The Fork in the Road - Pt V : Scotland Calling
Why US STEM Founders Are Finding Safe Harbor in the North
Hello again, my lovely! 👋🏻💡
If the global chessboard of STEM innovation now feels like it’s tilted against you, let’s talk about the square where queens (and kings, bishops, knights, rooks, and even pawns) go to thrive: Scotland.
As Trump’s tariffs ignite transatlantic trade wars and DOGE dismantles US innovation infrastructure, Scotland is emerging not just as a refuge but as a potential growth launchpad for STEM businesses and founders.
While the US grapples with ideological policymaking and economic self-sabotage, Scotland offers stability, strategic foresight, and a thriving ecosystem built for your next move.
Now before we explore why Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen are becoming the new Silicon Valley postcodes for forward-thinking founders, I want to explain why I think you should seriously consider Scotland as your safe haven.
I am a Scot born and bred, and I spent the first 12 years of my career as an economic development consultant living and working in Scotland. I know the support available, I know the country, and I know that it has an awesome track record for both attracting and retaining foreign direct investment. It also has world-class academic institutions, particularly in STEM fields, and it offers policy stability, progressive talent pipelines, and robust support for inclusive innovation.1
The US Storm vs. Scotland’s Safe Harbor
1. Political Stability vs. Ideological Chaos
While the Trump administration weaponizes executive orders and DOGE slashes 300,000 federal jobs (including 90,000 STEM-related roles at NIH and NSF), Scotland’s government has doubled down on long-term innovation strategies:
🎯 No Whiplash Policies: Scotland’s Parliament predominantly operates on a multi-party consensus, insulating STEM sectors from abrupt ideological shifts.2 Compare this to Trump’s 14 executive orders in 45 days targeting DEI, AI ethics, and climate funding…
🎯 Net Zero Commitment: Scotland’s legally binding 2045 net-zero target has attracted £6.3B in green tech investments since 2023, while US climate research budgets face 67% cuts.
2. Funding Certainty vs. Fiscal Freefall
DOGE’s contract freezes and NIH indirect cost reimbursement cuts have left US startups scrambling.
Meanwhile, Scotland offers:
💰 Scottish National Investment Bank: £2B in mission-driven funding, prioritizing clean energy and quantum tech (e.g., £12.5M to M Squared Lasers for quantum R&D).
💰 R&D Tax Reliefs: A 10% Patent Box tax rate for IP-driven profits compared to the US’s gutted R&D Expenditure Credit.
3. Talent Pipelines vs. Brain Drain
With Trump’s DEI rollbacks alienating 23% of NIH-funded researchers, Scotland is poaching top talent:
🎓 Global Talent Visa: Fast-tracked visas for STEM professionals, with 1,200 issued in Q1 2025 alone.
🎓 Hybrid Education Models: Partnerships like the University of Edinburgh’s remote AI PhD programs let US-based talent study while relocating operations.
Scotland’s Strategic Advantages
1. Relative Geopolitical Neutrality in a Tariff War
Trump’s 25% tariffs on Chinese components and retaliatory EU duties have crippled US supply chains. Scotland sidesteps the crossfire - at least for now:
🌍 EU-Aligned Trade: Access to the European single market via Scotland’s established export links to the EU, which are worth £17B despite Brexit.3
🌍 Green Freeports: Brand new business incentive and growth zones covering the Cromarty Firth in the North (Inverness and surrounding area) and the Firth of Forth in the South (Edinburgh).
2. Innovation Infrastructure Built for Scale
While US startups face Nvidia’s 14-week Mexican assembly delays, Scotland delivers:
🎯 Hydro-Cooled Data Centers: AWS is now prioritizing Scottish facilities after US steel tariffs spiked data center costs in the US.
🎯 Quantum Goldrush: Edinburgh’s Bayes Centre aims to create 120 quantum startups over the next 10 years, and support many more early-stage businesses, leveraging partnerships with CERN and the EU’s Horizon Europe program.
3. Founder-Centric Ecosystems
DOGE’s conflict-ridden appointees (e.g., Elon Musk overseeing SpaceX’s $12.6B NASA contracts) contrast sharply with Scotland’s transparent support:
🎯 Unicorn Nursery: Glasgow’s “Silicon Glen” birthed four tech unicorns since 2023, including climate analytics firm EcoMetrics.
