Experiencing MSIP, Harry Johnson’s Blog

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On the 26th and 27th of April 2023, I had the opportunity to complete my Sixth Form College’s mandatory work experience at Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc (MSIP), Dundee. Over the course of the two days I experienced a range of activities in the Innovation Parc.

First, I visited MVV Baldovie: an incinerator just outside MSIP which will supply the entirety of the Innovation Parc with heat, using waste heat from the burning of waste. This is a great way to reduce the waste heat coming out of the incinerator by using it for something useful, highlighting that the entire Innovation Parc is built around the concept of sustainability.

Next, I was taken on a tour of SolarisKit, one of the tenants, an innovative company who are developing a device that can harness solar energy to heat up water, without using electricity- reducing costs of using water whilst also lowering carbon emissions. I will admit I had almost no grasp on how these “solar collectors” actually worked, but I was blown away by the results: on a day when the Sun is shining, the solar collector can heat up water to 50 degrees Celsius. When I asked why SolarisKit located at MSIP, they talked about the collaborative environment of the Innovation Parc, and that different companies are encouraged to share ideas and work on projects together.

Finally, I had a tour around the entire site with Greig Coull, the CEO. After getting the tour I realised just how much MSIP pushes collaboration between companies, breeding more innovative ideas. We first visited the under-construction Innovation Hub. The Hub will contain many facilities to help new companies gain funding from investors. My favourite area of the Hub was the large showcase floor, where companies can show off their innovative products to try and secure funds from investors. The Innovation Hub is due for completion at the end of this Autumn, and I’m looking forward to seeing pictures of the finished building. We also visited the new Innovation Lab. The Innovation Lab is a sort of open plan lab split into lots of different segments for different companies wanting to develop new products. The open plan nature of the Labs work brilliantly to further drive collaboration in the Innovation Parc as companies can see all the different products being researched around them and work together to create new and exciting things.

Though my time at MSIP was brief, I experienced a wide range of activities that made me get a feel for working life. I think the words that came out of my mouth the most while here was “that’s amazing”- because it is. All of the aspects of the Innovation Parc I saw over the last two days were fascinating and I know many great things will come out of this place. MSIP is absolutely ideal for small companies with big ideas as the ethos of the Innovation Parc is centered around working together to achieve greater heights. I would like to thank everyone involved in making my time here as enjoyable as it was- I had an absolute blast! If actual working life is as fun as it is here, maybe it won’t be too bad!

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