EIT Digital, a leading European organisation for digital innovation and entrepreneurial education, has opened a Scottish satellite office in Edinburgh.
EIT Digital is one of eight Innovation Communities of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. It has 10 centres across Europe, including one in London, with the Scottish office being the first satellite office to be opened in the UK.
The new office, jointly funded by EIT Digital, the Scottish Funding Council and Scottish Enterprise, will be hosted by the University of Edinburgh’s Bayes Centre. The office will support knowledge exchange, help to develop skills in Scottish businesses and promote Scotland to investors. It will also contribute to achieving the Scottish Government’s ambition to deepen relationships between Scotland and the EU.
Speaking at this week’s launch, EIT Digital chief executive Willem Jonker, said: “This new Edinburgh satellite will allow EIT Digital to deepen the connections with the Scottish innovation ecosystem and to intensify our relationship with the Scottish private and public sectors.”
Scottish innovation minister Ivan McKee said: “For decades, Scotland has participated in European projects, led strategic partnerships and welcomed people from across the EU and around the world. We have always valued the resulting skills, diversity and talent that this has brought into our economy and society.
“Regardless of the outcome of Brexit, Scotland will continue to be an outward-looking, open and welcoming country.
“This project will allow academia and businesses to work together to drive innovation. It also enables Scotland to raise the profile of its digital assets across Europe, helping to attract both inward talent and investment while connecting Scotland’s businesses to experts and potential collaborators.”
The new satellite office will host a new doctoral training centre with a focus on financial technology and cyber security. Its students will be supported by universities across Scotland with the first student expected to start later this year.
Gap narrows for deprived students
Scotland’s Fair Access Framework
Last year the University of Glasgow made the headlines when it revealed nearly 20 percent of Scottish entrants to its School of Medicine were from the most deprived areas of Scotland – numbers that were touted as unprecedented among the UK’s 34 medical schools.
Four of the five students featured in this coverage, who came through the University’s own Glasgow Access Programme, got an early start to medicine through the REACH programme – one of two national schools programmes funded by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).
Funded by SFC since 2010, the REACH programme works with schools in Scotland’s most deprived communities to identify potential student candidates for study in Law, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Dentistry and Economics.
Widening Access perspective
Dr Neill Croll, Head of Widening Access at the University of Glasgow can still remember being called to a meeting at SFC in 2010 with colleagues from around Scotland to discuss a pilot programme to help disadvantaged students get through medicine.
“My first reaction was to wonder what the academic schools would think of it. Programmes like this had been attempted before, but they hadn’t really achieved much because they hadn’t been set up with much thought to what the real barriers or gaps were”.
Dr Croll says the difference this time is the academic schools are fully behind the programme, and the partnerships they have with secondary schools are more effective as a result.
“Our team has a good partnership with the academic schools but school support is absolutely crucial as well. We have contact teachers for each of the schools we’re in and they’re a key link between us and pupils, because it’s the teachers we rely on to identify who’s got potential. They know their pupils and the programme has performed very well because of that link.”
The initial stages of the programme involved about six months of discussion with authorities and schools to get them on board with the programme and see what kind of involvement would be feasible, he says.
“From these discussions we were able to start working with S4/S5/S6 students across four subjects at the University, and the result has been participants from these courses successfully studying these subjects here.”
In 2017 the first cohort of REACH medical entrants at the University of Glasgow graduated and their performance “completely busts” any old myths about adjusted offers, he says.
“Our graduates this year performed exactly at the same level as those coming from more affluent areas. Now the professional schools are saying the quality of graduates has actually increased, because there’s that much more diversity in the student cohort, which better prepares graduates when they go out to practice medicine in a diverse world.
Croll says REACH has also made an impact on schools and local authorities. Those that might have doubted the programme changed their belief system once they saw pupils succeeding where they hadn’t previously, giving them confidence to encourage the next generation to follow.
“If something is working then word gets round pretty quick – even more quickly, if it’s not.”
Student perspective
Orla Macpherson became involved with the REACH programme after deciding in secondary school that she wanted to pursue a career in medicine.
“Around my third year I started to think about what I wanted to do. I’d seen a few documentaries and thought it would be amazing to do medicine. It’s a career where you continue to learn and develop even when you’ve finished university and I enjoyed biology and science subjects at school.”
Through the REACH programme Orla attended two to three workshops per year that were focused around supporting her application to study medicine at the University, and ensuring she was on track to get the required grades.
“Probably the highlight of those workshops for me was the summer school programme, which is hosted at the university for a week. It coincides with the university’s general Open Day so as well as getting shown around you’re also getting to see lots of mini-lectures from doctors in different specialities.”
“You meet a wide variety of people from both medical and non-medical backgrounds who share different perspectives with you about studying medicine, and even just what university life is like, which is really useful.”
The programme also helps students prepare for required tests like the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT). This can be a particular barrier for students who don’t come from schools or families well-acquainted with the process of applying to medical schools, and who are unlikely to have anyone to explain the application process or even how to prepare for the test.
“It’s not very well known – it was never mentioned at school and the fee ranges from £65 to £87. That’s not something everyone can afford straight up, but a REACH tutor can help in terms of discussing payment options with you like the bursary scheme, on top of the interview preparation workshop they provide.”
