during 2025/26.
Adrian Gillespie, chief executive of Scottish Enterprise, said: “Scottish Enterprise has delivered another strong performance, meeting key targets by drawing on established strengths in internationalisation, innovation and investment and creating significant economic impact for Scotland. We’re delivering regionally, nationally and internationally for Scotland’s economy.
“Companies across Scotland continue to show ambition, innovation and resilience, and are expanding into international markets, developing new technologies, creating high-quality jobs and securing investment that will create future growth.”
The agency warned that the challenges facing businesses globally had impacted some major investment decisions.
“We’ve delivered this performance while contributing to the Scottish government’s Public Service Reform agenda, creating savings to invest in digital and AI capability to develop new approaches to support businesses that will ultimately deliver even greater economic impact for Scotland,” added Gillespie.
Ali Maani, chief engineer at CAVU Aerospace UK, said: “Scottish Enterprise has played an important role in helping us promote Made-in-Scotland at global space events, supporting our journey into international markets and contributing to our involvement in ground-breaking space missions worldwide.”
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