SUSTAINABLE cities consultancy Urban Foresight has today secured a further round of funding to expand its consultancy teams.
Founded in Newcastle as the world’s first dedicated smart cities consultancy, the company develops strategies and projects to transform local services, infrastructure, and economies.
Notable projects include being appointed Newcastle City Council’s Smart City Innovation Partner, writing Scotland’s National Smart Cities Strategy, and developing an investment plan for Smart Towns and Villages in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties.
Scottish Enterprise today announced that the company had been awarded £400,000 grant to expand its consultancy teams.
Since opening its second office in Dundee in 2017 with the support of Scottish Enterprise, Urban Foresight has more than doubled its turnover and headcount.
The company’s success in Dundee has been particularly pleasing for Urban Foresight’s Director Rachel Beeton, who grew up in the city:
“We’ve built an exceptionally talented team that’s delivering innovative projects with clients across around the world. We’re excited to be scaling-up and proud to be creating quality jobs for graduates and experienced consultants in these fantastic areas of opportunity.”
Over the next three years Urban Foresight will invest £2.6 million and create an additional 21 jobs. This will strengthen its teams in areas including electric vehicle charging, new mobility services, net zero strategies, economic development, urban design, digital infrastructure, and local government services.
The investment is supported by a £400,000 grant from Scottish Enterprise’s Green Jobs Fund. Adrian Gillespie, CEO of Scottish Enterprise, said:
“Companies like Urban Foresight highlight the increasingly innovative approaches Scotland’s business community is taking to answering the net zero call, whether that’s creating new products and services or developing and adapting existing ones to mitigate their environmental impact.”
Urban Foresight is currently advertising several roles in Newcastle and Dundee, with further recruitment planned in the new year.
