Research and innovation are among Scotland’s economic assets, and it’s official that Scotland’s university research is more actively linked to industry than in any other area of the UK when measured by joint authorship of academic papers.
A new report out from Frontier Economics today, commissioned by the Scottish Funding Council reinforces & quantifies the strong collaboration between Scottish universities and business on research and innovation. Amongst the highlights:
- In 2023-24 Scottish universities had 7,000-plus external research grants and contracts, half of which were with Scottish small and medium-sized enterprises.
- In the same period, there were over 12,000 consultancy interactions and over 6,000 instances of university involvement in business career development.
- Outside London, Scottish research is more actively linked to industry than in any other area of the UK when measured by joint authorship of academic papers.
- The report also shows that Scottish businesses are much more likely than other businesses in the UK overall to report information from universities as being highly important for their innovation activities.
Commenting on the report, a Universities Scotland spokesperson said:
“There is huge potential for economic growth in Scotland, with universities a key economic and social asset to strengthen that growth through research and innovation. Today’s report shows how increased economic returns can be achieved through partnerships between universities and industry.
“The report highlights how the research ecosystem that exists across our higher education institutions can offer opportunities for businesses. Interface plays a central role in bringing together academic communities and businesses from across all cities and regions in Scotland, and this report provides clear evidence that investment in Scottish university research delivers strong returns for our economy.
“Our universities are not only producing world-class knowledge, but are actively getting that knowledge into the hands of Scottish businesses more effectively than almost anywhere else in the UK.”
Read the report on the Scottish Funding Council’s website.