A great place to do business - Angus Robertson

Congratulations to Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS), an Edinburgh Central business which is making huge waves on the global stage in food security, sustainability and decarbonisation.

David Farquhar, CEO of vertical farming company Intelligent Growth Solutions

Intelligent Growth Solutions is a “vertical farming” business. In their “growth towers” trays of produce are grown using LEDs that accelerate and optimise growth. The myriad of other technological components maximise efficiency, minimise wastage and eliminate the need for pesticides.

At COP28, IGS signed a deal with the UAE to provide hundreds of towers for a 900,000 sq ft farm – equivalent to the size of more than 11 football pitches – which will be capable of growing over three million kilos of produce annually, replacing 1 per cent of UAE food imports. It is great to see a Scottish company achieving this success.

CEO David Farquhar has outlined the importance of Scottish Government support to their business saying: “None of this would be possible without the support of the Scottish Government. Our first institutional investment round was secured thanks to the rapid intervention of Scottish Enterprise via their Venture Fund and their R&D investment support. Scottish Development International have supported this deal and others worldwide. We were included in the government’s 100-day plan for Scotland, and Scottish Ministers, including the First Minister, have shown public support for our export successes.”

The Scottish Government has a track record with business support and we are committed to going further to ensure our enterprising nation is a great place to do business.