That makes a huge difference she says, because while the information might be out there it’s not always clear where to look.
“Probably the best part of the programme is having that person to touch base with you.
Someone who can provide that information, support and encouragement to keep you going the whole way – from the decision to study medicine to the application process,” she says.
“You always know you’ve got someone supporting you and that’s really important if nobody else in your school or family has done something like this before.”
Barriers are different for every student, and some still struggle around expectations to be on full-time placement and keep up with studying and coursework through their fourth and fifth years, particularly those who need to work to support family or have significant travel costs, but support services and financial aid is also available through the University.
Orla says there’s still work to be done to reach those who have the most barriers to higher education and access to medicine, but the programme is making great progress.
Now in her third year of medicine at Glasgow, she has returned the favour by helping out with the REACH workshops she benefitted from and is actively involved in campus events as student mentor and other related activities and societies within medicine. “It’s just great to be able to help out and give back,” she says.
Teacher perspective
From a roll of around 1600 at St Peter the Apostle High School in West Dumbartonshire, roughly 50-60 pupils put themselves forward for the REACH programme each year, says Mick Dolan.
A teacher for 40 years, Mick is the local school coordinator for the REACH programme and part of his role involves promoting the programme to young people.
“Our role is to invite the kids to show an interest and take part. REACH makes a substantial difference in getting them into university, but even so the work required of them is substantial in itself. So there is still a bit of a filtering process, because we always want to students be engaged in the programme that’s right for them.”
REACH provides students with a real awareness of what they’re getting themselves in for, he says.
“We do have a number of kids who make an informed choice not to continue, but that in itself is a plus because if studying law is not going to engage you, then it’s far better to find that out in school.”
Those who go through take part in organised tutor sessions in-school, with assistance from the University. Tutors guide them through the programme and they have to complete a short assignment targeted at getting them to focus on what the subject area is focused on and how they see themselves developing.
The programme continues with a university visit in the first year but Mick says the second year is most significant, when pupils continue with school sessions and an assignment towards a week spent at the university in June.
“That week at the university really crystallises all their ambition and helps give them all the information they need to complete their UCAS application in sixth year.”
Beyond helping students into these subjects, the programme delivers a number of wider benefits, he says.
“First of all it creates an ambitious group of achievers. Children begin to find each other in a way they may not have in a big school, all expressing a determination to do well. That benefits us as a school and their wider peer group benefit from having a group of pupils expressing a definite intention to do very best that they can.”
He also speaks highly of the University’s widening access team.
“The team who run the programme are very supportive and always willing to help and engage with pupils. They’re not just there as administrators but are very actively engaged with the kids – they know what their ambitions are, what their essay submissions are like, and how they’re engaging with the programme.
“Neil [Croll] and Scott [Iguchi-Sherry, Senior REACH Programme Coordinator] have been two key factors. Neil has a very grounded vision of what the programme should do in the way of support for kids and Scott’s day-to-day engagement with it is fantastic.
Having taught for 40 years, he believes the success of the programme speaks for itself.
“When I started teaching here it was an absolute rarity to have a pupil accepted for medicine. The year that my son finished we had two people go into medicine, two in dentistry, four in law and one in veterinary medicine. That would’ve been absolutely unheard of before the REACH programme – it’s opened up doors for kids in a way that’s never been done before.”
Mick says one of the programme’s big successes is seeing kids who go through finish their courses.
“That in itself is really significant for me because I live and work locally. So, for a number of years it was a big frustration bumping into able kids I’d taught, only to discover they’d given up on the course they’d started out on.”
“For me now to be talking to kids studying these subjects at university is really quite rewarding.”
The Scottish Framework for Fair Access will be launched at the University of Edinburgh on Tuesday 7 May.
The Framework has been developed in response to Recommendation 2 of the Commission on Widening Access and comprises two pillars:
- An online toolkit which brings together the best available evidence on access to higher education, identifying gaps and providing guidance to help begin to fill them.
- Scotland’s Community of Access and Participation Practitioners (SCAPP): a network to support the development and professionalisation of an access and participation community and to facilitate practitioner engagement with the toolkit.
The launch event, taking place between 9.30 – 12.30pm, will provide delegates with the opportunity to hear from those involved in the Framework’s design and development, and keynote addresses from Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, Richard Lochhead MSP and the Commissioner for Fair Access, Sir Professor Peter Scott.
An optional workshop focusing on the evaluation of access interventions will take place from 12.30 – 1.30pm immediately following the launch.
Event Programme [PDF]
The event is free but anyone wishing to attend must register via the online form by 12pm on Tuesday, 30 April 2019.
New figures from the Scottish Funding Council show that a record 296,695 students studied higher education courses at Scotland’s universities and colleges in 2017-18. Today’s report also shows a record number of Scottish domiciled students entering the system last year at first degree level (37,410).
The report, which looks at the provision of higher education and student attainment over a ten-year period, additionally found that the number of students gaining a qualification reached an all-time high. Of the 104,160 students leaving university or college with a higher education qualification, almost 67% achieved graduate-level qualifications.
