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Students facing hardship this summer due to Covid-19 can now receive financial support, within a package of new measures.

The First Minister announced today that the Scottish Government has brought forward early access to £11.4 million of discretionary funds – higher education students should apply to their colleges or universities for access to this financial support.

Unlike continuing higher education students, most former further education students can receive benefits if they are unemployed. The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) will also give colleges flexibility to offer FE discretionary funds to bridge the timing gap between bursary payments ending in June and Universal Credit payments starting.

The Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) has suspended until September all new debt recovery actions in respect to grants and bursaries, for students whose circumstances have changed and therefore may have to return overpayments. Students are encouraged to contact SAAS to discuss what help is available.

In addition, Scottish students studying in Europe as part of EU Portability or historically arranged schemes will be able to access a £100,000 emergency fund administered by SAAS.

Minister for Further, Higher Education and Science Richard Lochhead said:

“Given the economic impact of Covid-19, many continuing students who rely on seasonal and part-time jobs in summer could find it difficult to cover their basic housing or cost of living costs. No student should face financial hardship as a result, so these new measures will support students until the start of the next academic year when bursary, grant and loan payments will begin again.

 

 

“This package builds on our £5 million support plan for FE and HE students announced in April. The UK Government package announced on 4th May for Higher Education Providers and Students was disappointing and fell short of recognising the full scale of the challenge.”

New social media materials have been produced to help universities and colleges across Scotland support staff and students who might be experiencing gender-based violence (GBV) and abuse while social distancing measures are in place due to Covid-19.

Social distancing and self-isolation measures can be particularly challenging for those experiencing GBV. The website and social media materials seek to highlight the specialist support services available to victims, but also to perpetrators in order to put the responsibility onto them to address their behaviour.

The production of the materials was led by education charity Advance HE in partnership with the charity #EmilyTest, CDN and Universities Scotland. The project was funded by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC). This initiative builds on the partnership approach to tackling gender based violence built in Scotland’s colleges and universities over recent years.

In addition the website has been updated to reinforce the message that there is help available.

Whilst colleges and universities made a rapid transition away from face to face learning in March in the interests of public health, support services for students have remained open throughout the pandemic with institutions adapting their means of delivery. Any student or member of staff in need of support can contact their institution or reach out for specialist services.

SFC’s Dr Donna MacKinnon, Director of Access, Learning and Outcomes said:

“Lockdown measures have made it much harder when home is not a safe place. Colleges and universities have a responsibility to help protect their students and staff from harassment and abuse and that duty of care is made more important in these difficult circumstances.

“I’m confident these social media materials and the refreshed website will help our colleges and universities to reach out to students and staff and encourage them to seek help.”

Advance HE’s Dr Nel Whiting, said:

“Lockdown does not cause gender based violence but it increases the risks faced by victims and this means these new resources are of vital importance. Everyone should feel safe in their homes, and hopefully this initiative will mean some victims will become more aware of the support that is available to them. We also believe that perpetrators of gender-based violence must take responsibility for their behaviour and seek to address it.

“Advance HE condemns all forms of abuse and violence and we are committed to supporting all students and staff in the tertiary education sector who suffer from abuse.”

Founder and CEO of EmilyTest, Fiona Drouet said:

“EmilyTest are delighted to work on this important piece of work with our valued partners.  Tackling Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Colleges and Universities is of paramount importance and we must not become complacent during lockdown.  Domestic violence, intimate partner violence, cyberbullying/stalking and revenge pornography are all prevalent in this environment.”

At the start of April, EmilyTest released a letter of recommendations to the education sector, highlighting areas of concern and good practice.

“We hope our letter, combined with these new resources, will ensure staff and students reach the support they need. This is a fast-moving and busy time for violence against women services, but we hope these assets will be a timely reminder that help and support are still there and just one phone call, text or click away.”

NUS Scotland President, Liam McCabe said:

“All students deserve to be able to live and study in a safe and secure environment and this has never been more important than during the current pandemic. It is vital that students at risk of gender-based violence during social-distancing and after, are aware that there is support available to them.

“We welcome this important resource and will continue to work with the wider sector to ensure that students know where and how to access the support and guidance they may need.”

