SCDI Global Ambitions Award for Outstanding International Achievement Winner: SELEX Galileo, Edinburgh

SELEX Galileo employs 1900 people in Scotland at its state of the art facility in Edinburgh. It supports high value, highly-skilled jobs in design, development, assembly, integration and testing of airborne sensors. It also supports an additional 500 Scottish jobs through subcontracting.

Exports have grown from £55m in 2005 to £104m in 2008, and are forecast to reach £170m by 2010.

www.selex-sas.com

Glasgow College of Nautical Studies attracts over 900 international students from 35 countries including India, Pakistan, Turkey and Sri Lanka.

It has developed a range of international links and is currently engaged in a major project to design, develop and support a $57 million training centre in Angola.  The training centre is a joint venture between Sonangol Shipping Angola and Stena Africa.  It will open in 2011 with an initial cohort of 96 students which will rise to 252 by 2017.  The college will provide English curriculum, operational systems and academic staff including the Principal. It is envisaged that the centre will expand to accommodate personnel from other shipping operators and major companies active in the oil and gas industry.

The college is also involved in delivering qualifications in nautical science and mechanical engineering, on behalf of the Scottish Qualifications Authority, in India and Pakistan; and cadet training in Indonesia. It continues to develop its overseas relationships, with future target markets including the Philippines, Turkey and Vietnam.

www.glasgow-nautical.ac.uk

The University of Edinburgh attracts over 7,000 international students, representing 137 nations. It also employs 8,000 staff from across the globe. In 2009 it launched an ambitious Internationalisation Strategy with the overarching priority of further enhancing the University’s global presence. The appointment of an International team has underlined the University’s commitment to implementing this strategy.

The University is involved in a wide range of international activities and partnerships including cooperation in stem cell research with Peking University and a joint PhD programme with 13 leading global research universities via the Universitas 21 network. It has also appointed an International Dean for India and will open an Office in Mumbai early next year to progress its strategic engagement in the market.

The University has recently launched a multidisciplinary Global Health Academy which will address global health challenges. Bringing together academics from diverse areas to share resources and translate scientific advances into practical solutions which can be implemented in developing nations. The University is committed to achieving its aspiration to become a place of first choice in the minds of the world.

www.ed.ac.uk

The company specialises in the provision of planning, design and management services for infrastructure development worldwide. It is keen to engage with local communities and support the teaching and learning of young people. Over the last three years staff at Halcrow’s Glasgow office have formed a successful and sustainable partnership with St Roch’s Learning Community involving 6 local schools.

Halcrow supports many events in the schools. It provides a wide and extensive range of learning opportunities across the Secondary and Primary curriculum for young people and professional development opportunities for both school and company staff. One very successful example which demonstrates this exceptional partnership is the Primary Bridge Design Challenge, which focuses on engineering and construction. This project is now in its third year and covers 6 Learning Community primary schools. Participation in the project has demonstrated to the pupils that they all have skills to offer and has encouraged greater self esteem and raised aspirations.

The project has highlighted to the pupils the relevance of what they are learning in the curriculum and has provided an insight into the world of work. It has also taught them key employability skills such as team-work, cooperating, collaborating and working to a deadline while introducing them to potential work environments and careers in their local area.

www.halcrow.com

FMC Technologies Ltd, a leading company in the supply of Subsea Exploration and Production systems, employs 600 staff at its Dunfermline facility. It is recognised tonight for its commitment to achieving significant reductions and improved efficiency within the areas of water, energy, waste and renewable energy.

Its current recycling rate is 98%, achieved by onsite segregation of waste materials and ongoing employee awareness campaigns. It has a dedicated Green Team tasked with gaining employee involvement in environmental issues. The company has achieved significant financial benefits through a variety of initiatives including the reuse of wooden pallets and packing boxes which in 2008 realised savings of £32,000 and 25 tons of wood.

