Ian Blackford, the SNP’s business ambassador, has commissioned a former civil servant from the UK government and a London-based academic to help boost Scotland’s productivity.

In his new role, the former Westminster leader of the nationalists has turned to the two specialists to work with him on creating a green revolution north of the border.

Sir Martin Donnelly, a former Permanent Secretary at the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the Department for International Trade, will join Professor Dominic Houlder of London Business School in developing a roadmap for policy makers.

“I am delighted that Sir Martin Donnelly and Professor Dominic Houlder have agreed to undertake this piece of research,” said Mr Blackford. “As part of that process, they are in Edinburgh and Glasgow this week to conduct a series of interviews with key stakeholders in the business and academic communities. They will present their conclusions in an independent report later this year.”

Sir Martin commented: “Under any political scenario, unlocking Scotland’s potential as a high value added, high productivity economy is critical, and I look forward to meeting with stakeholders over the coming days.”

Professor Houlder added: “Scotland has an internationally recognised competitive strength in higher and further education.

“We will be meeting with academic leaders, entrepreneurs, and leaders of large businesses to assess how cutting edge research and development can be leveraged more effectively, identify constraints to faster growth, and suggest ways to create a more enabling environment for investment.”