Karen Watt, Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council, said:
“The good news from these figures is that more students living in Scotland are benefitting from higher education courses than ever before. For students graduating from our world-leading universities and colleges this means better life chances and career prospects. For Scotland’s economy it means a more highly-skilled and adaptable work force.”
Today also sees the publication of Scottish Funding Council statistics on the numbers of students eligible for funding at Scotland’s 19 universities.
The report shows that between 2014-15 and 2018-19, there was a 17.8% increase in the number of taught postgraduate students, a 7.6% increase in the number of research postgraduate students, and a 1.9% increase in the number of undergraduate students.
Over 40% of the increase in taught postgraduates was due to increased enrolments on Initial Teacher Education courses. A change in tuition fee arrangements in 2017-18, enabling taught postgraduate students to borrow up to £5,500 for tuition fees and a further £4,500 for living expenses is also likely to have contributed to the 4.2% increase in taught postgraduate students numbers in 2018-19.
Both reports as well as a statistical release on college staffing data can be found on the SFC website.
SFC is hosting a British Sign Language (BSL) Showcase Event on Thursday 9 May, at the Hilton Carlton Hotel in Edinburgh, in conjunction with BSL Scotland Act 2015 Partnership.
This free event is being run to promote British Sign Language plans within colleges and universities, and provide an opportunity for institutions and agencies to share their experiences on the introduction of BSL plans and how best we can use them to achieve progress.
It will be fully supported by BSL interpreters – staff and students who use BSL are particularly encouraged to join us on the day to take part in the discussion.
Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science Richard Lochhead MSP will provide the keynote address.
Colleges and Universities will then talk about the development of these plans and how they will be used to meet the needs of BSL students. They will also cover the challenges faced by institutions. This session will then be opened up to a panel to support an interactive discussion with the audience.
Later in the day students and interpreters will also share their experiences outlining what works well for them as well as any issues they face.
Event programme [PDF]
Lunch and refreshments will be provided throughout. Any dietary or access requirements can be noted on the accompanying registration form.
The event is free but anyone wishing to attend must register on our website by noon on Wednesday, 1 May 2019.
Four Scottish projects have been chosen to prepare final bids for the UK-wide Strength in Places Fund.
UK Research and Innovation will support the shortlisted projects to develop their case for up to £50 million of investment to drive substantial economic growth in particular areas of the country. The bids will be considered before the end of this year.
The University of Strathclyde is leading a proposal to boost a “bio-revolution” in the Central Belt by the development of new biology-based products and platforms.
The University of Glasgow is working on its bid to create a Waterfront Innovation Campus focused on the photonics, optoelectronics and quantum technology industries growing in Glasgow.
A second University of Glasgow-led project could be on track to establish the Living Lab in precision medicine, bringing medical science and innovation excellence into NHS Scotland.
Finally, FinTech Scotland is looking to succeed at the final bid stage with it plan to create a Global Centre of Excellence in Open Banking in Edinburgh.
The Strength in Places Fund is designed to make it possible for regions to tap into the world-class research and innovation carried out in universities across the UK. The fund brings together research organisations, businesses and local leaders, supporting them in working together to create new jobs and build economic prosperity in their areas.
Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation, Professor Sir Mark Walport, said:
“Our clear vision is to ensure we benefit everyone through knowledge, talent and ideas. Significant support through the Strength in Places Fund will further catalyse economic potential across the country by bringing researchers, industry and regional leadership together to drive sustained growth through world-class research and innovation.”
Stuart Fancey, Director of Research and Innovation at the Scottish Funding Council, said:
“Competition to be shortlisted was incredibly fierce and there had to be strong evidence that the projects would have a positive impact on their regions.
Scotland has world-leading research in each of its 19 universities and exciting business opportunities to build on, so Scottish-based bids were strong contenders in the process. I am delighted to see these projects making it through to the final stage. The Scottish Funding Council will continue to work hard to support them and I look forward to further good news towards the end of the year.”
The Strength in Places Fund is a UKRI programme in partnership with the Scottish Funding Council, the Office for Students and the higher education funding bodies of Wales and Northern Ireland.
A new SFC-funded £1.6 million centre for animal disease surveillance and research means faster, more reliable and more efficient diagnoses of livestock animal diseases for the whole of Scotland.
Based near Edinburgh, the new Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) Veterinary and Analytical Laboratory expects to analyse more than a million samples a year.
Diagnosing disease faster has the potential to improve response times to potential outbreaks to safeguard both animal and human health and protect the food chain
Opened today by Mairi Gougeon MSP, Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment, the SRUC Veterinary and Analytical Laboratory brings together new technology, robotics and human expertise to create a centre for excellence in animal disease surveillance and testing.
The Scottish Government supported the creation of the new laboratory through a low-cost loan from SFC’s Financial Transactions Programme.
Ms Gougeon said:
“The new SRUC central laboratory will enhance veterinary surveillance in Scotland and will create a centre of excellence at the Moredun Institute, further strengthening Scotland’s capacity and expertise in animal health. The laboratory will help to protect and develop our valuable livestock sector and the contribution it makes to the rural economy, I look forward to seeing how this work progresses in the future.”
Martin Fairbairn, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council, said:
“The new centre and the partnership between SRUC and the Moredun Research Institute is very good news for the rural sector in Scotland. The Scottish Funding Council’s £1.6 million support for the new laboratory underlines our commitment to cutting edge research and innovation as an essential part of Scotland’s future prosperity.”
