Workshop and event programme

The CivTech workshop and event programme is a mandatory part of the CivTech process, designed to run alongside your product development and help you build the skills and knowledge needed to develop both your MVP and a scalable product-led business.

It’s a unique and exceptional programme that’s been refined over many CivTech cohorts. Our workshops are delivered by outstanding people with real and recent experience in their field — these are not trainers, they are people who’ve been there, done it, and continue to do so.

Exploration Stage | Accelerator Stage

Exploration Week 1

📣 Welcome to the Exploration Stage

An official welcome to the Exploration Stage, including a chance to meet the CivTech team, learn more about all the CivTech Challenges and find out what to expect over the following three weeks. Delivered in-person in Edinburgh.

🎓 Workshop: Design Sprint Introduction

We expect you to make significant progress with your proposals during the Exploration Stage. This workshop provides an introduction to Design Sprints and a bunch of tools and techniques you can start using straight away to develop your ideas. Delivered in-person in Edinburgh.

🎓 Workshop: User-led Design and Accessibility

‘Start with the user’ is a key part of the CivTech ethos, and the way the wider Scottish Government approaches design of its digital public services. This session, led by the SG Digital Directorate’s User Research and Accessibility experts, will walk you through the fundamentals of user-led design and accessibility, ensuring you get off to the right start. Delivered remotely.

💬 Challenge Sponsor and Team one-to-ones

Each Exploration Team has a private one-hour meeting with their Challenge Sponsor, to discuss the Challenge and proposed solution in depth, and agree what support might be needed over the following three weeks. Delivered remotely.

💬 Scottish Enterprise drop-in sessions

An opportunity to meet our friends at Scottish Enterprise to find out what additional support might be on offer during or after the Accelerator. Delivered remotely.

Week 2

🔥 In-person networking meet up

Join us in-person and take the opportunity to meet the CivTech Challenge Sponsors, your fellow Exploration teams and the CivTech team. Delivered in-person in Edinburgh.

💬 Design Sprint one-to-ones

Following on from the previous week’s workshop, our Design Sprint experts will spend an hour one-on-one with each Exploration Team to provide some focussed input as your proposals develop. Delivered remotely.

🎓 Finance drop-in sessions

If you’re new to business come and pick our expert accountants’ brains about the basics. Delivered remotely.

🎓 Legal drop-in sessions

Our company law experts can help answer your questions about setting up a company, shareholdings, becoming a director, intellectual property — and just about anything else. Delivered remotely.

Week 3

💬 Scottish Enterprise Research Service drop-in sessions

The SE Research Service offers free support to Scottish companies and entrepreneurs in the form of secondary market research. This session will give a more detailed overview of the type of work the Research Service carries out, and how it can benefit you or your company. Delivered remotely.

🎓 Workshop: Presentation 101

This session will help you prepare your pitch for a place on the Accelerator, with some expert advice on structuring your presentation and getting your message across. Delivered remotely.