Barclays launches Aberdeen Eagle Lab to support digital tech
Based in the city’s ONE Tech Hub, the service will be open for business from September and will include facilities for digital fabrication, 3D printing and laser cutting, and a range of electronics equipment.
The banking group said this will provide businesses with access to the tools they need to rapidly produce and test prototypes in a matter of hours rather than weeks, avoiding prohibitive costs or having to look overseas.
ONE chair Sir Ian Wood said: “ONE has invested at pace to build a digital tech community and cluster and Barclays’ decision to open an Eagle Lab in Aberdeen is another strong endorsement of the region’s talent and potential and further evidence of the continued growth of the local digital scene.
“The Eagle Lab will be a unique addition to the ONE Codebase community which provides digital tech companies access to a range of mentors, investors, partners and on-site technical expertise to support company creation and scale-up.”
Stuart Brown, head of SME Scotland at Barclays, added: “Aberdeen has a wealth of businesses and entrepreneurs with ambitions, ideas and deep technical expertise who need access to the right resources and advice to help them start up and scale up.
“The Fourth Industrial Revolution is changing how and where we all work and the skills we need. Eagle Labs is committed to supporting the development of skills in entrepreneurship, innovation and in new and emerging technologies such as AI [artificial intelligence], data exchange, connected devices, advanced manufacturing and much more.”