Andrea Nolan, Convener of Universities Scotland and Principal, Edinburgh Napier University:

“For our students the message is clear: our student support services are equipped to help and support you regardless of your circumstances. The restrictions caused by COVID-19 have been very difficult for many people, but especially for those who are sharing space with others who can do them physical and mental harm. The HE sector in Scotland is dedicated to build on our work to prevent gender based violence and will work with partners to ensure that students know they can receive the help, advice and support they need.”

Scotland’s universities have developed a new suite of standard agreements to help make business-academic partnerships quicker and easier to set up and manage from a legal perspective.

The agreements can now be downloaded for free from the Interface website. They provide a clear starting point for reaching rapid mutual understanding between businesses and their academic partners about areas like confidentiality and intellectual property rights. They are also designed to prompt useful discussions at the initial stages of project scoping and to help remove some of the perceived barriers of business-academic engagement.

Different types of collaboration, from research to studentship agreements are covered by the documents, which also take into account a range of scenarios determined by the company’s contribution to the partnership.

One business that has already benefited from using the legal agreements is Middle Way Ltd, which has worked on innovation projects with both Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of Glasgow.

Catriona Monson, who co-founded the company, said:

“Having the standard documentation has made the legal and administrative side of collaborating really quick and easy for us and meant that we could focus our time on the important part of getting started with the research.”

Dr Mike Smith, Executive and Policy Manager at SRUC, who convened the Scottish Universities group responsible for developing the standard legal agreements, said:

“Getting all the 19 Scottish Universities to agree on commonly used legal templates will help smooth the pathway to collaborations with a diversity of organisations in both the public and private sectors.

 

 

“It helps to underscore how much the universities value the importance of collaborating with businesses and other organisations to help promote innovation and enterprise and is a practical demonstration of Scottish universities being very much open for business.”

The Scottish Government has announced a one-off £75 million increase in funding for Scotland’s universities to ensure they can protect their world-leading research programmes against the financial impact of COVID-19.

The significant intervention will help secure the jobs and training needed to support ongoing and future research work, meaning institutions can concentrate fully on planning the long-term future of a sector so vital to the Scottish economy.

Universities will also be expected to adapt and use their own resources, as well as the packages of support for businesses provided by the UK Government, to counter the effects of the pandemic on research operations.

The new funding will replace lost research income, protect research jobs, and help universities focus more effort on the high priority research needed to fight the outbreak and to support society and the economy, post COVID-19.

Richard Lochhead, Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, has now written to his UK Government counterpart Michelle Donelan, Minister of State for Universities, calling for a UK investment and support package for Higher Education, including additional financial support for universities, to ensure they and their graduates can continue to play a key role in the UK’s economic and social recovery from the pandemic.

Scottish university income has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, most notably by a loss of international student income, cancelled conference bookings, and returned accommodation fees. Recent Scottish Funding Council analysis has indicated that Scottish universities face a loss of around £72 million due to COVID-19 this academic year alone, with a collective operating deficit of between £384 million and £651 million forecast for next academic year.

The Scottish Government is working with Scottish Funding Council and the sector to mitigate the current issues across the range of university activities including research, supporting teaching excellence and student well-being.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said:

“Our world-renowned university research activities is under threat from COVID-19, from the loss of university income and the risk to jobs and investment. That research is critical to Scotland’s future public health and prosperity. So we are investing now to protect our research sector’s excellence, with £75 million of additional funding, as we plan together for the future sustainability of Scotland’s society and economy as a whole.

 

“We are taking a partnership approach, talking to the universities and staff unions, as we build up our response. For the universities part, they are stepping up with a willingness to use part of this investment to support PhD students whose studies have been impacted by COVID-19.

 

“Now we need the UK Government to join those efforts. So far, their main interventions have been focussed on the HE sector south of the border. We need the UK Government to take a UK approach and join with Scottish universities and the Scottish Government to build a support package that will protect the sector from the impact of this virus.”

The additional funding will be administered by the Scottish Funding Council. Its Chief Executive, Karen Watt said:

“This is very welcome additional funding for research in Scotland. We will work closely with the sector to ensure it helps universities continue with vital research, including our response to COVID-19, and contributes to our subsequent recovery.”