The Green Team recently received planning permission for the installation of a 2 Mega Watt wind turbine. The turbine will provide almost 50% of the company’s electricity, reduce its carbon emissions by around 30% and deliver significant energy cost savings.

www.fmctechnologies.com

Lothian Buses operates over 50 bus services in Edinburgh and the surrounding areas of Midlothian and East Lothian.

It is committed to ensuring that travel on its buses is easier for everyone, including passengers with disabilities. The company has been working since 2000 to introduce easy access buses and has now achieved this across its entire network. This is well in advance of legislation which will come into force in 2016 making it a legal requirement.

The buses feature low entrances to kerb height to give step free access, retractable boarding ramps for wheelchair access, high visibility handrails and dedicated wheelchair space. Drivers are also specially trained to help passengers.

By working to remove one of the major obstacles many disabled people face, namely inaccessible transport, Lothian buses are setting an excellent example of good practice.

lothianbuses.com

The Aberdeen based company is a specialist provider of engineering, operations and maintenance services to the oil and gas sector. Employing 8,500 staff in 23 countries. With nearly 3000 employees in its UK workforce, it is a global leader committed to long term sustainable development for local businesses and communities.

Exports currently account for 67% of the company’s turnover, a 12% growth on the previous year. In 2009 the company started new work in Romania, Tunisia, Gabon and India and made a significant acquisition in Western Canada. Target markets for future growth include Indonesia, Libya, Qatar, Angola, Kuwait, UAE and mainland Russia.

The company undertakes in depth analysis of individual markets and adapts its entry strategy to suit. Future plans include the potential to sell its core skills and services into process industries outside oil and gas such as power, water, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. PSN also aims to capitalise on the growing global demand for energy, particularly in emerging economies like India and China.

www.psnworld.com

Formed in 1942 the Scotch Whisky Association’s members account for more than 90% of production and sales of Scotch. The association is recognised tonight for its commitment to improving the environmental sustainability of the industry. In June this year it launched The Scotch Whisky Industry Environmental Sustainability Strategy.

This ambitious strategy aligns the individual ambitions of member companies and identifies specific and measurable goals in the areas where the industry has biggest impact and where it can have the biggest influence in driving change.

The strategy goes beyond legislative compliance and key targets include: reducing reliance on fossil fuels by 20% by 2020 and 80% by 2050 achieving zero waste from packaging operations to landfill sites by 2020 sourcing whisky casks from sustainable oak forests Investment of over £100m has already been agreed in environment-related improvements.

www.scotch-whisky.org.uk

Bankhead Academy successfully competed in the Celebration of Engineering in June and fought off stiff competition from over 50 clubs. The judging panel was impressed with the Club’s teamwork, research and problem-solving skills.

The club started two years ago and last year had over 40 members working on diverse activities including a Greenpower battery-powered car, a Go for Set alternative energy project and a Remotely Operated Vehicle. All club activities enhance classroom work, and play an important part in encouraging pupils to continue their studies in engineering-related subjects. The club is set to tackle new challenges in its brand new school which has been renamed Bucksburn Academy.

www.yecscotland.co.uk

This year marks both BP’s centenary year and 40 years since the company first established a presence in Aberdeen. BP’s operations in Scotland include oil and gas exploration and production, hydrocarbon transportation and product distribution and marketing. The company employs some 2,500 people directly in Scotland, including offshore staff and core contractors, and supports many more jobs indirectly. It is the largest producer and investor in the UK North Sea.

Since discovery of the West Sole gas field in 1965, BP has invested over £30 billion of capital into the UK North Sea and has contributed £70 billion to UK Government revenues. The company spends in excess of £1 billion a year in the North Sea, continuing to identify and develop new opportunities. BP is committed to being a responsible operator, looking after the health, safety and security of its staff, minimising the environmental impact of its activities and ensuring that the communities in which it operates benefit from its presence.

Its social investment programmes in Scotland focus primarily on enterprise, education and environment and are strongly supported by enthusiastic volunteers from onshore and offshore staff. The company is recognised for its longstanding investment and contribution to Scotland’s economy.

www.bp.com