Wayne Powell, Principal and Chief Executive of SRUC, said
“Animal health is a cornerstone of a thriving rural economy and the new SRUC Veterinary and Analytical Laboratory offers a step-change in disease surveillance for the whole of the country. Working with the excellent team at the Moredun Institute, this centre of excellence offers us new opportunities for research and collaboration. Partnerships like ours are the future of rural technology research for Scotland.”
Diagnosing disease faster has the potential to improve response times to potential outbreaks to safeguard both animal and human health and protect the food chain.
The SRUC Veterinary and Analytical Laboratory is based at the Moredun Research Institute at the Pentlands Science Park in Midlothian. The laboratory brings together SRUC’s diagnostic and analytical teams from around the Midlothian area – as well as Perthshire and the Borders – into a single centre for the first time.
SFC played host to top UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) officials last week for discussions around Scotland’s research and innovation strengths.
UKRI’s Chief Executive Professor Sir Mark Walport met with SFC Chief Executive Karen Watt and Director of Research and Innovation Dr Stuart Fancey to discuss Scotland’s strengths and the active partnership between SFC and UKRI.
During his visit Sir Mark also met with two Edinburgh-based life sciences companies, Synpromics Ltd and RoslinCT.
On the same day, SFC hosted a seminar chaired by UKRI Chair Sir John Kingman on the UK Government’s target of increasing R&D investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027, attended by a range of representatives from Scotland’s research, business and innovation sectors.
Sir John and Sir Mark were invited to dinner at Bute House, hosted by the Deputy First Minister John Swinney for discussion with Ministers on working together to achieve the goals of both Scottish and UK Governments.
Speaking after his visit, Sir Mark said:
“UKRI has a close working partnership with SFC and it was great to meet Karen Watt and Stuart Fancey to reflect on that relationship, and Scotland’s world-class research base, which makes a particularly significant contribution to the UK’s research excellence.”
“The research done in Scotland is of the highest quality. It was a pleasure to meet two exciting Scottish bioscience companies, RoslinCT and Synpromics Ltd, who are turning gene and cell therapy research into economic and medical reality.”
“Sir John and I were also delighted to be able to discuss our shared agendas for research, innovation and international reach with Deputy First Minister John Swinney and his ministerial colleagues. This was informed by a broader discussion on the UK’s R&D investment goals and Scotland’s research, business and innovation communities.”
Karen Watt, SFC chief executive said:
“It was fantastic to meet with Sir Mark and Sir John, and we had a very productive discussion on Scotland’s strengths in research and its commercialisation, as well as our role in achieving the 2.4% target.
“Scotland’s research productivity exceeds the UK average. However, business R&D investment has traditionally been concentrated in the south. To meet the UK target and ensure that the benefits of research are felt by all, it will be crucial that we help to attract R&D investment, both public and private, to all parts of Scotland.”
“This is an ambitious target that will require concerted efforts from all parties. However, with our world-class universities and innovation focus, Scotland is well-positioned to take advantage of the benefits the increased investment by UKRI will bring for our economy.”
The balance between care and study
Blog – Going Higher and Further for Student Carers
Blog – Who Cares? Scotland and Care Day 2019
An award designed to improve the experience of student carers studying at college has been launched at City of Glasgow College.
Administered by the Carers Trust Scotland (CTS), the award incentives and encourages colleges to adopt a sustainable, whole institution approach to identifying, supporting and reporting on student carers.
SFC awarded £121,126 in funding to CTS in 2018, towards its work to help universities and colleges better support student carers with ‘The Going Higher and Further for Student Carers’ programme.
Senior Policy/Analysis Officer Anna Wallace, who represented SFC at the launch said it was an excellent event with speakers from City of Glasgow College, Carers Trust Scotland, SFC, GCU, CDN, Borders College as well as a Student Carer.
“It was great to see what work is already underway to support student carers, but also how much more can be done by working towards the Going Further Award, which is free to participate in thanks to our funding.
“SFC is delighted to help launch Going Further as a framework for colleges to provide the best support required for their student carers, and we look forward to seeing all colleges sign up to it, to help students with caring responsibilities achieve their full potential, in spite of any additional challenges they may experience.”
For more information, see: https://carers.org/going-further-scotland.
SFC data for 2016-17 shows that:
- 10,655 student carer enrolments took place across the 27 colleges in Scotland.
- 68% of student carers are aged 25+.
- 70% of student carers are female.
- 4% of student carers are care experienced.
- 17% declared that they have a disability.
- 22% of student carers declare having a mental health difficulty.
In a challenging public sector funding environment, the SFC is pleased to be retaining teaching and research grants across the university sector at the same level as last year, while increasing funding for the college sector to meet the costs of national bargaining for lecturers and support staff. This year’s funding announcement also sees the SFC increasing funding for student support, enabling us to implement the recommendations of the Scottish Government’s Review of Student Support.
Commenting on the announcements, Chief Executive Karen Watt said:
“Against a backdrop of increasing funding pressures, the Scottish Funding Council is continuing to invest in learning and teaching and research excellence. We are also committed to ensuring that our students have the right support to allow them to fulfil their potential at the institutions we fund.”