Universities Scotland convenor, Professor Andrea Nolan said:

“We welcome the Scottish Government’s recognition of the role research and innovation will play in supporting business and industry and strengthening our post COVID-19 economy and society.

 

“The pace of this commitment, and the injection of confidence it will give the research community within the sector, is very welcome.

 

“We will work closely with Government and the Scottish Funding Council to ensure this resource has the most impact, including support for our PhD students, who are our pipeline of talent for future research and who have been adversely affected by the instability created by the pandemic.”

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, the Scottish Funding Council is continuing to update its dedicated web page. The web page provides links to advice on what the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is; specific information for higher and further education institutions; advice on travel; and more general information on the Scottish and UK Governments’ responses. We have also produced a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document which is updated regularly. Colleges and universities are encouraged to check for updates on a regular basis.

Should you have any questions that are not currently addressed in the FAQ, or if there are any issues you would like to raise, please email policy@sfc.ac.uk.

The Innovation for Games and Media Enterprise (InGAME) project has started to help the first projects from its R&D voucher scheme. Led by Abertay University, in partnership with the Universities of Dundee and St Andrews, the £11.5m InGAME R&D collaboration aims to deliver innovative research and R&D support for the Dundee games industry.

Companies pitch projects for the InGAME team to work on while the results of the research are 100% owned by the company.

InGAME is jointly funded by an investment of £5.25m, from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and an additional investment of £500,000 from the Scottish Funding Council.

Last year, the project launched the InGAME R&D Voucher Scheme, allowing games companies, businesses and non-profit organisations to pitch for blocks of academic expertise, resources and support worth up to a maximum of £5,000 per project.

This model allows voucher holders to quickly develop and test new ideas without the risk of financial and time limitations. Developers can prove concepts and assess the feasibility of creative and commercial opportunities.

Project Director of InGAME Sean Taylor said:

 

“I’m delighted that these projects have been awarded funding and it’s really pleasing to see such a diverse range of collaborations getting underway.

 

 

“We had a fantastic response to the first round of our R&D Voucher Scheme and we are now actively encouraging both games studios and other businesses to make pitches for the next phase.”

Five of Scotland’s universities appear in the recently published Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.

Now in their second year, the rankings assess the world’s universities against each of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. The rankings take into account a university’s research, outreach and stewardship activities. The 2020 edition includes 766 universities from 85 different countries.

UN member states adopted the 17 goals for sustainable development in 2015 and they are described as “an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership”. The goals recognise that the ending of poverty and other types of deprivation must go hand-in-hand with strategies to improve education and health, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth.

All five Scottish universities in the 2020 rankings – Edinburgh, Glasgow Caledonian, Dundee, Strathclyde and Aberdeen – scored highly under the UN’s goal for strengthening global partnerships.

The Scottish Funding Council supports universities’ global research activities through its Global Research Challenge Fund which has supported over 400 projects in Scottish universities and involved more than 70 developing countries.

 

See the full results of the 2020 Higher Education Impact Rankings.

The Scottish Government has today (8 April 2020) announced a £5 million package of emergency financial support to help students facing hardship as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

As part of this package the Scottish Funding Council has brought forward £2m of advance funding to help students on Further Education courses at Scotland’s colleges. In addition, SFC has asked colleges to redirect any unallocated travel or childcare costs to discretionary funds which can be used to address COVID-19 related hardships.

The SFC funding supplements an additional £2.2m for Scotland’s Higher Education (HE) Discretionary Fund as well as advance funding of £800,000 from the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS).

This package of funding will be available to colleges and universities immediately.

Other details of the emergency package include:

Further and Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead said:

“We are ensuring all students studying in Scotland should have access to emergency support should they be facing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19, or the social distancing and isolation measures that have been introduced.

“All bursaries, grants and loans are continuing to be paid as planned – but the current unprecedented situation has resulted in increased hardship. That is why we are making extra funding immediately available for students most in need, to help alleviate concerns around accommodation costs, mental health issues, general living costs and wellbeing.

“Institutions will be provided with specific guidance on the discretionary funding related to COVID-19, to explain all relevant details while students can access the latest information on COVID-19 on the Student Information Scotland website.”

