John Swinney welcomes Crichton agreement
Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC)
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has welcomed the announcement by Public Finances Minister Kate Forbes of a £156,000 investment to address gaps in the accessibility and availability of rural (forestry, agriculture and horticulture) training across the south of Scotland.
Led by SFC and delivered by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), this funding will provide for two mobile learning centres, fitted out with equipment which individual schools, colleges or other businesses would not otherwise be able to access for rural skills courses. These mobile centres will be available to schools across the region to help in the delivery of Rural Skills National 4 and 5 level courses. The colleges will provide suitably qualified staff to deliver the courses as part of an agreed delivery programme.
Complementing this practical hands-on learning, funding will also be used to investigate the development of online rural training packages, building on best practice from elsewhere in the UK and overseas. This element of the programme also has the potential to align with the Hub and Spoke project announced last year, with delivery of courses through the recently commissioned South of Scotland Skills and Learning Network at Borders College (Hawick), Dumfries & Galloway College (Stranraer), the “Bridge” (Dumfries), Eyemouth High School and other schools linked to the network.
Commenting on the funding announcement, Michael Cross, Interim Director of Skills, Access and Outcome Agreements at SFC, said:
“Through active participation in the South of Scotland Economic Partnership, SFC is delighted to be playing a vital role in developing opportunities for young people in the south of Scotland, enabling them to stay in the area, while at the same time addressing urgent skills gaps which will help the local economy to flourish.
“We look forward to working with our partners at SRUC and beyond to ensure the successful delivery of this new programme which will see the provision of both practical skills delivery and online learning, complementing the investment we have already made across the south of Scotland to deliver digital learning through the further and higher education institutions and in partnership with local schools.”
A new report published today by the Scottish Science Advisory Council (SSAC) has found that Scotland’s science and research base is punching above its weight, particularly in relation to the quality of its research and its international collaborations.
Confirming Scotland’s long-held reputation for research excellence, the report, which compares the performance of Scotland’s science and research base with the other UK nations and selected EU and non-EU countries, identifies the following key highlights:
- Scotland produces more academic publications per researcher.
- Scotland’s research is cited more often than research from competitor nations.
- Investment in Business Enterprise Research and Development has doubled over the past decade.
- Scotland has an increasing and consistently higher share of publications with international partners and with higher impact than the UK average.
However, while the report highlights that there is good reason to be positive, it does also offer a cautionary note. It notes that emerging research-intensive nations such as Singapore, India and Brazil are growing their capability and capacity.
Commenting on the publication, Stuart Fancey, Director of Research and Innovation at the Scottish Funding Council, said:
“This report confirms our long-held understanding that Scotland’s researchers are among the best in the world, working collaboratively with global partners to produce world-leading research to help address the issues not only of today but also those of tomorrow. We cannot be complacent in the face of increasing competition, but that competition does bring the possibility of developing new partnerships, building on our already strong reputation for global collaboration.
“The Scottish Funding Council looks forward to continuing its support of Scotland’s research and science base, providing funding to our universities, colleges and innovation centres, to ensure that Scotland maintains its strong position as a world-leading research nation.”
Background
The report was commissioned by the SSAC and funded by the SSAC, the Scottish Funding Council, Universities Scotland, and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. These partners were joined on the project steering group by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise.
Elsevier were commissioned to undertake a metrics-based assessment of Scotland’s science landscape 2007-2016. The full report is available on the SSAC website.
The report compares the Scottish research base to that of England, Wales, Northern Ireland (and the whole of the UK, including Scotland), selected EU countries of similar size and research base (Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden) and selected non-EU countries of similar size and research base (Israel, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland).
New figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency’s (HESA) show that in 2017/18 the proportion of students from the most deprived areas entering Scottish universities was the highest it’s ever been.
HESA’s Higher Education Student Statistics 2017/18 publication shows 15.6% entrants were from the 20% most deprived postcode areas (SIMD20). The result is just 0.4 percentage points off the 2021 target set following the 2016 Commission on Widening Access.