The SFC publishes indicative funding allocations for the college and university sectors to enable them to begin their planning for the forthcoming academic year. Final allocations will be announced in May.
The Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, Richard Lochhead, has today announced a further £10.98m of investment in the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC).
The investment from the Scottish Funding Council, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise will allow CSIC to build on the foundations of a highly successful first five years and support its Phase 2 mission to mainstream innovation in construction, leading to improved productivity and growth within the sector.
Speaking at an event to promote innovation in the sector, Richard Lochhead said:
“The construction industry is a core sector of the Scottish economy, providing infrastructure to businesses across all sectors of the economy.
Our vision is for a Scotland where innovation is an intrinsic part of our culture, our society and our economy. This relies on a pipeline of knowledge and skills from universities, colleges and research institutes. Fostering connections between the worlds of industry and academia is vital in making that vision a reality for the construction sector as in others.
“This £10.98 million funding from the Scottish Government, via the Scottish Funding Council and the Enterprise Agencies, will allow the CSIC to continue its excellent work and important activities in the innovative construction landscape, to the benefit of the whole of Scotland and beyond.”
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has today announced to colleges across Scotland that it has been able to meet, in full, all colleges’ requests for additional student support funding for 2018-19.
The In-Year Redistribution of Student Support Funds is an annual exercise carried out by SFC to ensure that student support funds (bursaries, childcare, Care Experienced bursaries and discretionary funds for students up to and including NC level) are targeted to those students who need them.
This year also sees SFC delivering for the first time the Scottish Government’s commitment to pay a higher bursary to Care Experienced students on Further Education courses.
Commenting on the announcement, SFC Chief Executive Karen Watt said:
“Ensuring that our students have the right support to allow them to undertake their studies is a priority for the Scottish Funding Council. We are delighted that we have been able to meet, in full, all requests for additional student support funding for the 2018-19 academic year.”
Care Day is a national opportunity to celebrate the lives and voices of care experienced people. The first Care Day took place in 2015 to commemorate the anniversary of the Scottish Parliament passing the Children and Young People Bill. Care Day is now a regular event and takes place on the third Friday in February.
This year SFC is marking the occasion with a fundraising coffee morning. Proceeds will go towards the Who Cares? Scotland annual Summer Camp and to supporting Who Cares? Scotland’s participation in this year’s Kiltwalk.
SFC’s Vonnie Sandlan also wrote a blog ahead of Care Day about why it’s important care experienced people are supported effectively at college and university.
SFC works closely with the college and university sectors, agencies, and organisations such as Who Cares? Scotland and CELCIS, and with these partners has set a National Ambition that there is no difference in the outcomes of care experienced learners compared to their peers by 2021-22.
For more information on Care Day and how you can support it, visit Who Cares? Scotland’s Care Day 2019 campaign page.
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC), Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise have each committed £50,000 to support the UK’s largest research, industry and government partnership in carbon capture, use and storage.
Established with SFC funding in 2005, Scottish Carbon Capture & Storage (SCCS) is a research and knowledge exchange partnership between Heriot-Watt University, the University of Aberdeen, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Strathclyde, and the British Geological Survey. SCCS also works to develop research and teaching, with engagement at St Andrews, Glasgow, Robert Gordon and other universities across Scotland.
Carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) is a group of technologies that capture carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at source to prevent them being vented to the atmosphere and escalating climate change. CCUS can decarbonise the power, industry, heat and transport sectors, which account for 83% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. SCCS brings together world-leading CCUS expertise and facilities, and builds partnerships with industry and government to support the development of CCUS in the UK and internationally.
SCCS assisted in bringing Scottish experts to the EU funded ACT Acorn Project. Led by energy consultants Pale Blue DotEnergy, the Acorn project is working to develop the UK’s first operational carbon capture and storage (CCS) project at the St Fergus Gas Terminal in Aberdeenshire. The project has received funding from the Scottish Government, UK Government, and the European Union.
The project will see existing terminal infrastructure re-purposed to capture around 200,000 tonnes of CO2 per year initially, which will then be transported for storage in depleted North Sea gas fields, using re-conditioned existing pipelines.
Scientists from Heriot-Watt University, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Aberdeen worked with other experts in the UK, the Netherlands and Norway to model CO2 storage characteristics, while Robert Gordon University researched public perception around the project and the role of CCUS. SCCS has also advocated for the role of CCUS as a recognised technology in the decarbonisation of Scotland’s energy system within the Scottish Government’s work to establish a Just Transition Commission.
Professor Stuart Haszeldine, SCCS Director, said:
“We are thrilled to receive this funding, enabling us to continue our crucial work. Our goal is to realise the potential of carbon capture and storage in decarbonising the UK’s high-emitting sectors rapidly, at least cost, and enabling a just transition for skilled professionals and workers in the oil and gas sector as Scotland moves towards a zero carbon economy.”
Dr Stuart Fancey, SFC Director of Research and Innovation, said:
“Scotland is home to the knowledge that the world needs to make carbon capture and storage an everyday reality, reducing carbon emissions and mitigating climate change. SCCS brings expertise from our universities and their partners to bear on the challenges of this new technology, a technology that can work with existing oil and gas infrastructure and offer new economic opportunities for Scotland. SFC is very pleased to join Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Government in funding the continued world-leading research into carbon capture and storage by the SCCS partnership.”
Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands, said
“The Scottish Government has been consistent in our strong commitment to the development and implementation of CCUS technologies, as indicated by our providing funding to Pale Blue Dot Energy’s Acorn CCS Project at St Fergus, and to Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the International Energy Agency have both indicated that developing CCS technology will be critical to keeping global temperature increases to 2 degrees Celsius or less. I therefore welcome the opportunity to continue this commitment via the joint funding announced today. We will continue to promote Scottish CCS and CCUS opportunities and capitalise on future funding to ensure Scotland remains at the forefront of the technology’s development.
“We believe Scotland is in a unique position to undertake this technology on an industrial scale and that the opportunity to repurpose key existing pipeline infrastructure assets already in place provides the most cost-effective pathway to the deployment of CCUS. Our waters in the North Sea also provides access to vast carbon storage resources in depleted oil and gas reservoirs and we believe that coupled with our existing oil and gas capabilities, ready supply chain, and strategically important industrial clusters, Scotland is potentially the best-placed country in Europe to realise CCUS on a commercial scale.”
Andy McDonald, Director for Energy and Low Carbon Technologies at Scottish Enterprise, said:
“We’re pleased to support this initiative, which will bring the brightest minds from academia together with industry to help reduce carbon emissions and their effects on climate change. Low-carbon businesses are the future of our economy and there are many opportunities for companies looking to develop innovative technologies to aid this transition.”
CCUS is one of six priorities in the Scottish Government’s Energy Strategy and is also a key policy of the UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy’s Clean Growth Strategy. The Clean Growth Strategy states that it is a reaffirmation of the UK Government’s commitment to deploying CCUS at scale in the UK in the 2030s, subject to cost reduction.
The UK CCS Storage Appraisal has found the UK’s offshore geological storage potential at over 78 gigatonnes of CO2 (the equivalent of over 200 years of the UK’s 2017 CO2 emissions). One tonne of CO2 gas fills roughly the same space as a small house.
Globally, power and industry account for about 50% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While Scotland’s electricity system is expected to be largely decarbonised by the 2030s, the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan recognises CCS “as the only viable technology capable of mitigating industrial scale CO2 emissions in some of the world’s most carbon intensive industrial processes”.
Recently the Scottish Government published the first Annual Report on its five year STEM strategy for education and training in Scotland.
The Scottish Funding Council is proud to support Scotland’s colleges in playing a central role in the delivery of this strategy, and the STEM hub network of colleges, universities and employers working with primary and secondary schools on more joint learning opportunities – an initiative targeting all four of the strategy’s key challenges for STEM education and training in Scotland.
The following case studies highlight examples of this work, specifically around the work of the Energy Skills Partnership (ESP), a collaboration of Scotland’s regional colleges. ESP’s aim is to increase the capacity and capability to identify that the right skills are being delivered at the right time to meet industry’s demand. Through this consortium approach, ESP aims to prevent duplication of effort and investment for the energy, engineering and construction sectors.
Dumfries & Galloway First in Scotland with FIRST Lego League Junior
More than 50 primary pupils from across Dumfries & Galloway completed the IET’s First Lego League Jr challenge and attended an Expo at Dumfries & Galloway College.
This is the first time the challenge has taken place in Scotland. The children, were tasked with creating models based on a real life problem.
Each of the schools brought their finished work to Dumfries & Galloway College to showcase their models before enjoying a tour of the college’s engineering department.
The event was organised by ESP and the Raising Aspirations in Science Education (RAiSE) programme, alongside the Dumfries and Galloway College and participating schools.
FIRST Lego League Junior is a non-competitive challenge designed to introduce STEM concepts to children ages 6 to 10 while exciting them through a brand they know and love − LEGO. Teams of up to 6 members explore a real-world scientific problem such as food safety, recycling and energy. They create a Show Me poster that introduces their team and describes their learning journey. They construct a motorized model of what they learned using LEGO elements and LEGO WeDo 2.0 kits. In the process, teams not only learn about science and technology, but also build their teamwork and communication skills. The challenge places a strong emphasis on the FIRST Core Values, which include respect, sharing, and critical thinking.
RAiSE Teacher in Dumfries & Galloway Carol Moyes said:
“Inspiring young people to enjoy STEM education is vitally important in engaging a lifelong affinity for the subjects. The Lego challenge may seem like fun play but the lessons run far deeper in terms of project management, developing an eye for detail and critical enquiry.”
Alice Cochrane, Head Teacher at Caerlaverock Primary, added:
“This was a fantastic project – we all learned a lot and enjoyed the process.”
Rachel Tulloch, Project Support Manager Engineering at ESP, said:
“ESP works on behalf of Scotland’s colleges to promote energy, engineering and construction sectors and promoting working with member colleges and key partners across Scotland to promote the STEM agenda. One of our aims is to work with partners to promote these STEM sectors as careers of choice and develop seamless pathways through schools to college to university. At ESP we feel First Lego League and First Lego League Jr provide an excellent opportunity for children to develop the skills needed for these jobs of the future and to develop a flexible, project-based approach to learning.”
