SFC news published since 2018. See SFC archived content for earlier news articles.
Photos: University of the Highlands and Islands, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow
Sixteen research projects across eight Scottish universities have received funding from the International Collaboration Fund (ICF). The Scottish Government-funded initiative is designed to help universities build and strengthen partnerships with European research collaborators and unlock future international funding opportunities.
A total of £80,000 has been awarded to deliver 16 projects at the University of Glasgow, University of Edinburgh, University of Strathclyde, Edinburgh Napier University, Heriot-Watt University, University of Dundee, University of the West of Scotland and University of Aberdeen.
The successful projects will work with 26 international institutions across 14 countries, developing partnerships around a diverse range of research areas. These include renewable energy, precision medicine, biomedical engineering and sustainable agriculture.
Together, the projects are targeting around €70 million of European Union research funding, with an estimated £22 million potentially coming to Scottish institutions if their future funding bids are successful.
Among the projects supported are collaborations seeking to advance the use of AI in understanding and treating chronic diseases, make livestock farming more sustainable through microbiome research and explore the potential role of nuclear power in shipping.
The awards will also support researchers preparing applications for major European funding opportunities, including Horizon Europe calls, European Research Council grants and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks.
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) awarded funding to the Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA), based at the University of Glasgow, to administer the fund on behalf of Research Innovation Scotland (RIS). Individual ICF awards provide researchers with funding to establish or develop collaborations with European partners as they work towards larger international funding applications.
The fund is intended to support Scotland’s research community to maximise opportunities through programmes including Horizon Europe and strengthen the international networks that underpin successful collaborative research.
Helen Cross, Director of Investment and Research at SFC, said:
“International collaboration is essential to maintaining Scotland’s reputation as a world-leading research nation. These 16 awards will help researchers across eight Scottish universities build the relationships and networks that are increasingly vital for securing major international funding and delivering research with real-world impact.
“It is particularly encouraging to see the breadth of expertise represented in these projects and the ambition to turn these partnerships into substantial future European funding opportunities. We look forward to seeing these collaborations develop and strengthen Scotland’s connections with research partners across Europe and beyond.”
Innovation and Tertiary Education Minister Alyn Smith said:
“Scotland’s research excellence has a global reputation, and international partnerships are critical to maintaining that position and turning expertise into solutions that benefit people in Scotland and around the world. Our continued success in Horizon Europe shows that Scottish researchers are competitive, collaborative and sought-after partners internationally.
“The International Collaboration Fund will help us build on that success. By supporting new connections and stronger European partnerships, these 16 projects are opening the door to future collaboration and funding opportunities.”
Professor Tim Storer, Director of the Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance said:
“SICSA are delighted to administer the International Collaboration Fund (2026) on behalf of the participating Research Innovation Scotland (RIS) networks, pools, alliances and agencies. We received more than 120 high-quality proposals from researchers based at sixteen different HEIs in Scotland.
We’re especially grateful to the colleagues within RIS who dedicated their time to the review process, allowing us to focus allocated funds on the most competitive applications. These statistics demonstrate the value that Scottish research places on the ICF and the opportunity it represents, as access to research funding becomes increasingly competitive. The portfolio of applications also illustrates the high level of ambition, breadth and quality of research programmes being undertaken across Scotland.”