Students in Further and Higher education can access the latest information on COVID-19 on the Student Information Scotland (SIS) website

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has today (7 April 2020) published funding allocations to Scotland’s colleges and universities for the academic year 2020-21.

This year’s announcement comes at a time of unprecedented challenges for further and higher education. SFC has already committed to ensuring stability and continuity by maintaining existing payment processes to ensure funds continue to flow to institutions. The publication of funding allocations for the coming academic year will assist colleges and universities with their forward financial planning at this very difficult time.

Key highlights for the university sector are as follows:

Key highlights for the college sector are as follows:

Full details are available in the announcements on university and college funding.

The Scottish Funding Council’s latest report on widening access shows that almost 5,000 entrants to first degree courses in 2018-19 came from Scotland’s most deprived areas.

The report focuses on the socio-economic status of students and on protected characteristics such as gender, race and disability as well as those having experience of care. It measures how many are setting out on degree courses, how many remained in higher education after a year, and their achievements at the end of their studies.

According to the report, 4,900 students from the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland started at a Scottish university in 2018-19, representing 15.9% of Scottish-domiciled full-time first degree entrants. This brings the proportion of disadvantaged students to within just over 4% of the Commission on Widening Access’s target for 2030.

Despite a 2.6% drop in the first year retention rate overall for disadvantaged students, more students from care experience backgrounds continued with their university studies beyond the first year with the retention figure rising by 5.6%.

We are pleased to announce that the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has approved the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges’ (EAUC) bid for funding for the next phase of its work. EAUC will deliver its new outcome agreement ‘Accelerating action and leadership in Scotland’s colleges and universities to respond to the climate emergency’ from 1 April 2020 up to March 2023.

The success of the bid comes as a result of work undertaken with SFC over the past six months to develop new ideas about further accelerating the sector’s response to the climate emergency. This process was informed by feedback from EAUC members through events, surveys and through the Office Bearers Group. It also referred to the results of SFC’S sector survey in 2019 and reflected EAUS’s own understanding of the higher and further education sector’s sustainability journey, community motivations and the Scottish Government’s national priorities.

At the end of March, EAUC officially reached the end of the Catalysing transformative leadership for sustainability programme. This 3-year outcome agreement, again funded by SFC, has enabled EAUC-Scotland to collaborate with and support the Higher and Further Education sector in its sustainability journey. Since April 2017, EAUC has delivered 109 events, training sessions and webinars reaching over 1,500 people. Evidenced through the Sustainability Committee Enhancement Project, the percentage of institutions with a formal sustainability committee has risen from 64% to 82% in the past 18 months; and the sector has reduced its carbon emissions by 15% over the past 3 reporting years (2015/16 – 2018/19). EAUC is confident that this programme has helped create a culture of understanding of the significant roles the sector has in responding to the climate emergency.

The new SFC-funded programme is designed to create opportunities for colleges and universities to form new collaborations and develop innovative approaches in their response to the climate emergency. The programme will focus on supporting transformative leadership and the empowerment of sector communities, building capacity in institutional structures across the sectors, developing a place-based response to the climate emergency and further strengthening the collaborative sector voice. EAUC will also work with SFC and key partners to progress Learning for Sustainability in learning, teaching and research and support SFC on its own strategic framework and the national framework through harnessing the ‘Team Scotland’ approach.

Responding to the confirmation of funding, Iain Patton, CEO of EAUC-UK, said:

“I would like to thank our members and the Scottish Funding Council for their on-going support of EAUC-Scotland and for their work in co-developing this new and exciting programme. If we are to limit global warming to 1.5oC in line with the Paris Agreement then 2020 marks the start of a critical decade of climate action.

“Our universities and colleges can develop the research, knowledge and skills needed to inspire and create sustainable communities, empowering staff and students to be the agents of change today and tomorrow. We’re excited to lead on this challenge and support the Scottish HFE sector.”

In light of significant changes across our institutions and of EAUC as an organisation due to the COVID-19 outbreak, EAUC-Scotland has reviewed the planned actions within their new Outcome Agreement. The new Outcome Agreement will be published by EAUC for viewing shortly with further details.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the umbrella body for the nine UK research councils, is looking to fund a number of short-term COVID-19 research projects.