Big Bang Scotland Fair 2018
Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) was the focus of the Big Bang Scotland Fair held at Perth College UHI on 12 June 2018.
Hosted as an opportunity to inspire pupils from schools across Scotland to consider a career in STEM related roles, the Big Bang Fair brings STEM subjects to life with engaging interactive activities related to current jobs such as virtual welding, thermal imaging cameras and virtual reality working at heights training.
Attended by over 1300 school pupils from schools across Scotland it provided the opportunity for those attending to participate in interactive activities, meet Careers Champions, attend inspirational talks and to be inspired through having fun.
Run in partnership with EngineeringUK’s Tomorrow’s Engineers initiative, the Big Band Fair also brought together over 60 exhibitors from industry and colleges along with 13 inspirational speakers from industry partners.
Additionally, the event hosted Tomorrow’s Engineers Lego Robotics Challenge Scottish final and the Bloodhound Scotland Rocket Car Challenge final.
Jim Brown, Director of ESP, said:
“The Big Bang Scotland Fair builds on the regional events and truly inspires school pupils to consider STEM choices at school and STEM careers. Linking schools with industry is key to securing the future workforce and this is just one of our suite of interventions that support Scottish Government’s STEM Strategy.”
Margaret Cook Perth College UHI, Principal said:
“I was delighted to welcome the Big Bang Scotland to Perth College UHI. This is an extremely important agenda and it is great to see so many school pupils engaged in such a range of innovative activities which will inspire them to consider STEM choices going forward.”
Figures released today by UK university admissions service, UCAS, show early indications of a further reduction in the gap between students from the most and least deprived areas of Scotland.
Applications from 18 year olds living in Scotland’s most deprived communities are up by 0.8% while applications from school leavers in the most affluent communities remain stable. This follows figures in the recent UCAS end-of-cycle reports for 2018-19 that showed acceptances of a place at university from students living in deprived parts of Scotland had increased steadily over a three year period.
Karen Watt, Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council, said: “Today’s figures on university applications for next year show that the gap between the most and the least deprived areas of Scotland continues to narrow. We already know that actual acceptances for the current academic year confirm the same trend.
“Although there is more to be done, this is a positive sign that, working with universities, we are changing things for the better.”
“The Scottish Funding Council agrees annual outcomes with each university to accelerate progress towards fair and equal access to university.”
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Photo Credit: University of the West of Scotland
China feels the heat of Scottish technology
Creating an international voice for Scotland
As Edinburgh hosts its inaugural Chinese New Year festival this February, with a series of free and paid events and activities, it’s also worth noting Scotland’s strong research links with China.
The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) has led efforts to establish science partnerships between Scottish and Chinese science academies for a number of years, and there are many examples of Scottish universities’ research being commercialised in China, including Sunamp Ltd.
More recently, the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) has supported over 20 research partnerships in China involving 10 Scottish universities. The GCRF is a £1.5 billion UK fund, administered in Scotland by SFC, to support cutting-edge research that addresses the challenges faced by developing countries.
One of the research projects awarded funding in 2017-18 was the development of a prototype for diagnosing and managing respiratory disease (conditions such as asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)), which are at epidemic proportions in China due to poor air quality in major population centres.
Working with partners in China, Professor Des Gibson from the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) used the funding to develop a prototype low-cost capnometer (a monitoring device that measures and numerically displays the concentration of carbon dioxide in exhaled air), demonstrating required performance and testing as a precursor to clinical trialling.
A person’s respiration rate (the number of breaths taken per minute) and the amount of carbon dioxide in the air they exhale are known to be key ‘bio-markers’ in the evaluation of patients’ healthcare trends.
The project has resulted in a signed memorandum of understanding and the teams in Scotland and China are now seeking future funding to develop low cost portable point of care medical devices to help with the diagnosis and management of chronic respiratory conditions.
More broadly, China is also a focus area for the Connected Scotland partnership, and the Saltire Scholarships, a programme offered by the Scottish Government in collaboration with Scottish universities in the areas of science, technology, creative industries, healthcare and medical sciences, and renewable and clean energy. China is also considered a ‘priority country’ for the Scottish Government’s International Relations and International Trade strategies.
Student carers are part of every college and university in Scotland. However, unlike their peers, they have additional challenges due to their caring responsibilities, which can complicate or derail the successful completion of their studies. It’s estimated there are 788,000 people in Scotland voluntarily caring for a relative, friend or neighbour. This figure includes 44,000 people under the age of 18.
Many live on low incomes and 42% juggle study, work, and caring. Carers Trust Scotland (CTS) research reveals 50% of the days young adult carers spend at college or university are affected by their caring role, including arriving late, leaving early, or missing an entire day of study or classes. Students with unpaid caring responsibilities are four times more likely to drop out of college or university than their peers who are not carers.
To help address this issue, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) allocated £121,126 in funding to CTS in 2018, towards its work to help universities and colleges better support student carers with ‘The Going Higher and Further for Student Carers’ programme.
This CTS-led initiative has been designed to help all Scottish universities and colleges to identify, evaluate, and improve their support to young and student carers and to ultimately participate in a Scotland-wide quality recognition award scheme.
