A £10million project is to include an expansion of the Glasgow School of Art’s activities on the Forres Enterprise Park in Moray.
The investment was revealed by Scotland’s Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, on a visit to the Forres site.
Glasgow School of Art entered into a joint project with Highlands and Islands Enterprise that comes on the back of the development of the innovative Institute of Design Innovation project already in place at the Enterprise Park.
It is being anticipated that the expansion will lead to 20 Forres-based jobs in addition to the 10 already employed on the project.
Mr Swinney said: “I think it is fabulous that the Highlands and Islands economy benefits from the presence of the Glasgow School of Art and is essentially able to bear the fruit of the tremendous enterprise that exists here. We must foster a culture that everyone is involved in innovation because innovation is how we make progress, how we advance as a society.”
The announcement was welcomed by Moray’s MSP, Richard Lochhead, who said: “A further £10million investment in the partnership between Glasgow School of Art and HIE is very welcome indeed, as are the additional 20 jobs it is expected to create over the next four years.
“It really cements the role that Glasgow School of Art has developed in Moray in recent years and it is a fantastic commitment to Moray.
“The combination of academia with business and social enterprises and community development in Moray and the Highlands is hugely innovative and very welcome.”
The opening of the Glasgow School of Art ‘satellite centre’ in Forres was first announced in October 2010 for a project that received initial assistance from the European Regional Development Fund.