News
New vertical farm a first for Scottish education
SRUC has stepped up its commitment to global and local food production and security by becoming the first higher education institution in Scotland to open a commercial-sized vertical farm.
Jim Fairlie MSP, Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, officially opened the £1.8 million SRUC Vertical Farming Innovation Centre – which has received £200,000 from the Scottish Government – at the Edinburgh Campus of Scotland’s Rural College.
Funding boost for fertility technology
Dyneval, a pioneering agriculture fertility technology company has raised £515,772 in a new funding round, including investment from Lifted Ventures, to advance its groundbreaking product, the Dynescan.
The Dynescan is the first semen analyzer capable of measuring semen quality over time under conditions mimicking the reproductive tract.
Application of new technology to make an affordable anti-parasite vaccine
Scientists at the Moredun Research Institute, in Midlothian Science Zone, and the Pirbright Institute, in Surrey, have been awarded a £1.7 million grant over three years by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a vaccine against a life-threatening parasite of sheep and goats.
‘Cool Calf’ could help accelerate dairy journey to net zero
Hilda may look like an ordinary calf, but the sprightly, Scotland-born animal represents an historic moment for the world’s longest-running livestock genetics project and could help accelerate the dairy industry’s journey to net zero.
Why birth of IVF calf Hilda in Scotland is being hailed as a milestone for greener farming
Vets working on a project to breed more environmentally-friendly cows have described as “hugely significant” the birth of a calf using IVF, saying it could accelerate the dairy industry’s journey to net zero.
The calf, named Hilda, is part the Dumfries-based Langhill Herd, which has been a source of data for the UK dairy industry for more than half a century.
Source: The Scotsman
How Edinburgh pioneer behind 'holy grail' gene therapy technology raised £3 million
An Edinburgh-based biotech pioneer behind technology described as the “holy grail for emerging gene therapies” has been given a £3 million funding injection.
Concinnity Genetics - co-founded by Jessica Birt and Matthew Dale - has developed novel control mechanisms using a cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) platform and its synthetic biology expertise.
Source: The Scotsman
Converge appoints new executive director
Converge has appointed Adam Kosterka as its new executive director, as the organisation prepares to launch its 2025 programme.
He has been serving as interim director since August, following the departure of Claudia Cavalluzzo, and brings experience in innovation and enterprise development to the permanent role.
Source: Business Insider
Carbogenics secures funding for overseas expansion
Carbogenics has closed its latest funding round, securing just under £500,000.
The University of Edinburgh spin-out turns difficult-to-recycle secondary-biomass into a product called CreChar. This is a carbon-rich, porous material should help stabilise the performance of anaerobic digestion plants.
Source: Business Insider
Unleashing start-up talent
A package of measures to help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses will be delivered next year with funding in the draft Scottish Budget 2025/26. As part of £15 million investment, at least £4 million will be invested to expand the number of women entrepreneurs by providing tailored support at the earliest stages of business creation.
New multi-million government funding to make Scotland world-leading start-up hub
The Scottish Government has announced a series of measures to unleash start-up talent and bridge the gender gap in the entrepreneurial sector.
As part of the £15m allocated to the start-up economy in the draft Scottish Budget 2025/26, £4m will be invested in encouraging female entrepreneurs.
Source: Holyrood