SCOTLAND will be given special “independent” status at a key global IT industry event which is set to provide a major boost to the sector.
Organisers of the World Congress of Information Technology (WCIT 2012) have broken with protocol to grant Scotland an independent seat and representation for government, industry and academia at its biennial conference which will take place in Montreal, Canada in October.
Kristina Macaulay, managing director of Glasgow-based consultancy, globalidentity.eu, is an official partner of the WCIT2012 organisation, and has lobbied the organisers to ensure Scotland was represented outside of the UK.
Macaulay said: “Scotland needs to drive its digital agenda internationally and has the capabilities of demonstrating for the first time at an international congressional level that it is a country worth investing in for the long-term.
“There are a lot of benefits to being a small nation with an reputable legislative framework. One is it has the ability to make deals that are assured and understandable. The other is it can move fast and capitalise on the benefits that independence could offer in terms of taxable benefits.”
WCIT is organised every two years in different parts of the world under the auspices of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), the voice of the global ICT industry. The three-day congress will feature more than 100 high-profile speakers and attract up to 3,000 delegates from more than 80 countries.
It is estimated that the £13 billion per year ICT and electronic technology industry accounts for 14 per cent of Scotland’s GDP.