The Lothian Business Shop is part of a Scotland-wide network of Business Shops and provides access to a very broad range of national and international information and support. As well as the Edinburgh-based Lothian Business Shop, there are further business shops in East Lothian, West Lothian and Midlothian. When a call is made to the Freefone number, calls are re-routed free to the nearest local business shop.

CONTACT
The Lothian Business Shop
Apex House
99 Haymarket Terrace
Edinburgh EH12 5HD
Freephone: 0800 78 78 78
Tel: 0131 313 4000
Fax: 0131 313 4231
E-mail: info@leel.co.uk
Website: www.leel.co.uk

or The Business Shop for East Lothian
Carlyle House
Lodge Street
Haddington EH41 3DX
Tel: 01620 827870
Fax: 01620 827482

or The Business Shop for West Lothian
West Lothian Economic Development
Lennox House
Almondvale Boulevard
Livingston EH54 6QP
Tel: 01506 777400
Fax: 01506 777909

or The Business Shop for Midlothian
29A Eskbank Road
Dalkeith
Midlothian EH22 1HJ
Tel: 0131 654 1234
Fax: 0131 660 4057

See entry in

 Business Development

The City of Edinburgh Council in conjunction with the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce & Enterprise produce the Edinburgh Business Directory.

The Directory is published with the aim of increasing inter-trading links between local businesses and promoting local businesses in the national and international market-place. It is used as a promotional tool for the City and is distributed to organisations throughout the UK and abroad.

The Directory contains over 2,500 company entries from manufacturing, tourism and business services companies located within the boundaries of the City of Edinburgh. Each entry contains company name, address and contact details and a brief description of company activity. Copies can be collected free of charge; a cost will be charged to cover p&p.

The partners are in the process of producing a Millennium copy which will be available from January 2000. Copies of the 1998 version are available until then from the following offices:

CONTACT
City Development Department
City of Edinburgh Council
PO Box 12475
1 Cockburn Street
Edinburgh EH1 1ZW
Tel: 0131 529 4625
Fax: 0131 529 3215

or Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise
Conference House
The Exchange
152 Morrison Street
Edinburgh
EH3 8EB
Tel: 0131 477 8000
Fax: 0131 477 8051

(Formerly Lothian And Edinburgh Energy Advice Centre)

The Energy Efficiency Advice Centre is funded by the Government's Energy Efficiency office and City of Edinburgh Council. The Centre helps small businesses to cut their fuel bills and improve their energy efficiency. The free service includes: a basic energy audit on a company's premises and costed suggestions for improvements applicable to that business aimed at helping the business save money as well as energy, including details of the cost and the payback period.

CONTACT
Senior Energy Advisor
Energy Efficiency Advice Centre
Bonnington Mill Business Centre
72 Newhaven Road
Edinburgh EH6 5QG
Freephone: 0800 512 012
Tel: 0131 555 4008
Fax: 0131 555 2768

For entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs. The Exchange's mission is to foster the culture of Entrepreneurship through four agreed objectives:

* Assist entrepreneurs learn from other entrepreneurs;
* Promote networking between entrepreneurs;
* Raise the image and profile of entrepreneurs;
* Represent and promote the interests of entrepreneurs.

Since its launch in October 1995, The Entrepreneurial Exchange has been directed and driven by some of Scotland's leading business people who are committed to building a self-help movement for entrepreneurs by sharing the experiences, knowledge and insight they have gained over the years. Their enthusiasm for business is shared by others through an annual programme of workshops, dinners, conferences and seminars.

Members at all stages of their business development can benefit from interaction with experienced individuals and they can meet, network and share ideas or join in one-to-one mentoring. They can develop new networks of like-minded business people and discover new business opportunities.

CONTACT
Gordon Brown
The Entrepreneurial Exchange
Barneluith Business Centre
Townhead Street
Hamilton ML3 7DP
Tel: 01698 285 650
Fax: 01698 891 916
E-mail: entexchange@nave.almac.co.uk

The European Commission's representation in Edinburgh acts for the Commission and explains its policies. It provides an information service on all aspects of EC legislation and maintains links with businesses, local authorities, trade unions and the academic world. The Office has a small reference collection which visitors can consult although the Office is happy to deal with enquiries by telephone.

