Barclays puts Glasgow at the heart of Scottish innovation with flagship Innovation Hub

Second Barclays Innovation Hub in the UK brings together a curated ecosystem of Scottish businesses, universities, investors and technology partners

Image credit: Lethal Creative

Barclays has launched its flagship innovation presence in Scotland, with its established Glasgow Eagle Lab taking on an expanded role as the Barclays Innovation Hub.

Only the second Barclays Innovation Hub in the UK, following London, the Glasgow hub will have a distinct regional mission: connecting Scotland’s entrepreneurs and high-growth businesses with universities, investors, major companies and technology specialists to accelerate innovation and commercial growth.

The launch forms part of Barclays’ Backing Britain’s Future initiative to help entrepreneurs and businesses grow from idea to IPO, with a commitment to support 1.5 million businesses and entrepreneurs by 2030. In Scotland, the hub will bring that ambition to life by connecting businesses with the skills, networks and expertise they need to innovate, attract investment and scale into new markets.

Glasgow’s technology ecosystem is now valued at £5.6 billion. The city’s technology companies have attracted more than £300 million in venture capital investment since the beginning of 2025, while its universities have produced more than 130 spinouts. The expanded hub will help more of those businesses move from research and early-stage development to investment, adoption and international growth.

Image credit: Lethal Creative

Barclays has a long-standing presence in Scotland, and Glasgow is home to a substantial part of the bank’s UK technology and operational capability. The Innovation Hub will build on that footprint and on the community already established through the Eagle Lab, creating a stronger gateway between Barclays, Scotland’s universities and the wider innovation economy.

Abdul Qureshi, Head of Barclays Business Banking, said, “Scotland is hugely important to Barclays, and Glasgow already plays a significant role in our technology capability. Our Innovation Hub will be our flagship innovation presence in Scotland, bringing the right people and organisations together to turn promising ideas into growing businesses.

“By combining Barclays’ expertise and national network with Scotland’s talent, universities and technology community, we can help businesses embrace new technologies, including AI, find customers, attract investment and scale from Glasgow to the world. That is what Backing Britain’s Future means in practice: helping turn entrepreneurial ambition into investment, innovation and long-term growth.”

Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport Stephen Flynn, said, “Scotland has a long and proud history of producing some of the world’s most innovative and exciting tech businesses and entrepreneurs. We are home to a growing pipeline of tech start-ups and it must be a shared endeavour across the public and private sectors to ensure these fledgling businesses grow and prosper.

“Barclays’ Eagle lab has played an important role in helping Scottish-based companies establish and grow. I look forward to its evolution into the Barclays’ Glasgow Innovation Hub, providing continuing and deepening support for Scotland’s business talent.”

DataVita is an Innovation Partner with Barclays, the Scottish data centre and cloud services provider, which is developing data centre capacity within Scotland's only designated AI Growth Zone. Alongside that investment, it’s helping to build AI skills in the local community. The AI Growth Zone Futures Partnership will provide funds, resources, and expertise to local community projects, with Education and Skills among its core pillars.

Danny Quinn, Managing Director of DataVita, said: "AI's growth in Scotland depends as much on people as on infrastructure. The Barclay's Innovation Hub brings together exactly the kind of ecosystem that will help talent grow and stay in Scotland."

As the most active venture investor in the technology sector in Scotland and the North of the UK, PXN will work with the Barclays Innovation Hub to connect ambitious founders and scale-ups with investment, customers and expertise to support their growth.

Alastair Moore, Investment Director, PXN, said, “The merger that created PXN was about building an investor to match the ambitions of Scotland’s founders. We’re incredibly excited to be working with Barclays and such a wide range of partners who share that ambition, bringing promising startups and scaleups together with people who can help them grow. We believe the Scottish scaleup economy will be a major driver of UK economic growth over the next few years. If the right players in the ecosystem work together, there are several key sectors where we can build a lasting competitive advantage.”

Businesses, universities, investors, professional-services firms and public-sector bodies will be invited to support workshops, events, mentoring and opportunities for collaboration.