The organisation has issued a call for proposals for projects that will address and mitigate the health, social, economic and environmental impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to information issued this week, UKRI will fund up to 18 months’ of research activity that can make a significant contribution to the UK’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Projects that support the manufacture or uptake of innovations with the potential to fight the virus and its effects will also be considered for support. The research and innovation funded through this new initiative will have to deliver benefits to public health in the next twelve months.

UKRI has also put in place special arrangements to allow researchers to use existing UKRI funding to address COVID-19 research priorities.

More information can be found on the UKRI’s website.

The Oil & Gas Innovation Centre activity becomes part
of the Oil & Gas Technology Centre

A single academic and industry focal point for strengthening low carbon technology was confirmed today, supported by £3 million funding from the Scottish Funding Council, Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise.

From 1 April 2020, the activity undertaken by the Oil & Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC) has transferred to the Oil & Gas Technology Centre (OGTC), and the funding provided will be used to develop net zero projects in partnership with industry and Scottish Universities.

With fundamental research and academic collaboration critical to unlocking the potential of key technologies, the academic network and early-stage technology innovation developed by OGIC will strengthen the OGTC’s existing capability. Over the past five years OGIC has supported over 100 projects, from innovative well plug and abandonment barriers, through to transformational subsea systems.

Some of these have progressed through to the OGTC for co-funding and support, therefore the transfer of activities provides an opportunity to align industry and academic innovation, which will now be delivered through the OGTC.

Launched in February 2017, the OGTC has already co-funded £130 million in over 130 projects, working in close partnership with industry, government and academia to accelerate new technology solutions to market.  Following its launch of a new Net Zero Solution Centre, the organisation is focused on accelerating technologies that will decarbonise offshore operations and help the UK to become the first net zero basin globally.

Both teams have been working closely together to ensure a smooth integration, with the OGTC focused on developing new projects that address key areas in its technology roadmaps, specifically early stage TRL 3-6.

Commenting on the additional funding, Dr Stuart Fancey, Director of Research and Innovation at the Scottish Funding Council, said:

“The Scottish Funding Council, together with its partners in Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government, is delighted to invest in bringing OGIC activity into OGTC to help the oil and gas industry towards reaching the ambitious net zero target. Aligning the successes of OGIC, and in particular its strong academic and business links, with OGTC’s Net Zero Solutions Centre, will give the oil and gas sector the best chance of transitioning to a net zero economy.”

Commenting on the announcement, Colette Cohen OBE, Chief Executive Officer of the OGTC, said:

“We’re delighted to welcome the OGIC team, harnessing their academic and SME connections to expand our focus on early stage technology develop for the net zero future.  We look forward to developing new collaborative early technology readiness level (TRL) projects that will help to bolster our capability and deliver the required energy transition at pace.”

A record number of students (302,660) were enrolled on higher education courses at Scotland’s Universities and Colleges in 2018-19 according to a new report from the Scottish Funding Council. This represents a 2% increase (5,965 students) on the 2017-18 figure.

There has also been a 1.5% increase in the number of entrants to Higher Education courses at Scotland’s Universities and Colleges since 2017-18, bringing the total number to 143,915 in 2018-19. That is an increase in entrants of 2,095.

The highest level of qualifiers from Scottish institutions in the last 10 years was also reached with 110,150, which is a 5.8% (5,990 qualifiers) increase on the previous academic year.

In another report on students’ eligibility for funding out today there has been an increase of 7,325 students eligible for funding up by 5.1% since the 2015-16 academic year.

Since the 2015-2016 academic year the number of undergraduate students eligible for funding increased by 4.2%. For taught postgraduates this increased by 16.2% while for research postgraduates the number increased by 5.1%.

In a third report from SFC today full-time staffing numbers at Scotland’s colleges have roughly stayed the same, with roughly half of all staff teaching and the other half working in support.

Women continue to account for 61% of all staff headcount in 2018-19 and account for 54% of teaching and 69% of non-teaching staff.

In the light of the current COVID-19 restrictions, the REF 2021 team has taken the decision to put the REF exercise on hold until further notice. This decision has been taken in recognition of the need for institutions to divert staff resource to other critical areas, including for those working in clinical and health-related fields. The exercise is now on hold until further notice and the team is now working on the adapted details of the framework.

