Enterprise and Skills Review report on Phase 2: International

3. Role, Position and Governance of SDI

SDI is a partnership between the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands & Islands Enterprise that has been in place since 2001, with staff and budgets drawn from the three organisations and a Board of senior staff overseeing the operation of the partnership. SDI is focused on delivering trade and inward investment for Scotland and real progress has been made since it was established. Much has also changed over the last 15 years, and this is the right opportunity to consider whether that partnership remains the best option to deliver International activity for Scotland.

In Phase 2 we have focussed on mapping existing and planned activity and how we can work together across Government, agencies, Local Authorities, universities and colleges, highlighting gaps and areas of duplication as well as opportunities to increase collaboration. That has shown that the fundamental partnership approach has delivered positive outcomes on trade and inward investment and it remains the best way to achieve our international ambitions. We will therefore continue many of the governance arrangements for SDI and its role to lead trade and inward investment. The review has also recognised that internationalising the Scottish economy requires stronger coordinated effort across a range of partners in the public, academic and private sectors. SDI has a key role to play in enabling that to happen. The model of the new Strategic Board supported by Strategic Committees, set out in Figure 1 of the Governance report, provides an opportunity to do so, with a Strategic Committee focused on Internationalising the economy that will draw in stakeholders from business, government and the academic community. As with the other aspects of the Strategic Board, the details of this will be a matter for the Implementation Board to determine.