CONTACT
European Commission Representation in Scotland
9 Alva Street
Edinburgh EH2 4PH
Tel: 0131 225 2058
Fax: 0131 226 4105

The Industrial Society aims to develop the talents and potential of people at work and those seeking work, and to increase employee involvement and fulfilment through work.

The Society holds courses and conferences and provides in-house advice and training.

CONTACT
The Industrial Society
4 West Regent Street
Glasgow G2 1RW
Tel: 0141 352 5000
Fax: 0141 332 9096

The Institute of Directors is a professional association for company directors which holds conferences and seminars. There are 34 branches throughout the UK with the Scottish division based in Edinburgh.

CONTACT
Institute of Directors
13 Great Stuart Street
Edinburgh EH3 7TP
Tel: 0131 225 8101
Fax: 0131 226 4552

See entry in

 Environment

Nanotechnology is widely accepted as forming the basis of the next industrial revolution. The Institute of Nanotechnology has been created to raise public awareness of the implications of nanotechnology and promote all activities in the nanometre domain.

The Institute is a membership organisation whose aim is to meet the needs of members, encourage information exchange across scientific disciplines, and to transfer technologies from the research base to industry.

The Institute is currently engaged in seeking solutions to a wide range of biomedical problems through the application of nanotechnology. It is also active in identifying the resources (training tools, materials) that businesses will need in order to compete successfully in the industrial society of the future.

CONTACT
Technology Transfer Centre
Cuillins House
Orchil Road
Auchterarder
Perthshire PH3 1NB
Tel: 01764 660088
Fax: 01764 662 007
Website: http://www.nano.org.uk

See entry in

 Business Development

See entry in

 Europe/Exporting

The Marketing Development Scheme aims to encourage a more market-oriented agricultural industry by helping farmers improve their marketing expertise and promoting collaboration. A 50% grant is available towards a range of non-capital costs for projects approved under the Scheme. Eligible costs include feasibility studies and market research, salaries of key staff, the production and dissemination of promotional material, promotional events, training for directors and key staff members, and the expenses of outside directors. The maximum total grant for an individual project is £150,000. The total funds available under the Scheme each year are cash limited, and not all eligible projects may receive grants.

Eligible businesses
Individuals, groups or companies involved in agriculture, horticulture or food marketing including groups involving collaborating producers, or involving producers collaborating with others in the production chain; individual farmers or growers; manufacturers with a turnover of less than £100m; trade associations or industry bodies.

Scheme conditions
Further information is available from the following contacts.

CONTACT
Mr John Burns
The Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department
Room 259
Pentland House
47 Robb's Loan
Edinburgh EH14 1TY
Tel: 0131 244 6294
Fax: 0131 244 3110

or Mr Ian Hain
Marketing Advisor to the Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department
Ian Hain Associates
The Talich
Muckhart
By Dollar
Clackmannanshire FK14 7JN
Tel: 01259 781222
Fax: 01259 781222

The SAC aims to create a dynamic arts environment which enhances the quality of life for the people of Scotland. It does this by giving advice, finance and expertise, working in partnership and providing leadership and advocacy for the Arts and artists.

SAC has a wide range of funds and schemes available within each art form and is the distributor of National Lottery funds to the Arts in Scotland.

Enquiries about current funding guidelines should be made in the first instance to the contact below.

CONTACT
The Help Desk
Scottish Arts Council
12 Manor Place
Edinburgh EH3 7DD
Tel: 0131 240 2443/2444
Fax: 0131 255 9833
E-mail: help.desk.SAC@artsfb.org.uk
Website: http://sac.org.uk

As part of the Scottish Science Library, a department of the National Library of Scotland, the Scottish Business Information Service can call on the vast resources of Scotland's largest library in all areas of scientific, business and technical information. Areas of particular interest to the business user include:

• over 1,200 trade directories, both UK and international, listing manufacturers, suppliers and trade associations
• over 800 company directories giving names, addresses and basic financial data for companies from Algeria to Zimbabwe
• over 8,000 company annual reports including all UK fully quoted and USM companies as well as a selection of European, American and Far Eastern companies
• over 800 industry files containing market research reports, new clippings, conference proceedings and other market information
• over 100 country files containing country profiles, investment guides, news clippings and chamber of commerce publications
• a complete collection of UK quality newspapers including the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal Europe
• over 500 trade and business journals as well as a selection of indexes and abstracts
• access to all the major business on-line hosts through our on-line searching facility
• scientific and technical information from the Scottish Science Library and the National Library of Scotland

CONTACT
Scottish Business Information Service
Scottish Science Library
National Library of Scotland
33 Salisbury Place
Edinburgh EH9 1SL
Tel: 0131 667 9554
Fax: 0131 466 3810
E-mail: Enquiries@NIS.UK

Scottish Business in the Community is an independent organisation which stimulates and assists companies to adopt a philosophy of corporate social responsibility.