The programme has already proven popular with Aberdeen, Glasgow Caledonian, University of Highlands and Islands Inverness campus, and Strathclyde universities already receiving a ‘Going Higher for Student Carers: Recognition Award’, and Abertay, Queen Margaret and St Andrews working towards submitting evidence to CTS of changes they’ve made.
For young adult carers such as Keith Burns, who is studying at Strathclyde University, having dedicated support is “vital”.
“It makes us feel more welcome in our institutions as we feel that staff understand us, which means that we can then focus on realising our fullest potential as students.”
Louise Morgan, CTS Director for Scotland and Northern Ireland said: “We’re delighted the programme has secured SFC funding as we expand to work with all Scottish colleges and universities. The programme and training resources will allow colleges and universities to have a better understanding of carers and the barriers they may face whilst studying, and make real change to improve the lives of current and future student carers in Scotland.”
“Raising awareness of carers and all that they do is a good step forward towards helping carers to receive the support they need to have a life outside of caring.”
SFC Chief Executive Karen Watt said: “It is fantastic to see so many institutions already stepping up to improve the experience of student carers on their campuses. We’re very proud to be funding this work to help widen access to further and higher education, in support of the Carers (Scotland) Act, and the Scottish Government’s priority to improve the health and wellbeing of carers in Scotland.”
Today is Young Carers Awareness Day 2019 – CTS’ annual initiative to raise awareness of young people who look after family members with illness, disabilities or substance misuse issues. Find out how you can support young carers.
Read more: Jade Lochhead describes what it’s like to be a student carer and how it affected her studies.
Interface has released the shortlist for the fourth Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards, highlighting the best examples of businesses and universities or research institutions working together to bring significant benefits to the economy, society and higher education.
Award categories include Innovation of the Year, Rising Star of the Year, and Multiparty collaboration for groups and consortia involving three or more parties working together on an innovative research project and include a research partner from Scottish academia and at least one business.
The four judging panels were made up of representatives from; Scottish Funding Council, Entrepreneurial Scotland, College Development Network, Zero Waste Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Government, Knowledge Transfer Network and the Interface Strategic Board.
SFC Senior Policy and Analysis Officer Gary Bannon who sat on one of judging panels said:
“This year’s shortlist, which represents eight Scottish universities and more than 50 businesses, really highlights the scale of innovative thinking and entrepreneurship across Scotland’s business and research sectors. It’s great to see such a wide variety of effective partnerships making a difference across Scotland, as well as those with a global impact.”
Dr Siobhán Jordan, Director of Interface, said:
“Business and academic partnerships can spark truly cutting-edge collaborative projects leading to significant innovation which can have a major impact on the economy and society. We are delighted to host these annual awards, which go from strength to strength, and allow us to showcase the most exciting and game changing research and development which is happening in Scotland today.”
Funded by the SFC, Scottish Enterprise, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Interface offers a free and impartial brokerage service, which helps companies and organisations solve their business challenges by connecting them with world-leading Scottish research expertise.
The winners will be announced at the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards on Thursday 21 February.
See the full shortlist online.
Publications and Statistics
Scotland’s colleges have exceeded the Scottish Government’s target of 116,269 Full Time Equivalents (FTEs) by 2,415 FTEs in 2017-18 according to a new report published by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) today. The College Statistics 2017-18 also show an increase in the number of enrolments and in headcount which have increased by 3.9% and 2.9% respectively compared with the previous year.
These increases come against a backdrop of declining numbers of young people in the Scottish population as a whole. Between 2008-09 and 2017-18 the number of 18-19 year olds fell by approximately 8,000, yet the proportion of this age group choosing to study at college increased from 16.8% to 21.9% in the same period.
Colleges have also seen a rise in numbers across the older age groups, with increases of 10.2% and 7.0% in both the 31-40 year old and the 41-50 year old age groups respectively compared with the previous year. These results, which come following the introduction of the Flexible Workforce Development Fund, suggest a move to in-work learning and re-skilling or up-skilling as employers seek to address skills gaps.
Published alongside the College Statistics, SFC’s College Performance Indicators 2017-18 also indicate that inroads are being made in successful completion rates. Although there has been a slight drop (-0.3%) in success rates for those undertaking Higher Education courses in 2017-18 compared with last year, the success rate for those in Further Education has increased by 0.8%. Furthermore over the last 10 years there has been a 7.3% increase in successful completion for students enrolled on Further Education courses and a 7.4% increase for those enrolled on Higher Education courses.
Reflecting increasing trends over the past three years, the report also notes slight increases in successful completion rates for students from the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland (+0.4%) and for students with declared disabilities (+0.5%).
Commenting on the reports, SFC Chief Executive Karen Watt said:
“The results from the College Statistics and the College Performance Indicator Reports are hugely positive. They underline the strength of the college sector which is increasingly attractive to our young people while also offering excellent opportunities for those already in work to retrain or up-skill.
“It is good to see increases in successful completion rates across the sector, while recognising the need to better understand why some students leave courses early. It is also encouraging that success rates have increased for students from the 20% most deprived areas and students with declared disabilities. We look forward to working with the sector to identify how we can sustain and build on the improvements made in recent years.”