Laura Mackie

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Laura Mackie has over 20 years’ experience in business development roles, working in sectors such as energy, occupational health and eLearning. Laura joined EI in 2016 and now leads the business development teams for the School of Engineering and the School of Physics and Astronomy.

Ten questions with Laura Mackie

When did you start at Edinburgh Innovations (EI)?

I started in April 2016.

How would you explain your job to an alien?

Facilitating innovative collaborations between academia and industry.

What did you do before EI?

I worked in business development roles in sectors such as public sector procurement, energy, occupational health and e-learning.

What’s the best thing about working at EI/the University of Edinburgh?

No two days are the same and it’s exciting to watch ideas develop into reality through partnerships with industry.

What are your favourite projects that you’ve worked on? What did they accomplish?

FastBlade – In 2017 FastBlade was brought to me as a new research centre that had recently been awarded EPSRC funding but didn’t have a location. I approached Babcock International, who I had recently begun discussions with, and within a matter of months, it was agreed that FastBlade should be located at the Rosyth Dockyard so the size of the facility could be increased to accommodate industry requirements. FastBlade opened in 2022 and is the world’s first fatigue test facility for tidal turbine blades as well as the first University of Edinburgh facility to be located off-campus. FastBlade has enabled the University and industry to win Horizon Europe funding to develop the MaxBlade and Co-Tide projects, which is helping to accelerate Scotland’s burgeoning tidal energy sector.

Perth West – Our involvement in Perth West began from an initial discussion at the All Energy conference and has developed into a multidisciplinary partnership with Engineering and Geosciences. Perth West was granted planning permission in 2023 and the support we have provided via a consultancy project on the strategic importance of Perth as a key decarbonised transport hub for Scotland, as well as an EPSRC IAA project on smart local energy systems and 20-minute neighbourhoods has helped the development to achieve this milestone. These projects have helped to secure the University of Edinburgh’s place as the key innovation partner for Perth West going forward.

What are you most proud of from your time at EI?

The FastBlade project, making those connections between academic expertise and external partners to deliver such a powerful facility is something I’m proud of and I’m looking forward to doing more of the same.

What does innovation mean to you? 

It’s about creating something new and transformative, which can make a difference to our everyday lives, our planet, or our health.

If you had one more hour in the day how would you spend it?

Listening to more music.

What piece of advice has stuck with you?

Always be yourself.

What would you really like to work on at EI/the University of Edinburgh?

To work on initiatives that make society and our world a much fairer place to live in.

Laura Mackie

Business Development Manager

• School of Engineering
• School of Physics & Astronomy

Contact details

• Work: 07964 885546
• Email: Laura.Mackie@ei.ed.ac.uk