This means that the submission deadline on 27 November 2020 will no longer apply, and the REF team will announce a new submission deadline no later than eight months prior to the deadline. Full allowance will be made for the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) across affected areas of submissions.

When there is greater clarity about the period of serious disruption to universities, the REF team will consult on the adapted details of the framework.

Fuller details can be found in the REF letter to HEIs.

The university admissions service, UCAS, has announced that it is to give students more time to make decisions about their choice of university.

The move has been prompted by the need to create a period of stability for both universities and students following the unprecedented events of the past week in response to the COVID19 pandemic.

Announcing the move, UCAS chief executive, Clare Marchant, said:

“Normally most students would have until early May to make decisions on their offers but this deadline will be now extended by two weeks. Universities and colleges will also have additional time to assess applications and adjust their processes in these unprecedented times.”

Referring to the cancellation of summer exams announced across the UK last week she added:

“This will give students, teachers and universities time to reflect on their decisions and allow for further information on calculated grades and qualification awarding to be shared.”

UCAS has said that it expects the admissions cycle to run broadly similar to previous years, with the flexibility for applicants to make choices throughout the rest of the year and a clearing process over the summer.

In line with updated Government guidance on social distancing and after full testing of our business continuity plan, SFC will close its office at Haymarket Terrace from 5pm Tuesday 24 March.

While the office will physically close, our staff will be working from home and managing our business as normal in support of Scotland’s colleges, universities and other partners and stakeholders. Our priority continues to be ensuring stability and continuity and we will continue to maintain payments in line with our payment profile.

During these challenging times your support in sharing intelligence with us has been much appreciated and we thank you for the continued flow of intelligence and communication. Please keep us up-to-date through our mailbox covid19@sfc.ac.uk.

Ivan McKee, Scotland’s Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation, has today announced £500,000 of Scottish Government funding for seven new college-led innovation projects. The projects, which will see colleges working closely with regional businesses, are designed to support Scotland’s future economy. The money was allocated by the Scottish Funding Council in a competitive, Scotland-wide bidding process.

All seven projects have a firm eye on the future. Three of them address the emerging skills needs created by growing numbers of people moving to electric and hybrid vehicles. In Dundee and Angus, the college is working with industry experts to ensure an efficient transition to the new precision farming methods already made possible by recent advances in agricultural technology.

West College Scotland is teaming up with a hundred forward-looking businesses to develop the skills which will be needed by the engineer of the future. At Forth Valley College, the focus is on the changing nature of healthcare. Over 3,000 care staff could benefit from an ambitious project to increase digital health skills in the sector. Finally, a brand new training hub in Eyemouth will use digital learning resources to ensure that boat building and repair will continue to provide increasingly high-tech jobs in South East Scotland.

Mike Cantlay, Chair of the Scottish Funding Council, said:

“Colleges play a crucial role in Scotland’s innovation economy. I am delighted that the College Innovation Fund is supporting projects with the kind of quality and ambition we have seen and heard about today. They each demonstrate colleges’ ability to respond to the needs of local industries and collectively they have the potential to make a real difference to Scotland’s economy and public services.”

Today’s announcement also includes funding for national college innovation vouchers to encourage first time partnerships between businesses and their regional college.

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) have today, 5 March 2020, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which underlines their shared aspirations to strengthen and reinforce compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) in colleges and universities. Through this MoU SFC and EHRC will support Scotland’s colleges and universities to meet the requirements and achieve the aspirations of the PSED and take action to tackle the most persistent inequalities in our society.

Colleges and universities are required by the Equality Act 2010 to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation; to advance equality of opportunity; and to foster good relations when they are carrying out their public functions. This MoU, with its focus on working in partnership with a sector body to strengthen compliance with the PSED to achieve substantive equality, is the first of its kind for EHRC.

The overarching aim is to improve outcomes for people working or studying at Scotland’s colleges and universities who are experiencing unlawful discrimination and inequality. This will be done by:

The MoU is supported by a Joint Action Plan that sets out the activities to tackle the most pressing inequalities, and guidance on how to support the sector in tracking the effectiveness and impact of these efforts.

