Edinburgh — Week of 24 Aug 2026

Scotland is a major player in the international space sector — Glasgow builds more small satellites than anywhere else in Europe — and the field is growing faster than the talent pipeline behind it. Together in Tech Edinburgh brings people working in the sector to CodeBase to talk about how they got in and what the roles actually involve. The framing is deliberate: most jobs in space tech are software, data, operations and commercial rather than aerospace engineering. Free, and well-suited to anyone considering a sideways move.

Games are complex, data-rich environments where AI shapes characters, generates worlds, personalises experiences and helps creative teams produce everything from concepts to dialogue, animation and code. In this Data Lab Community meetup, two practitioners share insights from the intersection of data, AI, gaming and creativity. Anita Klementiev (Speech Graphics) introduces the multilingual, emotional speech datasets that drive audio-based facial animation used by studios including Warner Bros, Naughty Dog and EA; Pauline Mcloy-Turtle (SUUM Studio) brings a creative-direction perspective. Relevant whether you work in ML, analytics, engineering or governance — gaming is a window into challenges every sector faces. Part of the Data Lab's Creativity and Gaming theme. Available in person at the Bayes Centre or online.

The 38th AWS Edinburgh User Group, back after the summer break and hosted at Skyscanner's Quartermile offices. Ahmad Mazhar, Technical Account Manager at AWS, leads the session. The group has run consistently for years and pulls a solid cloud and platform engineering crowd from Edinburgh's larger technology employers — one of the more reliable technical rooms in the city, and free.

A special Thursday Gathering with the UK's Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) on how it funds scientific and technological breakthroughs on a high-risk, high-reward premise — backing unconventional ideas, scientists and founders where others see only uncertainty. The evening also offers a direct look at one of the most high-impact roles in UK R&D: ARIA opens applications for its third cohort of Programme Directors on 17 August, and this session is a chance to understand the role first-hand. Whether you're a deeply technical leader, a founder or a researcher working at the frontier of deep tech, this is Edinburgh's must-attend gathering of the week. Venture Café's weekly anchor — free, open, and built for serendipitous connection. Held at The Bayes Centre.

ProductTank Edinburgh trades the usual talks for a Product Circles format — no slides, just real, practical product conversations. Five tables, each hosted by a ProductTank organiser on a live challenge: what 'good' looks like now for business and users, leading without authority, future-proofing your product career, proving ROI, and building psychologically safe teams. Rotate through two tables over the evening, then share takeaways as a group. A strong night for product managers, designers, engineers and founders across the Edinburgh product community, with food, drinks and networking. Hosted at FreeAgent (NatWest Group). Note: entry closes at 6pm due to venue security.