News
Biotech firm raises £4.5M for North American expansion
Rhizocore Technologies, a biotechnology company which uses fungi to improve tree growth and survival rates, has secured £4.5 million in investment to scale its innovative approach to forestry and woodland restoration. This investment comes after surging demand for Rhizocore’s fungal tree health pellets.
Edinburgh launch for Scotland's first district heating education centre
Scotland’s first dedicated district heating education centre has been established at the Energy Training Academy (ETA) in Edinburgh.
A purpose-built conference and events facility, the Heat Network Suite is a dedicated area which will be used to help educate people on the benefits of district heat networks.
Source: The Scotsman
HRH The Princess Royal visits Moredun Research Institute to learn about emerging livestock diseases linked to climate change
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal visited the Moredun Research Institute on Thursday 30th October 2025 to learn about emerging livestock disease challenges linked to climate change and to meet researchers working to protect animal health in Scotland.
The visit coincided with an event on Livestock Infectious Diseases in a Changing Climate, exploring how changing weather patterns and shifting ecosystems are bringing new disease threats to UK livestock farming.
Scottish venture capital investment soars in Q3 2025
Venture capital investors have ramped up their support for start-up and scale-up companies in Scotland, signalling their appetite to back companies engaged in a range of sectors, from technology and life sciences to energy and manufacturing.
According to the latest KPMG Private Enterprise Venture Pulse report, venture capital investment increased in the third quarter of 2025 with Scottish businesses raised £116.1 million – up more than 200% from £36.2 million in Q2.
Source: DIGIT
Moredun welcomes Dr Valentina Busin as new Head of Virus Surveillance Unit
The Moredun Group is delighted to welcome back another familiar face, Dr Valentina Busin has returned to Moredun as Head of Virus Surveillance Unit (VSU).
Valentina is a farm animal veterinarian, specialising in small ruminant medicine and management. After graduating in 2007 from the University of Turin, Italy, she moved to Scotland and spent few years in mixed and farm animal practice, before following her passion for sheep and goats and obtaining the Diploma for the European College of Small Ruminant Health Management in 2014.
Virtual dairy farm aims to transform industry
Researchers in the south of Scotland have unveiled virtual farm technology they hope could help transform the dairy industry.
Farm-twin is free to download code which allows the creation of a model of an entire farm system - from individual animals to infrastructure - using real-time data sensors.
Source: BBC News
Edinburgh Napier University and biotech firm AlgiSys announce collaboration
A new partnership between Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) and Scottish American biotechnology company AlgiSys will aim to harness the environmental potential of algae to address global pressures on food supply.
AlgiSys’ innovative technology uses biomass fermentation of microalgae to create a clean, vegan source of EPA rich omega-3s and plant protein. Omega-3s are commonly found in fish oil and have widespread health benefits for humans, animals and fish.
Pioneer and Ignite! host annual Ada Lovelace Day celebration
Pioneer Group opened its UK sites to primary and secondary school children for Ada Lovelace Day, celebrating the achievements of women in STEM and inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.
The event, which is designed to highlight the critical role of women in science, was the eighth annual Ada Lovelace Day celebration run by Pioneer in collaboration with educational charity Ignite!.
Plans for £55 million Straiton Junction relief road lodged
Plans for a new £55m road which will ease congestion around the Straiton Junction in Midlothian have been lodged with the council’s planners.
The A701 relief road is expected to take around 9,000 vehicles off the main route every day and could boost the local economy by £189m.
Source: Business Insider
£125,000 Microfinance Fund launched to boost Scotland’s academic innovation pipeline
The Scottish Government and Converge have today joined forces to launch a new £125,000 Microfinance Fund aimed at accelerating Scotland’s pipeline of academic start-ups.
Designed to help students, graduates and university staff take that all important first step towards starting a business, the new initiative will allocate £5,000 to each of Scotland’s 19 universities with grants distributed through university channels.