Figures also show the number of Scottish domiciled students attending Scottish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) increased by 2.1% in 2017/18, and the number of entrants increased by 3.2%.
Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science Richard Lochhead said: “These statistics highlight the good progress being made on widening access to higher education. I’m pleased to see more Scots going to university here and a record increase in entrants from our most deprived areas.
“Combined with recent UCAS statistics, this shows demonstrable progress towards giving every young person in Scotland an equal chance of success, no matter their background or circumstance.
“It is also great to see a record number of enrolments and an increased number of qualifications achieved in 2017/18. All of this speaks to the level of excellence found across our higher education institutions.”
SFC Chief Executive Karen Watt said: “This is a great result for our young people, our future economic prosperity and the sort of society we want to build; and it’s a great result for our universities who are working with us to widen access to higher education in Scotland.
“While there is still more to do, good progress is being made to ensure children growing up in our most deprived communities have the same opportunity to go to university as anybody else.”
A new national research centre focused on what happens to oil and gas infrastructure when it’s no longer needed has been unveiled by the University of Aberdeen today.
SFC supported the development of the National Decommissioning Centre (NDC), which is the result of £38m partnership between the Oil & Gas Technology Centre and the University of Aberdeen, as part of the Aberdeen City Region Deal
Combining industry expertise with academic excellence, the NDC aims to work in partnership with companies to become the global leader in R&D focused on reducing costs, extending field and asset life, and transforming the traditional approach to decommissioning.
100 offshore platforms and 7,500km of pipeline are forecast to be decommissioned or reused over the next decade on the UK Continental Shelf. With costs estimated to reach £60bn by 2050, the NDC will help deliver the £21bn savings target set by industry regulator, The Oil & Gas Authority.
By linking industry demand and expertise with academic capability and skills in the field, the NDC aims to help create competitive advantage, not only for the oil and gas industry, but for decommissioning challenges in the wider energy sector such as offshore renewables.
Home to the most powerful industrial laser at any UK academic institution, the NDC features a hyperbaric testing vessel which can simulate ocean conditions 6,500m, an indoor freshwater immersion tank, environmental chambers for temperature testing from -40C to +180C and hangar space for the design and construction of decommissioning technology.
SFC contributed £50,000 to the project, which enabled the conclusion of the NDC’s full business plan and an additional capital investment of £1.9m from the Scottish Government’s Decommissioning Challenge Fund, as well as supporting the first cohort of the University of Aberdeen’s new MSc in Decommissioning.
The three month projects undertaken by the MSc students enabled work place learning with key stakeholders involved in the decommissioning and late life industry, including the regulators, industry partners and industry bodies. Their projects covered a range of disciplines from engineering, environmental science, to economics and law all relating to decommissioning challenges.
Dr Stuart Fancey, Director of Research and Innovation for the Scottish Funding Council said:
“SFC is very pleased to have supported the development of the NDC and to have contributed to funding the first cohort of MSc Students in Decommissioning, giving Scottish oil and gas businesses timely access to the skilled workforce they need for the decommissioning opportunity ahead.
This cutting edge facility is a fantastic asset for Scotland and provides industry with an open door to our world-leading research and development, boosting our economy through the maintenance and decommissioning of existing oil and gas infrastructure.”
Professor Vikki Boliver, Professor of Sociology at Durham University, will visit Edinburgh on 25 March to give the 2nd annual memorial lecture in honour of Professor David Raffe.
Professor Boliver’s research focuses on the social inequalities of access to higher education and she is the author of SFC’s recent report on contextualised admission to university.
Professor Boliver’s public lecture will draw on the findings of the SFC report to show that university entry requirements in Scotland could be significantly reduced for disadvantaged learners without ‘setting them up to fail’. Professor Boliver will also discuss the scope for more radical reductions in entry requirements coupled with more active support for students’ learning.
