News
Scottish universities awarded £2m to ‘shape the future of science’
Five Scottish projects have been awarded more than £2m to tackle some of the most pressing health and environmental challenges.
Researchers based at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow have secured part of a £9m government fund for their projects which are poised “to push the boundaries of knowledge”.
Source: Holyrood
Scotland poised to become ‘world-leader’ in quantum computing with £9m government funding
The UK Government has awarded £8.9m to three Scottish universities to help position Scotland and the UK as a “world-leader in quantum”. One quantum laboratory and two research hubs have secured a share of a new £121m fund to help tackle challenges including crimefighting, fraud, and money laundering.
Source: Holyrood
Scotland can be the “engine room of UK growth”
The Secretary of State for Scotland, the Rt Hon Ian Murray, told an audience at the University of Edinburgh’s Informatics Forum on Friday morning that Scotland can be “the engine room of UK growth”.
Source: The Edinburgh Reporter
Scottish biotech company secures £3.4 million
Scottish biotech engineering company uFraction8 has secured £3.4m in new investment, following the completion of a funding round led by Foresight Group.
Based in Falkirk with a fully-owned subsidiary in Poland, uFraction8’s microfiltration technology is designed to optimise cell and biomass production, offering an energy-efficient alternative to traditional methods used in the production of food, feed and bio-based products.
Source: Business Insider
Red squirrels' low genetic diversity poses disease vulnerability
Worryingly low levels of genetic diversity make Scotland’s red squirrels especially vulnerable to disease, a study has shown.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh said this could explain why the mammals are so slow to develop resistance to the squirrelpox virus, which is carried by non-native grey squirrels and fatal to reds.
Source: The National
Launch of a New Digital Trust Centre of Excellence in Scotland
Leading financial and technology experts have set up a new Digital Trust Centre of Excellence in Scotland to make the digital world safer and more secure.
Source: The Scotsman
Converge seeks 100 most promising academic innovators
Converge has officially launched its 2025 programme, seeking 100 exceptional researchers, creators and inventors from across Scotland’s universities to apply for a coveted place.
Large-scale study focuses on fish health and welfare
An £8.5m, large-scale research partnership seeks to improve the welfare and productivity of farmed salmon in Scotland.
In a project led by the Roslin Institute partnered with the UK’s largest salmon farmer Mowi Scotland, experts will seek to understand how to limit the impact of chronic complex diseases, enabling better health and welfare.
Edinburgh image sensor company emerges from stealth mode
Singular Photonics has emerged from stealth mode, launching a new generation of image sensors based on single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs).
A spin-out from the University of Edinburgh lab of professor Robert Henderson, Singular is one of the first companies to bring advanced computation to SPAD-based image sensing, enabling in-pixel and cross-pixel storage and computations at the lowest light levels to reveal previously invisible details.
Source: Business Insider
Pig studies support ongoing Covid-19 research
Researchers from across the University of Edinburgh and Moredun Research Institute, are collaborating in a study of gene-edited pigs to better understand severe Covid-19, providing insights into disease progression and treatment development.