Industry Partnerships
Innovation Studios prepare pupils for real life beyond the classroom and for future employment success. Imagine what a competitive edge a job applicant has when he or she has demonstrable problem-solving skills and the proven ability to think of new solutions! Both universities and employers want self-starters with these skills, and Kelvinside Academy pupils are gaining this knowledge early and using it to achieve incredible things.
Innovation Studios at Kelvinside Academy are providing the opportunity for pupils to develop vital skills, preparing them for future success as creative problem solvers, thoughtful leaders, and dynamic team players.
As the co-owner of a Scottish company that leads the world in innovation, design, and manufacture, we consider the Innovation School at Kelvinside to be a significant development in how we prepare our young people to thrive and succeed in the work places of the future.
June MacGeachy, co-owner Peak Scientific
Pioneering - Infinite Possibilities
The Innovation School is an open space for experts in diverse fields – scientists, academics, designers, entrepreneurs, roboticists. Pupils can engage in hands-on problem solving where they develop creative solutions for real-world problems: to build ambition through projects that have a real impact.
Based on the architectural studio model it will be geared around multidisciplinary, collaborative projects. Partnerships will be formed with Scottish Industry and Academia so that young people can gain insight, experience and teaching direct from industry.
Peak Scientific is a dynamic, fast growing company who specialise in laboratory gas generators for applications such as oil and gas analysis, environmental testing and pharmaceutical research. Since its formation Peak design engineers have been working hard to provide alternative gas solutions for laboratory and industrial applications. These innovative designs and Peak unrivalled customer care are just some of the elements that have contributed towards Peak success. However, more than anything, it is the innovation and the skills of their people that drive global success. Established in the UK in 1997 near Glasgow, Peak Scientific boasts a significant local presence on every continent; including major operations in North America, China and India.
Balfour Beatty are our build partner on Scotland’s School of Innovation.
As well as disrupting education, the building is a beacon for the construction sector as it is the country’s first sustainable building designed and constructed using circular and eco-design principles.
We are delighted to be partnering with Kelvinside Academy, in a relationship which shares our vision of reducing onsite activity by 25% by the year 2025 and will help us develop our future talent. We have worked closely with Kelvinside Academy to ensure a collaborative design process and maximise efficiencies through circular and eco-design principles, which are designed to minimise waste and capitalise on resources. We look forward to successfully delivering this unique project and developing close links between the school and industry for years to come.
Hector MacAulay, Balfour Beatty’s Regional Managing Director for Scotland and Ireland
Founded in 2010 by three graduates from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) the NuVu Innovation School sits a few blocks west of MIT, on the second floor of a steel-and-glass building. Inside an airy open space, small groups of pupils, aged 11-18, spend their days much like the engineers up the street, creating and testing design solutions to everyday problems.
NuVu is a full-time innovation school based on a project-based studio model lead by coaches who are leaders in their industry, experts in diverse fields, and passionate thought leaders. Instead of switching between subject-driven classes that teach a common curriculum, they follow a fluid schedule in two-week blocks, and apply maths, reading, problem-solving, and other skills to the project at hand.
It may not seem like “school” in the classic sense—but that is the point! NuVu is an off-the-grid, independent “micro-school,” whose pupils are stretching the boundaries of what constitutes education in America. The coaches include full-time employees and local experts such as doctors, engineers, and graduate pupils from MIT and Harvard University.
Doug Morwood, CEO of Whole Earth Futures works with businesses, cities and governments to create the conditions for systemic transformations. They have been working in partnership with Zero Waste Scotland to explore the opportunity of being truly innovative in how the new Innovation School is designed, built and utilised.
Designers of the building, Cooper Architects is an award winning practice which is driven by high quality design. They specialise in contemporary individual houses, self- build projects, small commercial developments, domestic extensions and conversions. They provide exciting, unique, and appropriate design solutions which reflect our client's needs and aspirations.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation works with business, government and academia to build a framework for an economy that is restorative and regenerative by design. Their mission is to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.
Kelvinside Academy presented the disruptive aims of Scotland’s School of Innovation at their recent Disruptive Innovation Festival (DIF).
The DIF is an online platform which aims to shift mindsets and inspire action towards a circular economy. It invites people to share disruptive ideas and stories on a number of topics, and attracts a worldwide audience, sparking critical conversations and participation through a combination of live interviews, films, and podcasts.
Zero Waste Scotland were guiding partners in our drive to build the country’s first sustainable building designed and constructed using circular and eco-design principles. Zero Waste Scotland are the driving force of the circular economy in Scotland providing businesses and practical support and funding. The circular economy is where everything has value and nothing is wasted. It’s about new business models, products designed with their whole life cycle in mind, remanufacturing and reprocessing to create new products from old, and re-using and repairing – all to keep products and materials in the economy for as long as possible.
