Go back

In this section

SFC news published since 2018. See SFC archived content for earlier news articles.

In our second Scotland’s Climate Week blog, SFC’s Elspeth Nicholson describes this week’s event to illustrate the support of Scottish university research for energy transition and our response to the climate emergency.

In partnership with Scotland Beyond Net Zero, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) convened over 100 academics, policy makers and funders to showcase how research from Scottish universities is contributing to the Scottish and global climate emergency response. The event was also designed to promote collaboration and network building, and to explore new opportunities.

After a welcome from Christina Boswell, VP Research at the University of Edinburgh, and Professor Irene McArar-McWilliam, SFC board member, the day kicked off with a keynote speech from Professor Calum Semple, the Scottish Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser. Professor Semple stressed the Scottish Government’s commitment to bringing more science into policy making and called for more coordination across disciplines. He also highlighted that a report evidencing Scotland’s distinct strengths in environmental research will be published next week by Elsevier.

There were three showcase panels across the day. Each panel was designed to celebrate research centres across Scotland and their support for different aspects of our energy transition and climate emergency response. The first panel focused on food and green spaces. Researchers highlighted the importance of food and diet to Scotland’s net zero transition, solutions to food waste, and agricultural innovations reducing emissions from farming.

The second panel focused on the built environment. Representatives from this panel stressed the importance of community engagement, and delegates learned the importance of the built environment to the net zero journey; 45% of the net zero challenge still to be overcome is linked to the products we make and the things we do.

The third showcase panel included representatives working on the energy transition. Its discussions focused on how Scotland can transition away from reliance on oil and gas and the pathway to decarbonising the grid. Professor Jo Sharp from the St Andrews Centre for Critical Sustainabilities highlighted the importance of social science and humanities being embedded into conversations about Scotland’s transition to net zero.

The day also included a panel made up of funders and involved the research councils for  engineering and physical sciences; the natural environment; and arts and humanities. Also represented on this panel was ARIA, the organisation specialising in breakthrough research and development in underexplored areas. ARIA outlined current and future funding priorities relevant to researchers working on issues relating to the climate emergency in Scotland and globally.

The Chief Scientific Advisor for Environment and Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA), Professor Matt Williams, introduced the developing ENRA research strategy and encouraged delegates to engage with the consultation. Officials from the Scottish Government also presented on the developing Areas of Research Interest which outline areas in which the Government is seeking evidence to inform delivery of its policy priorities. This represents a real opportunity for researchers to engage and to inform policy.

Throughout the day, delegates had a chance to explore a poster display put on by projects in receipt of seed funding from Scotland Beyond Net Zero. The fund was established with the goal of fostering collaborations and partnerships which maximise the impact of research and help drive solutions for net zero in Scotland.

By convening this event, the Scottish Funding Council and Scotland Beyond Net Zero aimed to foster collaboration, create networking opportunities and allow researchers from across Scotland to come together to celebrate and raise the profile of the excellent work happening across the sector.

Scottish research is crucial to the global response to the climate emergency, supporting knowledge building on the energy system, climate resilience, buildings, transport, and food systems. All the projects, organisations, and research centres showcased throughout the day highlighted the need to engage with the public and their own willingness to do so  – bringing everyone along on the net zero journey.

Elspeth Nicholson, Policy Officer, 3 October 2025

 

Please use the links below to find out more about the organisations who contributed to the event’s three showcase panels:

Also of interest:

Share:

Back to top