Research collaborations
Contributing our expertise to internationally pre-eminent centres
Research pooling has allowed us to create, and to participate in a range of internationally pre-eminent research pools across a broad range of disciplines.
Research pools encourage innovative and cross-disciplinary research, enhance academic performance, and contribute to the development of Scotland's research base as a whole. Collaborating across research builds strong networks of academic expertise that feeds into our teaching and learning and our work to provide practical solutions for business and industry.
Our leading role in several of the Scottish higher education research pooling initiatives has enhanced our ability to compete with the very best university groups in the UK and enabled us to win major capacity building grants which are increasingly characterising the UK higher education funding landscape.
We are currently contributing to these major research pools:
- Edinburgh Research Partnership in Engineering & Mathematics (ERPem)
- Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA)
- Scottish Chemistry Pooling (ScotCHEM)
- Scottish Informatics & Computer Science Alliance (SISCA)
- Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE)
- Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Scotland (MASTS)
Building collaborations for future success
We have an extensive portfolio of research collaborations and increasingly we are expanding this collaboration through the development of strategic alliances with key industry partners.
Our strategic alliances focus on the creation of long-term relationships of mutual benefit, providing access to expertise, skills and knowledge at Heriot-Watt for our partners and providing tailored solutions through a deeper understanding of our business and industry partners’ needs. Key strategic alliance partners include:
- Cairn Energy
- Renishaw
- SELEX
- AWE
The Edinburgh Research Partnership in Engineering and Mathematics (ERPem)
Heriot-Watt, together with the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Napier University have formed ERPem. The 'pool' is organised into six Joint Research Institutes (JRIs) dedicated to world-class research, innovation and education in engineering and mathematical science and is the result of a 22m investment, of which £11.7m is being provided by the OSI and SFC.
The Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA)
Heriot-Watt University is one of eight Scottish universities that have come together to form an alliance in Physics. The SUPA alliance brings together internationally leading physics research across Scotland to form the largest physics grouping in the UK. Major research themes being pursued are astronomy, condensed matter and materials physics, energy, nuclear and plasma physics, particle physics, photonics and physics and life sciences.
ScotCHEM in Chemistry and Engineering
ScotCHEM evolved from a desire to enhance excellence in chemistry research in Scotland. It targets major funding agencies world wide and facilitates an increase in the number of postgraduate research students. Overall, it will help to sustain and develop links with the Scottish chemical and other vital, knowledge-based industries.
The Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
The Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA) is a collaboration of leading Scottish Universities. The ‘pool’ aims to work together to consolidate and develop Scotland's position as an international research leader in informatics and computer science (ICS).
The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Scotland (MASTS)
The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Scotland (MASTS) aims to keep marine science in Scotland internationally competitive by involving approximately 700 researchers from eleven institutions focusing on joint research themes.
The Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE)
The Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE) is the result of a substantial investment in economic research in Scotland (approximately £21m over 5 years). Heriot-watt is one of ten participating universities that have collaborated to focus their research in three thematic programmes: Behaviour, Incentives and Contracts, Work and Well-being and Macroeconomics, Financial Linkages and the Regions.
