Heriot-Watt and Charles River Laboratories advance health innovation through strategic alliance

Heriot-Watt University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Charles River Laboratories Edinburgh Limited, strengthening a long-standing relationship through a new strategic academic alliance.

Charles River Laboratories, a global leader in preclinical and clinical research, is co-located on Heriot-Watt’s 80-acre Research Park, an established innovation district where leading businesses and researchers collaborate to accelerate scientific discovery and societal and commercial impact.

The new agreement builds on many years of collaboration between the two organisations in analytical chemistry and biosciences, formalising joint ambitions to advance research, innovation, and workforce development across Scotland’s growing life sciences sector. Together, Heriot-Watt and Charles River will explore new opportunities for translational research, shared facilities, and industrially focused postgraduate programmes designed to meet the evolving needs of the biosciences industry.

Professor Gillian Murray, Deputy Principal for Business and Enterprise at Heriot-Watt University, said: “This partnership deepens our collaboration with Charles River and exemplifies how universities and industry can work together to shape the future innovation clusters that will deliver innovation across life sciences supply chains. By combining Charles River’s global expertise with Heriot-Watt’s strengths in impactful research and world-leading education — particularly across health and care technologies, data science, and robotics — we can accelerate innovation that benefits patients and the wider economy.”

Geoff Burns, General Manager at Charles River Laboratories, added: “We’re proud to strengthen our partnership with Heriot-Watt University and to play an active role in developing the next generation of bioscience talent. By combining academic insight with industrial expertise, we can accelerate innovation, create meaningful learning experiences, and contribute to the continued growth of Scotland’s life sciences ecosystem.”

In addition to collaborating on world leading research, the alliance will also focus on developing talent pathways from school to postgraduate level; supporting student employability through lectures, industry projects, and internship opportunities, while expanding lifelong learning for professionals across the biosciences supply chain.

This collaboration aligns closely with Heriot-Watt’s emergent Strategy 2035, which emphasises purposeful partnerships and research with real-world impact. It also reinforces the university’s commitment to transforming healthcare through innovation, from engineering and data to clinical translation, as part of its mission to build an equitable, sustainable, and enriching society.