Huge new Scottish tech hub thebeyond dubbed largest 'smart things' centre in Europe

A campus billed as Europe’s largest “smart things” hub has been launched in the centre of Glasgow.

The Smart Things Accelerator Centre (STAC) said its new facility - branded “thebeyond” and located at Skypark - featured “cutting-edge” product development labs and a 250-desk co-working space. The 22,000 square-foot hub houses an electronics lab, fabrication lab, research and development (R&D) space, in addition to a media lab and the co-working and hot desking areas.

Paul Wilson, STAC’s chief executive and co-founder, said: “The launch of ‘thebeyond’ takes STAC to the next level as we continue on our mission to build world-class start-ups who can compete on a global level. We support our companies through mentorship, access to talent, funding, and networks, and it’s a model which is unique on the Scottish tech scene.

The large co-working space within 'thebeyond' hub at Skypark, Glasgow. Picture: Stewart Attwood

“We now have a comprehensive environment to accelerate the entire product development process, providing inventors and developers with the tools and resources needed to bring their ideas to life, from concept to prototype.”

The campus has been delivered via STAC’s partnership with the UK government and Glasgow City Council, supported by a multi-million pound private and public sector investment, including £2.5 million from global investment firm Federated Hermes, aimed at transforming Glasgow into a global smart things and Internet of Things (IoT) innovation hub.

Thebeyond will be what Wilson describes as STAC’s “fourth pillar”, alongside STAC Scale, the industry-led mentorship programme that has supported four cohorts totalling more than 50 companies to date, talent platform STAC Jobs, and STAC Invest, which is set to launch over the next few weeks and will connect investors to IoT and smart things start-ups that are ready to scale.

STAC is supported by a range of UK and international corporates, including Pelion, Plexus and Keysight Technologies. The technology accelerator announced its latest industry partnership in June, to provide an innovation pipeline for Swedish carmaker Volvo Cars, a pioneer in the electric vehicle market.

Wilson added: “Our mission is to transform Scotland’s rich research and innovation into entrepreneurial ventures that can go on to compete at a global level, and the partnership with Volvo opens up immediate opportunities for collaboration at scale for STAC’s portfolio of start-ups.”