2021 was a transformational year for the Scottish Tech Army, one in which we completed the transition from our roots as a COVID response initiative to an organisation focussed for the long term on an expanded tech for good mission. Our core objective now is to mobilise Scotland’s tech talent for good, bringing to bear the talents, enthusiasm and commitment of those in the tech and tech-related sectors on the biggest challenges facing us as a nation.

The DigiInventors Challenge is an annual competition, organised by the Digital Health and Care Innovation Centre, for teams of school-age students to develop ideas to encourage young people to keep active, staying healthy and happy now and in the future. 2021 saw the fifth competition run, with significantly expanded scope, taking in teams from the United Arab Emirates as well as teams from Scotland, supported by Heriot-Watt University through its Dubai campus.

Scottish Tech Army management team members Joanna Allen and Kirsty McIntosh attended OpenUK’s fascinating Sustainability Day at the Federated Hermes COP26 fringe venue last month. Co-sponsored by ever-collaborative Red Hat, it was a terrific way to get back into networking mode again.

Microsoft has partnered with Nationwide during Black History Month to deliver a free online finance and digital skills event for BAME students. The event will take place on Wednesday, October 20, and young people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds will hear from business leaders about a variety of ways to achieve and maintain financial freedom.

JPMorgan Chase, which has a significant technology presence here in Scotland, recently shared a fascinating report on its global Tech for Social Good programme, which is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Some of the figures quoted are extraordinarily impressive – more than 400,000 hours of volunteer hours from their employees over the last ten years delivering more than 1,300 projects and the result is that more than one million lives are impacted annually by the work the programme does. This is an amazing achievement over a sustained period and a cause for both congratulation and celebration.