Dundee is one of the most vibrant yet underrated cities in Scotland. It has one of the youngest demographics in the country, with the majority (51%) of its population aged under 40, according to the Scottish Cities Alliance. Furthermore, it has one of the highest student-to-public ratios in Scotland, with one-in-five citizens in Dundee being students. Consequently, Dundee has a dynamic and diverse talent pool and it’s no surprise that this city is leading the way in several sectors for Scotland.
Below, we’ll explore what’s bubbling under the surface on the banks of the River Tay, underpinned by the city’s significant investment in infrastructure, including the £1bn regeneration of its impressive waterfront.
Renewable energy
Dundee has an advantageous position on the east coast of Scotland from a renewables perspective. Its port offers direct access to the North Sea and the wider area has also been ring-fenced as a strategically important area for renewables, driving Scotland’s low-carbon agenda along with the multi-billion-pound offshore wind project at the Port of Leith.
The Energy Dundee scheme has proven effective in forging collaboration between private and public sectors, as well as academic institutions, to deliver marine renewables and green energy solutions inland too. Dundee is now the location of Europe’s biggest urban wind turbine farm, which was installed within the site of the Michelin tyre factory. The city’s green energy professionals have also collaborated on the development of hydrogen fuel cell technology, in a bid to turbocharge hydrogen as a potential energy source for low-carbon road vehicles alongside electric vehicles (EVs).
Coast Renewable Services (CRS) is one such award-winning firm in the city that’s innovating wind energy. It has also expanded its workforce to meet new contractual obligations for wind farms elsewhere in the UK, Ireland, and as far afield as Scandinavia.
Digital gaming
Many of the UK’s leading game developers have gravitated to the city of Dundee – in particular its stunning revitalised waterfront – creating a fruitful gaming sector for the Tayside region and Scotland as a whole. Within Dundee’s gaming hub there are several independent creators of casual games, namely Outplay Entertainment. This studio has grown into the UK’s biggest independent developer of mobile games, landing over 160 app downloads and even a nomination from BAFTA.
Outplay’s games library has a wide range of franchise releases, including the Gordon Ramsay-inspired Chef Blast game. There’s also a popular Solitaire game, bringing a sense of nostalgia to computer and mobile screens that’s still in hot demand nationwide. Even the latest online casino games still hark back to generations-old card classics, with some versions offering traditional rules and newer, contemporary versions bringing a 21st century twist. Fellow design studio Ghost Camp has recently teamed up with iconic author Neil Gaiman, who has lent his voice for an upcoming game, Forest of Deceit. All of which underlines the pull of Dundee’s gaming industry.
Although gaming dominates Dundee’s swathe of creative industries, it has a lot to be proud of in other areas like robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). Most of which is underpinned by courses at the two world-class universities in the city, attracting top talent from across the UK and beyond.
Life sciences
For the size of its city, Dundee impresses all with its world-class research facilities for life sciences and healthcare firms. Like Dundee Energy, BioDundee has successfully fused private and public sectors, alongside academic organisations, to innovate within one of the UK’s most diverse life sciences clusters.
Dundee’s life sciences sector is split into six different niches – medical tech and design, education and skills, professional services, research, digital, and life sciences. Both the University of Dundee and Abertay University have been recognised for their world-leading excellence in research and academia, while the Ninewells Hospital & Medical School is one of Europe’s biggest teaching hospitals. All of which has created an environment that fosters innovation in the pursuit of health and social care excellence.
Dundee is also one of Scotland’s designated ‘Smart Cities’. This means Dundee is acting as a testing ground for utilising IoT and connectivity to provide solutions for urban challenges. The Smart City programme is looking at improving public transport data and organisation, transport signalling, air quality and the potential for autonomous road vehicles. It’s certainly one of the UK’s most forward-thinking cities and a true hidden gem in Scotland.
