THREE Scottish companies have been accepted into a UK programme designed to champion and support the UK's leading artificial intelligence scale-up businesses.

Edinburgh-based Continuum Industries and Machine Labs and Glasgow-based Talking Medicines are among 32 companies from across the UK joining the AI Growth Programme.

The initiative is led by the UK entrepreneurs’ network, Tech Nation, and aims to help remove barriers to growth through peer-to-peer learning and mentoring sessions.

Continuum Industries helps engineering professionals design big, complex infrastructure projects better and faster. Machine Labs is an automated email marketing solution for ecommerce stores. Talking Medicines collects data for drug companies on medicine use.

Elizabeth Fairley, chief operating officer at Talking Medicines, said: “Through this programme we are keen to push our boundaries, connect with the very best in AI and learn as much as we can.”

The UK leads Europe in artificial intelligence investment, having raised $1.48bn in 2020 so far.