News
IOM Consulting Limited secures independent future with investment from Rcapital
IOM Consulting Limited, the Edinburgh-based occupational hygiene, laboratory and professional services consultancy, today announced that it has been acquired by Rcapital. The transaction secures the independent future of the business, its laboratories and around 90 staff will transfer to IOM Consulting Limited with offices across Edinburgh, Stafford and Chesterfield.
Scotland attracts record 76 new funders to the market in 2025
A record 76 funders backed Scottish companies with risk capital for the first time in 2025, up from 73 in 2024, according to the latest Annual Newcomers Report from Young Company Finance (YCF), which tracks the financing of early-stage companies in Scotland.
Midlothian Science Zone-based Rhizocore Technologies is one of those companies, attracting five investors to the Scottish risk capital market for the first time including The First Thirty, The Grosvenor Estate and Sand River, investing alongside Scottish Enterprise and the University of Edinburgh’s Old College Capital.
Source: Scottish Financial News
SRUC named Key Innovator by European Commission for Sheep Monitoring Technology
SRUC researchers have developed an innovative Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) livestock monitoring system that has been recognised by the European Commission for its potential to transform sheep farming.
The technology, developed through the Horizon 2020 TechCare project, coordinated by SRUC, has been featured on the European Commission's Innovation Radar platform, which identifies high-potential innovations emerging from EU-funded research. As part of the recognition, SRUC has been named a Key Innovator.
Scottish students secure international Saltire Scholars roles
A record number of Scottish university students have secured internships through the Saltire Scholars programme this summer.
A total of 208 undergraduates have secured placements through the initiative, run by Entrepreneurial Scotland, making it the programme's largest intake to date.
Source: The Herald
More than 700,000 specimens of insects and plants to be digitised to 'unlock' critical information
Detailed observations on more than 2,000 species of moths collected over a 50-year period are to be digitised alongside hundreds of thousands of other specimens in a multi-million project to allow scientists to “unlock” critical information held in Scotland’s national sciences collections.
Source: The Scotsman
SNIB tightens exposure to risk but broadens targets
Scotland’s state-owned development bank is tightening its exposure to risk by backing companies with an established growth record and a clear market advantage in their sector.
David Ritchie, who was installed as chief executive of the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) in January, has also revealed he will broaden the range of companies it is targeting.
Source: Scottish Financial News
Research organisations launch collective alliance
The National Research Organisations (NRO) Group brings together more than 40 UK science and research organisations dedicated to advancing science for the benefit of people, communities, the economy, the environment and national resilience.
Three research organisations 'in the zone' are part of this collective alliance - Roslin Institute, Moredun Research Institute and UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH).
SRUC launches its largest ever Board recruitment drive
SRUC has begun a search for up to seven non-executive Board Members as part of a planned programme of Board succession and skills renewal aligned to its new strategy.
This is the first time since the creation of SRUC in 2012 that opportunities of this scale have become available to play a leading in the success and growth of SRU
Discovering what’s Brewing at BioCampus
Midlothian Science Zone Business Forum in June was hosted at Vault City Brewing’s new premises on BioCampus following a major refit of a building three times larger than the company’s former site in Portobello, and increasing production capacity by more than eight million litres a year!
Happy cows or moody cows – existing farm tech can tell the difference
Scientists in Scotland have discovered that sensors on dairy farms could help identify happier, healthier herds.
A new study from the Digital Dairy Chain, part of the SRUC-led UKRI Strength in Places programme, has revealed that technology already worn by thousands of dairy cows could become a powerful new tool for monitoring animal wellbeing – helping farmers identify both thriving herds and those needing extra supp