Evening Drinks: Meet People in Tech (Developers, PMs, Designers, UX and More)

⌖ Edinburgh · ICMS, Bayes Centre

Hosted by Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA), International Centre for Mathematical Sciences (ICMS), London Mathematical Society (LMS), Big Ideas

BHOM26 is a free hybrid conference celebrating Black excellence in mathematics, taking place on 7–8 October 2026 at the Bayes Centre in Edinburgh and online. Held during Black History Month, the Black Heroes of Mathematics Conference 2026 will bring together mathematicians, educators, students and advocates from around the world. Across two days, attendees will hear powerful personal stories, discover mathematical research with real-world impact and explore emerging questions around artificial intelligence, mathematical modelling and large language models (LLMs). Talks and themes The programme combines research presentations with reflections on careers and representation in mathematics. Announced sessions include: - Jason Anquandah , More Than Numbers - Herbert Daly , Models, Methods and Misunderstandings - Justine Nasejje , Survival Analysis to Artificial Intelligence: A Mathematical Journey Towards Better Health in Africa - Oluwaseun Olushola , Population dynamics for a Daphnia-based biofiltration technology - Nira Chamberlain , Mathematical Modelling and The Rise of LLMs - Nneka Umeorah , Becoming a Mathematics Researcher: My Journey Through Finance, AI, and Networks - Imoleayomide Ajayi , a session exploring Chamberlain’s Law and AI fairness The African Gifted Foundation and speaker Kofi Jackson also feature in the programme. Alongside the talks, the in-person schedule includes lunch and registration, refreshment breaks and a reception at the end of the first day, creating space to meet fellow attendees and continue the discussion. A conference and youth festival BHOM26 stands out by pairing its global conference with a new Black Heroes of Mathematics Youth Festival. Delivered virtually for UK schools, the festival will give young people access to inspiring mathematical role models, interactive sessions and stories celebrating Black achievement. Schools interested in participating can contact maths@big-ideas.org.… Register for this event

⌖ Edinburgh · Jamaica Yard

Hosted by Founders Coffee Club

Meet fellow founders over coffee and stay to cowork at Jamaica Yard in Edinburgh on Thursday 8 October 2026, without pitches, panels or sales talk. Founders Coffee Club offers a deliberately simple alternative to conventional business networking. There are no speeches, no presentations and no selling: turn up, grab a coffee and have genuine conversations with other people building businesses. Taking place from 10:00am to 11:00am GMT+1 at Jamaica Yard, 3 Jamaica Street, this in-person gathering brings the Founders Coffee Club format to Edinburgh. The ticket also includes coworking for the day, so attendees can continue working from the venue after the scheduled networking hour. What to expect - Relaxed, informal networking over coffee - Conversations with fellow founders rather than structured talks - No pitching, presentations or sales activity - Coworking at Jamaica Yard for the rest of the day - A welcoming introduction if it is your first time attending The organisers recognise that walking into a room of new people can feel daunting. New attendees will be greeted and introduced to someone immediately, helping conversations get started without awkwardly navigating the room alone. Who is it for? This is a founders-only event. It suits founders who want to expand their local network, compare experiences and meet peers in a low-pressure setting. There is no stated experience requirement and no formal programme to prepare for, the emphasis is on open conversation and useful founder-to-founder connections. Founders Coffee Club hosts networking events for founders across the UK, with its Edinburgh gatherings scheduled for the second Thursday of each month. You can learn more through the Founders Coffee Club website, LinkedIn or Instagram. Tickets cost £15, and registration is subject to host approval. Request to join and get your ticket.

⌖ Edinburgh · CodeBase

Hosted by Cyber Scotland Connect

Explore agentic security automation and the UK’s post-quantum cryptography landscape at this free Cyber Scotland Connect meetup in Edinburgh. Taking place at CodeBase Edinburgh on Thursday 8 October 2026, from 17:30 to 19:30 BST, this in-person meetup brings Scotland’s cyber community together for two forward-looking talks, practical industry perspectives and informal networking. A sponsored social follows at BrewDog Lothian Road from 19:30. Talks and agenda Doors open at 17:30, followed by a welcome from Harry of Cyber Scotland Connect at 17:55. The main sessions are: - Refactoring the Enterprise, Ash Hunt examines how a new agentic operating layer could reshape enterprise technology and security. The talk explores SaaS becoming a reformed middleware, the limits of static control architectures and why data-centric, context-based automation may become essential as security teams respond to increasingly high-velocity business activity. - UK Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) 2026: State of the Nation Update, Andrew Gravett provides an update on the UK’s post-quantum cryptography landscape. Andrew will contribute via Discord under the username “andyg”. The talks conclude at 19:30, when attendees will move to BrewDog for the social. This gives cybersecurity practitioners, students, career switchers, jobseekers and established professionals an opportunity to continue the discussion and build connections within Scotland’s cyber ecosystem. An accessible community event Cyber Scotland Connect keeps its events free to attend, aiming to remove barriers for students, people moving into cybersecurity and those seeking new opportunities. Attendance is capped at 80 people, so an accurate RSVP is important; if your plans change, update your booking so someone else can take the place. View the event and registration details

