PM confirms Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Deal

Hundreds of millions of pounds of investment for the South East of Scotland will be formally signed off by the Prime Minister and First Minister, during the Prime Minister’s visit to the Edinburgh festival today (August 7th).The UK and Scottish Governments have each committed £300m to the City Deal which will see over £1 billion overall invested in unlocking economic growth and boosting jobs across the region.This follows the signing of the terms for the Edinburgh City Deal last year, and is part of the UK government’s investment in UK City and growth Deals in Scotland which has now topped more than £1 billion. That support has been matched by over £1bn of Scottish Government investment.The funds will go directly to scientific research on space, health sciences, agri-tech and food and drink at Heriot-Watt, Queen Margaret and Edinburgh Universities.The signing of the full deal, backed by the UK government, Scottish Government and local partners, will see the creation of five new innovation hubs, including in robotics and space technologies.Reaffirming the city’s position as the world’s Festival City, the investment will also create a new 1000-seat Edinburgh concert hall, building on the contribution of culture to the city’s economy.The Prime Minister will also announce £13 million in funding for six science hubs across the country, including Dundee and Glasgow Science Centres, to help improve facilities, create new learning activities to help reach audiences and attract thousands of new visitors.On the visit, the PM will experience some of the festival, meet with the First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon and with council and university representatives for the signing of the full City Deal.