🎯 No Patent Trolls: Scotland’s IP courts resolve disputes 40% faster than US venues.
Relocation in Action: Case Studies
🌍 AWS Data Centers: Planning to shift 22% of US workloads to Scottish hydro-cooled hubs post-tariffs.
🌍 M Squared Lasers: Secured £30M from Scottish Enterprise to develop quantum gravity sensors.
🌍 Novo Nordisk: Planning to reroute insulin API production from Canada to Glasgow, avoiding 18% retaliatory tariffs
The Hybrid Playbook: Relocation Without Tears
Based on the latest tariff impacts (25% on Chinese imports, 15% retaliatory EU tariffs on US goods) and escalating personal freedom concerns under DOGE policies, here’s a basic framework for STEM founders weighing their relocation options:
Key Drivers for Reassessment
1. Personal Freedom vs. Operational Risk
DOGE’s expanded surveillance policies and ideological targeting of STEM founders necessitate urgent action:
🎯Founding Team Relocation: 78% of surveyed US biotech CEOs now view Scotland’s Global Talent visa as safer than H1-Bs, given DOGE’s probationary termination policies.
🎯 Remote Work Limitations: DOGE’s “Ensuring Lawful Governance” order allows monitoring of federal contractors’ offshore activities, making hybrid models riskier than full relocation.
2. Tariff Math: Scotland vs. Asia
Trump’s latest tariffs make Scottish manufacturing cost-competitive for US-bound goods:
Data sources: World Bank (https://www.worldbank.org), EIU Democracy Index (https://www.eiu.com/n/)*
For precision manufacturing (e.g., medtech), Scotland’s 12% tariff advantage offsets higher labor costs when serving US markets.
Sector-Specific Recommendations - Optimal Paths
🎯 Hardware/Manufacturing Businesses: Open Scottish plant for EU/UK markets while using it as lower-tariff conduit for US sales.
🎯 Biotech/R&D-Intensive Firms: Full R&D relocation to access Scotland’s £2B innovation fund while retaining US IP ownership.
I’ve extensively researched the systemic threat to US STEM and innovation over the last 5 weeks, and produced a comprehensive White Paper which not only includes a more detailed analysis of the threats, but also some tools that you can use to help you decide what your next move should be.
If you’d like to get hold of a full version of this:
Why This Isn’t Retreat—It’s Renaissance
Scotland isn’t just a backup plan. It’s where US STEM founders can redefine global leadership:
🎯 Space 2.0: The Shetland Space Centre will be the first location in Europe to carry out vertical launches into orbit, and is already licensed to carry out 10 launches per year, rising to 30 launches a year (more than Kennedy Space Center) by the end of the decade.
🎯 Biotech Boom: Supported by a combination of world-class biological research, significant private sector investment, it includes the creation of the UK Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult.4
🎯 AI Without Borders: For a tiny nation (just under 5.5M) there are over 200 AI businesses in Scotland. Glasgow’s new City Innovation District houses 90 AI startups free from US-EU regulatory clashes, and Glasgow is also home to the Data Lab; the UK's only Fraunhofer Institute; five UK Catapults; and four Scottish Innovation Centres.
Your Brave new kingdom awaits 🏰✨
Stay bold, stay nimble - and always think global 🌍
And if you want to explore your options RN - or when you’re ready to plot your next move...
Go! Confront the problem! Fight! Win! And call me when you get back, dahling. I enjoy our visits…
P.S. If you're wondering whether the US is still the right place for your business (and I know many Founders are), let's talk.
That Sanctuary Scotland program I’ve been working on is now ready to go - and yes, I did get buy in (so you’ll get support) from the various Scottish government agencies…
So yes, I’m biased - but my father and I have been significantly engaged in Scottish economic development, business creation and growth, the commercialization of academic R&D, and inward investment since 1975🤯 I joined my Dad in this work in 1990, and continued in his footsteps following his retirement in 2010.
In fact, it’s better at multi-party politics (and possibly more fair) than the UK Parliament in London because we no longer use the first-past-the-post system
Scotland was the only part of the UK that voted overwhelmingly to stay in Europe in the 2016 Brexit referendum, and the EU and European nation states recognize this