Sponsors: Cyera UK

⌖ Edinburgh · Bayes Centre

Hosted by The Data Lab

Discover what it takes to move healthcare AI beyond pilots and into safe clinical practice at this in-person Data & AI Meetup in Edinburgh. Proving that an AI system works is only the beginning. On Thursday 8 October 2026, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm, The Data Lab will bring together industry, NHS and academic perspectives at the Bayes Centre to examine the difficult transition from successful trial to routine clinical use. Moving beyond the pilot stage Healthcare is seeing rapid growth in AI trials and pilot programmes, but clinical adoption introduces a different set of demands. This panel-led meetup will explore the practical conditions needed to deploy AI safely, effectively and responsibly across healthcare and the NHS. Discussion will cover: - The evidence required to take promising AI projects forward - How AI fits into established clinical workflows - Building trust among clinicians, healthcare organisations and other stakeholders - Regulation and the requirements for responsible adoption - Why apparently successful pilots can stall before reaching clinical practice - What may need to change to help effective technologies progress Rather than focusing only on technical performance, the session looks at the wider organisational, clinical and regulatory realities that determine whether healthcare AI can deliver value in practice. Speakers and perspectives The announced panel includes: - Ivona Vickovic, Senior Technical Manager at Canon Medical Europe - Dr Andrew Keen, Clinical Director for Innovation at NHS Grampian - One further speaker to be confirmed Their experience will contribute industry and NHS viewpoints, with the wider meetup designed to incorporate perspectives from academic research as well. Attendees can expect a grounded discussion of both the factors that enable adoption and the barriers that hold projects back. View the event and registration details

⌖ Edinburgh · Edinburgh Futures Institute

Hosted by Twin Path Ventures

Explore how Edinburgh’s founders, investors and researchers are building globally competitive AI businesses at this morning panel, demo and networking event. Hosted by Twin Path Ventures with Old College Capital, the AI Breakfast Club takes place at Edinburgh Futures Institute on Friday 9 October 2026, from 8:30am to 11:00am. It offers a focused look at the people, ideas and strategic advantages shaping the AI ecosystem in Edinburgh, with breakfast and coffee included. What to expect The morning begins with registration, breakfast and networking, giving attendees time to meet AI founders, investors, researchers and other members of Scotland’s technology ecosystem. A panel discussion will then examine what it takes to turn cutting-edge research and technical expertise into world-class AI companies, how Edinburgh’s local ecosystem supports innovators, and what businesses need to compete internationally. The panel brings together perspectives from investment, natural language processing, robotics and startup building: - Katharine Fox, Head of Investment at Old College Capital - Professor Alexandra Birch, Personal Chair of Multilingual Natural Language Processing and Co-Founder and Chief Scientist at Aveni - Professor Ram Ramamoorthy, Personal Chair of Robot Learning and Autonomy - Angus Duncan-Timpson of Aegiss, an AI startup building purpose-built tax technology - Chair: John Spindler, General Partner at Twin Path Ventures After the panel, the programme continues with demos, audience Q&A and further networking until 11:00am. The format is designed to encourage direct discussion rather than passive listening, so attendees should bring questions and be ready to exchange ideas with others working across AI research, investment and company creation. Attendance details The organiser currently lists this event as full. Use the registration page to join the waitlist; a place is not guaranteed. Check availability and registration

Sponsors: Barclays · Old College Capital

⌖ Edinburgh · Black Medicine Coffee

Hosted by Edinburgh Data Science and AI

Meet Edinburgh’s data science, machine learning and AI community over coffee on Wednesday 14 October 2026, from 11:00am to 1:00pm BST. Hosted by Emily T. for Edinburgh Data Science and AI, this first Data Science Coffee Club offers an informal alternative to the group’s usual speaker events. Head downstairs at Black Medicine Coffee in Edinburgh, buy a drink and connect with other people working in the field. There are no talks, slides, pitches or formal agenda. Instead, conversations may cover: - Current projects and technical problems - Interesting tools, ideas and approaches - Opportunities to collaborate or help one another - Developments across Edinburgh’s data science, ML and AI community The session is primarily for data science and machine learning professionals. You do not need to be a regular member of the Edinburgh community: professionals visiting the city are welcome too. If conversations are still flowing when the event finishes at 1:00pm, attendees may continue over lunch nearby. Register for the Data Science Coffee Club.