Helping Clients With Business Planning and Grant Applications
East Coast Cured are Edinburgh’s first family charcuterie company launched in 2017.
Their Porcini & Truffle salami won the meat category at the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards in 2018 and took the artisanal category in 2019. Their whisky-oak smoked nduja won the meat category in 2019 and they won Scottish Food Product of the Year at The Scotsman (newspaper) Food and Drink Awards 2019.
Co-owned with husband, Steven, Susie Anderson kindly shared her thoughts on the help provided by SSC:
“We used Strategic Scientific in 2022 to support our food manufacturing business with a large grant application which required a detailed business plan. We had no experience of this kind of application or working with a consultant on this kind of project. Strategic Scientific was recommended to us by the team at Scottish EDGE.
We worked with Strategic Scientific over a period of 6 months. From the off-set Cait and team were professional, efficient and communicated well. They were on hand for queries and support when needed, always going above & beyond. They spent time getting to know & understand our business & values and were able to offer genuinely useful insights & guidance. They sought out & summarised key market information, helped clarify our mission & core values and gave us the head space to delve deep into strategy at a time when we were all consumed with operations.
We now have a deeper understanding of our business - the market in which we're operating, our product, customer, impact & what we want for the future. We wouldn't hesitate to use Strategic Scientific for future grant applications or refreshing our business plan.”
You can find more about the success of East Coast Cured here: https://www.eastcoastcured.com/
Helping Clients with Business Strategy
Stefan Quarry is the Founder of Highland Domes in Scotland and is a Scottish EDGE Winner.
He told SSC:
“Highland Domes make storm resilient geodesic growing domes or greenhouses.
They are futuristic looking and the most insulated on the market, giving you a longer warmer growing season.
We are currently collaborating with the University of Aberdeen on wind speed testing which is looking very promising!
SSC's ran a strategy session for my company which was great; I told them my vision and they helped create a practical business strategy to support that - I thought this might be a very arduous task but it felt really easy and uplifting and I felt heard and seen.”
Find out about Highland Domes at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082299443588
Helping Clients with Tailored Business Training
Niina Karvinen is a project manager for the Erasmus+-funded Blueprint project called the European Social Innovation Campus, ESIC, at the Diaconia University of Applied Sciences in Finland, at their Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Social Innovations.
“While working at Oulu University, I had the opportunity to provide Strategic Scientific Consulting courses to my PhD students and university researchers and participate myself. In the Presentation Skills and Productization of Your Own Expertise Training courses, the contents were carefully planned, identifying the needs of the individual participants and engaged students with tailored learning tasks in various ways during the courses.
The participant feedback supports this finding and I was delighted with the outcomes. I still use what I learned in the classes in my everyday life, both in my work and as a PhD student!
I highly recommend the customised training offered by Strategic Scientific Consulting for universities and business professionals. These training packages, together with highly talented coaches, can strengthen skills and help you make your voice and message heard”.
Follow Niina at https://www.linkedin.com/in/niinakarvinen/
Helping Clients with Business Start Up
Jessica Giannotti is an entrepeneur, owner & CEO of Crùbag and founder of Seadyes.
“Cait Murray, from Scientific Consulting, is a very knowledgeable professional in the seaweed and biotech innovation space. She is not only using her impressive background in science-led startup development, but she also uses her straightforward, enthusiastic and humble approach to problem-solving, always focusing on the best outcome and on the wellbeing of others. She builds confidence in others. Through Crùbag and SeaDyes, I had the opportunity to work with Cait and her team at Scientific Consulting on various projects.
More recently, in 2022/2023, we collaborated with Cait and SSC at the inception of SeaDyes's initial planning phase. Cait helped us understand the challenges and opportunities that SeaDyes, as a startup in the blue economy, could face when going into early-stage fundraising. Cait helped us map out an initial draft plan for the business, and we have extended that relationship. Cait is now a member of our advisory team, providing mentoring and a sounding board when needed. Cait is an expert in her field, is kind and generous and cannot recommend enough. We look forward to continuing to work with Cait and Andrew on future projects”.
Follow Jessica at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-giannotti/