The lecture will be at held the University of Edinburgh’s Moray House School of Education. The event is free but anyone wishing to attend is required to book their place via Eventbrite.
The Scottish Funding Council is pleased to announce that Inverness College UHI and West Lothian College have been successful in their bids for the Men in Early Years Challenge Fund, launched by Minister for Children and Young People Maree Todd in October.
Currently, only 4% of the current workforce in Scotland is male – the £50,000 fund is designed to increase the number of men working in early learning and childcare (ELC), and bids were invited for evidence-based pilot projects that could be replicated across urban and rural areas.
The successful colleges will now use this funding for pilot projects in their regions focused on increasing applications from male students, and retaining those students to successfully complete Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) registered ELC qualifications.
Michael Cross, SFC’s Interim Director, Access, Skills & Outcome Agreements said, “We had seven submissions from colleges around Scotland, and we’re really grateful to all those that took the time to submit proposals.”
“The range of submissions highlighted a strong appetite from the sector to work in new ways to address the stubborn under-representation of men in childcare, diversifying the workforce by bringing a greater range of passionate, dedicated people on to ELC courses in Scotland’s colleges. We encourage the sector to continue to work with new and existing partners towards this aim.”
The Challenge Fund is part of a range of measures that will tackle gender inequality, consistent with SFC’s Gender Action Plan; and it should inform future developments in the ELC curriculum.
“Meanwhile, we encourage all colleges to continue to seek new ways of working and ensuring gender equality is embedded across their ELC training, so that practitioners are equipped to tackle – not reinforce – gender stereotypes when they enter the profession.”
On 29 January, Scotland Women in Technology and BCSWomen Scotland are coming together to host their first joint event of 2019.
The event, which will be held at the iconic Edinburgh headquarters of the Lloyds Banking Group, will feature two alumni of SFC’s data analysis summer internships. Laura Hepburn and Lily Samett will talk about their work with SFC’s Performance Measurement and Analysis Team and discuss the benefits of the internships for their own future careers and for the Scottish Funding Council.
Alongside Laura and Lily’s presentation, the event will provide opportunities for networking as well as the chance to find out more about the work of Scotland Women in Technology and BCS (British Computer Society) Women Scotland.
SFC’s Cathy Mitchell, who will introduce the presentation, said: “These two organisations are at the forefront of inspiring and supporting women in their careers in science and technology. It’s fantastic that they’re coming together to host this event and it’s great that the event will focus on SFC and its use of data. I’m really looking forward to introducing Laura and Lily’s talk and am sure it will be well received.”
The event is free and starts at 5:30pm. It can be booked via Eventbrite.
Change is in the wind when it comes to energy generation in Scotland. Wind turbines generated 98% of the country’s power in October 2018, and Scottish Power now generates all its power from wind, having recently sold off its last coal power station.
Green as the product might be, the instruments of this clean energy revolution are still subject to wear and tear. The turbines at the UK’s largest windfarm in Whitelee, Scotland measure 300ft to the tip of the blade and make 17 revolutions per minute, at a speed of 150mph. With an estimated lifecycle of 25 years, a considerable amount of upkeep goes into keeping the lights on at home.
Helping to minimise this impact is Renewable Parts Ltd. (RPL), a small-to-medium enterprise established in Lochgilphead, Argyll in 2011. Founder Ewan Anderson started the business, now the UK’s largest independent supply chain specialist, with an ethos of reducing the sector’s carbon footprint and getting new use out of parts once considered unserviceable.
Dealing with nearly 400 active suppliers and more than 4500 line items from their Glasgow inventory, RPL position themselves as a one-stop supply shop for customers dealing in everything from whole turbines to consumables like oils and circuit boards. However, Chief Executive James Barry says “there’s no added value in just selling on price”.
“Our drive is innovation and partnership – investing in people, software, analytics and refurbishment capability. We ask ourselves how we can add value to our customer’s business and we’re asking our customers to think harder about what they’re doing, to see where they can improve.”
