Edinburgh Named Top UK City for Foreign Investment - DIGIT Tech News Roundup

Edinburgh Named Top UK City for Foreign Investment - DIGIT Tech News Roundup

Welcome to the latest edition of the DIGIT Tech News Roundup.

In this week’s newsletter, we will cover some of our top-trending tech news stories and features from the week beginning the 25th of November.

This week, the UK government announced funding for improved satellite connectivity in remote areas, Scotland launched its critical industries supercluster, Ofcom revealed stark differences in online usage between genders, and a major piracy network was taken down in a multi-nation operation.

All this and more below.


Scotland’s Critical Technologies Supercluster Launches

“Positioned correctly, the supercluster will be a magnet for future investment and a platform to boost Scotland’s profile on the world stage,” said Ally McInroy, CEO, Technology Scotland.

Scotland’s Critical Technologies Supercluster, announced this month by the Scottish Government’s business minister, Richard Lochhead, was created to formally bring together Scottish expertise in photonics, quantum, semiconductors, connectivity and sensing.

This week, it was announced that The University of Glasgow would be joining the cluster as one of its founding members.

According to the university, this aggregation of expertise is unparalleled anywhere else in the UK, and will play a key role in developing industries of the future, with expectations that it will contribute to the country’s future economic growth.

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Ofcom Study Reveals Gender Gaps in UK Digital Habits

Stark differences in the online lives of men and women in the UK have been revealed in Ofcom’s annual report into the nation’s digital habits.

Women across all adult age groups now spend more time online compared to men, according to Ofcom’s study from data collected over May this year. On average, women spent 4 hours and 36 minutes daily on smartphones, tablets, and computers, thirty-three minutes more than men, who averaged 4 hours and 3 minutes per day.

Although women in general engage more heavily in the online world, they’re more likely than men to feel they have a good balance between their screen-time and real-world activities (69% vs. 66%).

However, women are generally more skeptical about the personal and societal benefits of the internet compared to men.

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Edinburgh Named Top UK City for Foreign Investment

Edinburgh has replaced Brighton as the highest-ranking UK city outside of London for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) attractiveness, according to the latest quarterly report by law firms Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie (WJM) and Irwin Mitchell.

The study, which incorporates the latest analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), shows eleven of the top twenty FDI hotspots are currently in Scotland, the Midlands, and the North of England, with these locations accounting for around 80% of the cities which improved their ranking position compared to Q3 2024.

“Edinburgh’s strong performance in the previous report was already impressive, and it is particularly pleasing to see the city move even further up the league table,” said Fraser Gillies, managing partner at Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie.

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Piracy Network Taken Down in Mass European Operation

Law enforcement authorities across ten countries have jointly taken down one of the world’s largest piracy networks in a collaborative operation.

Over 100 properties were raided by police across the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Sweden, and Switzerland in Operation Takedown.

Allegedly, the piracy network had generated more than 250 million euros from illegally pirated content each month from over 22 million European users.

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UK Gov Backs Satellite Solutions for Rural Connectivity

The UK Government has announced new projects set to test innovative hybrid connectivity solutions for some of the most remote places in the UK, backed by up to £3.5 million in public funding.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) will work alongside the UK Space Agency and European Space Agency to establish projects that the government hopes will help close the digital divide for locations with difficult terrain and sparse populations, where satellites offer the only practical solution for connectivity.

“We know connectivity is one of the biggest challenges faced by Scotland’s island communities and I am pleased the UK Government, through the UK Space Agency, is working to address this and improve people’s lives,” said Ian Murray, secretary of state for Scotland.

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UK Crypto Ownership Surges to 7 Million

Over seven million people in the UK now own cryptoassets, according to the latest research from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

In a survey of consumer attitudes and behaviours towards crypto, the FCA found that 12% of UK adults own cryptoassets, up from 10% in 2022. 

According to the FCA’s study, awareness of crypto has risen from 91% to 93%, while the average value of crypto held increased from £1,595 to £1,842. 

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