Commenting on the MoU, SFC Chief Executive, Karen Watt said:

“Equality, diversity and inclusion are central to SFC’s mission and values. We know that participation rates and the success of students studying at our colleges and universities differ for students who share different protected characteristics. We want to see this change so that students achieve the same outcomes whatever their personal circumstances.

 

 

“We are therefore delighted to be working in partnership with EHRC to ensure that Scotland’s colleges and universities are doing everything they can to contribute to a more equal society by embedding equality and diversity across all their functions, supporting participation, tackling prejudice and placing good relations at the heart of everything they do.”

Rebecca Hilsenrath, Chief Executive of EHRC, said:

“Scotland’s colleges and universities are spaces where students grow as individuals, where they develop the values that will prepare them to become good citizens and thoughtful people.

 

“It is positive to see SFC embracing its role of overseeing the college and university sectors and working with us to set high standards.

 

“Today’s agreement represents an exciting statement of intent. It’s a model we hope to see considered by other organisations seeking to lead the way on this critical issue.”

Ivan McKee, Scotland’s Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation has today announced Scottish Government funding for two new climate emergency projects. The projects are designed to demonstrate the benefits of partnerships between businesses, academics and the public sector in accelerating Scotland’s transition to a low carbon economy.

The £500,000 funding package has been awarded by the Scottish Funding Council for initiatives selected to prove the value of a collaborative approach in Scotland’s response to the climate emergency. The projects are being led by the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow.

The announcement was made in Glasgow at a tenement property in the city where a high-tech, green retrofit will be evaluated to understand how to reduce carbon emissions from existing housing stock. Project leaders predict there is the potential for energy savings of between 75% and 90%.

The University of Edinburgh project aims to increase capacity for zero and low carbon innovation in construction and the built environment. Project partners will work together to improve the way buildings are designed and constructed in the future to minimise their impact on the climate. They will also develop and test tools that reduce emissions by improving the energy performance of buildings once they become occupied.

Speaking at today’s launch Mr McKee said:

“We are facing a global climate emergency and one of the major challenges is not only how we build in the future, but reducing carbon emissions from existing housing stock. As these projects demonstrate, innovation plays a key part in this and will help us reach our ambitious, world-leading target to reach net-zero by 2045. We continue to engage with public bodies, businesses, communities and individuals at every opportunity to address the challenge we all face.”

Mike Cantlay, Chair of the Scottish Funding Council, said:

 

“We are working with the Scottish Government, universities, colleges and others to tackle the climate emergency. These two projects both have the potential to make a real difference. The fact that they were selected from a strong field of seventeen other proposals demonstrates the willingness and the ability of universities and colleges to work with industry and the public sector to help make Scotland a net zero economy.”

 

SFC funding towards a greener future
Professor Kenneth Gibb, Director of the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence and the academic lead for the University of Glasgow project said:

“We are delighted to make a potentially big contribution to addressing the climate emergency in Scotland through SFC funding for this important project.

“Older housing is a key source of the carbon challenge, especially our pre-1919 tenements. This demonstration project allows us to both learn about this particular form of retrofit and to assess how to scale up and provide replicable solutions across the range of Glasgow tenements.”

Dave Gorman, Director for Social Responsibility and Sustainability at the University of Edinburgh, said:

“The severity of the threat posed by climate change and the urgency with which responses are needed cannot be overstated. As one of the biggest global emitters of carbon, emissions from construction and the built environment must be significantly reduced if we are to reach net zero emissions in Scotland by 2045. The public sector has an important role to play in leading this transition and this is the challenge that we and our partners will address through this ambitious project, by developing innovative solutions and fostering effective and sustained partnership working”.

CCG has donated £10,000 to support the £500,000 Scottish Funding Council package and will be the development partner for the retrofitting of the eight dwellings set to be undertaken on behalf of Southside Housing Association over a 5-month construction programme.

CCG Director, David Wylie, said:

“CCG is delighted to be part of this project working alongside one of our long-term partners, Southside Housing Association. Our company has extensive experience in the area of comprehensive tenement repairs and we will seek to utilise this understanding with this new form of retro-fitting.

“The Scottish Government’s carbon agenda is ambitious but it will be upon the industry very soon so it is imperative that we address retrofitting now as a key part in moving toward a net zero economy.”