Seeking to expand their business in the repair and remanufacture of wind turbine parts, RPL came to Interface, an SFC-funded organisation set up to connect businesses with world-leading Scottish academic expertise.
Interface was able to successfully match RPL with relevant experts at the University of Strathclyde’s Electronic and Electrical Engineering department, the Strathclyde Institute for Operations Management, and the Scottish Institute for Remanufacture – to investigate the new business models RPL wanted to pursue.
David McMillan, Senior Lecturer and Project Leader at the University of Strathclyde says the project offered the University the opportunity to apply its expertise in turbine reliability and operations management “in a new way, which really made us think about how we process and present this kind of data.”
Beyond shaping RPL’s future service offerings, McMillan says the project has led to multiple further collaborations with experts at Strathclyde.
“The local supply chain will be crucial to keep wind turbines running and we are happy to have played a part in facilitating that, in partnership with RPL and Interface.”
A major outcome from RPL’s Interface partnership, together with funding it secured through the Energy Technology Partnership, is its new manufacturing base in Lochgilphead’s old ambulance station. The Renewable Parts Refurbishment Centre was opened by Strathclyde Vice-Chancellor Sir Jim McDonald in October. RPL now refurbishes and manufacturers parts in Scotland that might have otherwise been sourced from overseas. The result is a more responsive, more agile supply chain that reduces customer cost of ownership. The component fixes provided are of high quality and fully warranted. But critically, this development is also creating much needed employment in the local economy, says Barry.
“By the end of next year we expect to have four more people working there and we’ve just started our apprenticeship scheme as well. People are very positive about it. I think it’s refreshing to see a small business expanding in a rural area, providing high-quality skilled jobs.”
Another example of the added value RPL can offer following its Interface partnership is in its remote warehousing capability. Using new software, he says the company can advise customers using data analytics it collects on turbine trends and stock and parts consumption.
“We work with a range of people like Scottish Power, E.ON and Innogy who see the importance of the insight we provide and as a result we’re seeing continued sales growth – more people want to do business with us because they can see the value we add.”
To other businesses looking at the benefits of an Interface partnership, Barry says “we can’t say enough good things. Strathclyde is a leading institution when it comes to renewables but they also have strong ties with industry, especially when it comes to applied knowledge”.
“The whole nature of research and development is that you must anticipate the occasional misfire; this is the essence of innovation and pushing boundaries. It’s all part of the learning process of pursuing a higher tech route, investing in skills and knowledge, to create long term value.”
“Innovation takes a lot of belief and resilience but I think the Scottish Government has the right policies and funding to support those businesses willing to take the step. RPLs’ recent award from Zero Waste Scotland is a huge vote of confidence in the business and our pioneering work in the wind industry. We’re hugely proud to be the first SME in the sector to receive this level of support.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon recently announced a new £5 million investment into the national Interface programme, to continue its work matching businesses with Scotland’s world-leading academic expertise.
“Scotland is home to some of the most highly-rated research institutions in the world and we continue to invest to ensure this leads to practical industry innovation. This further investment from the Scottish Funding Council and the enterprise agencies in Interface will help to amplify our talent and expertise by connecting national and international industry with all of Scotland’s universities, research institutes and colleges,” the First Minister said.
“This boosts productivity, profits and exports and creates jobs, and many companies that have benefited from Interface funding say their project would not have happened without its support.”
Dr Siobhán Jordan, Director of Interface, said: “Businesses don’t always know how to tap into academic expertise; this funding will ensure that Interface can continue to make valuable connections leading to transformational collaborative research and development.”
John Kemp, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council, said: “RPL’s story is a great example of the role Interface plays in supporting innovation in the Scottish economy, creating jobs and prosperity. I’m delighted SFC and its partners are able to make this investment and look forward to seeing the benefits it will bring to Scotland.”