CONTACT
Scottish Business in the Community
30 Hanover Street
Edinburgh EH2 2DR
Tel: 0131 220 3001
Fax: 0131 220 3003
E-mail: sbc@sbcscot.freeserve

The Scottish Council Development and Industry promotes the industrial and economic development of Scotland and provides services such as trade promotion, business information, economic research and analysis and education-industry links.

CONTACT
Scottish Council Development and Industry
Campsie House
17 Park Circus Place
Glasgow G3 6AH
Tel: 0141 332 9119
Fax: 0141 332 0039
E-mail: glasgow@scdi.org.uk

or Head Office
Scottish Council Development and Industry
23 Chester Street
Edinburgh EH3 7ET
Tel: 0131 225 7911
Fax: 0131 220 2116

The Scottish Optoelectronics Association (SOA) is a trade association representing the Scottish optoelectronics community. It was started by Scottish Enterprise in 1994 and has been run as a separate entity since May 1997. One of our key activities is a European-funded project aimed at improving the commercialisation of optoelectronics within SMEs by improving their performance and increasing their awareness of R&D being carried out in Scottish Higher Education Institutes.

Under this project we have several activities, including:

* A database of optoelectronics research in Scotland
* A standards library
* An expert help register
* Regular meetings on aspects of optoelectronics, marketing and manufacturing
* Assistance with marketing, both national and international
* Regular industry surveys
* Proactive sector initiatives

The databases and library are valuable sources of information for SMEs who due to the small size of the company often have limited time and resources. The meetings provide a chance for representatives from SMEs to meet representatives from other companies and universities in an informal setting. These meetings have initiated collaborative projects between various member organisations but we welcome inquiries from non-member organisations both optoelectronics-based and from other sectors of industry which might benefit from incorporating optoelectronics into their business.

CONTACT
Scottish Optoelectronics Association
Geddes House
Kirkton North
Livingston EH54 6GU
Tel: 01506 497228
Fax: 01506 497229
E-mail: soa@cableinet.co.uk

STI is the Government agency responsible for the promotion of trade and exports in Scotland. Set up in 1991, STI is a joint venture between the Scottish Office and Scottish Enterprise. STI aims to put in place a world-class system of services and support for Scottish-based SMEs to enable a continued expansion of Scottish exports.

STI operates a wide range of initiatives and a network of internationally based offices in key territories, developing a wide range of Market Access Programmes, in addition to delivering all of the Government's Overseas Trade Services in Scotland. STI can build market access initiatives to suit individual company needs.

An important component of STI's work is co-ordinating the export services to Scottish companies. Through the network of Export Partnerships, companies can access the most appropriate export services and initiatives as they face the challenge of the global market.

CONTACT
Scottish Trade International
120 Bothwell Street
Glasgow G2 7JP
Tel: 0141 228 2633/2808
Fax: 0141 221 3712
Website: http://www.sti.org.uk

The Technology Transfer Centre was created to help industry in Scotland perform more effectively in international markets by increasing the transfer of information, new ideas and technologies from the academic and research community to business. This transfer of knowledge may be for:

* product improvement, development
* training of staff in new technologies and techniques
* assistance with product testing and/or analysis

The role of the Technology Transfer Centre is that of a catalyst between industry and academia, encouraging industry to use the universities and research institutions as first providers of solutions to their scientific, technical and engineering problems.

The Technology Transfer Centre is also responsible for awarding research studentships to smaller, independent businesses. These studentships provide a major subsidy towards employing a graduate engaged on industrially applicable research.

CONTACT
Technology Transfer Centre
Cuillins House
Orchil Road
Auchterarder
Perthshire PH3 1NB
Tel: 01764 660088
Fax: 01764 662 007
E-mail: ttc@sprite.co.uk