AInternationally renowned expert in rural affairs policy Professor John Bryden has been appointed director of the UHI PolicyWeb - the new think tank created to give the Highlands and Islands a stronger voice in setting Scottish and UK Government policy.
UHI PolicyWeb is led by Inverness College UHI with initial funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise. It brings together the best minds in social and public policy in the north. Professor Bryden, chair of human geography at the University of Aberdeen and co-director of the Arkleton Institute, is acknowledged internationally for his work on European rural development issues. He is presently on the International Advisory Boards for the Polson Institute for Global Studies at Cornell University and the University of Guelph, and is a visiting Fellow at the Rural Policy Research Institute in the USA. In addition, he is chairman of the International Rural Network. When he takes up the UHI post on August 2 he will become Professor Emeritus at the University of Aberdeen.
Over the next three years he will be responsible for developing PolicyWeb and encouraging a network of researchers, academics and others involved in social and public policy in the Highlands and Islands to collaborate, with the intention of helping to shape Government policy on issues of importance to the region.
One of his first engagements will be speaking at the forthcoming Sustaining Highland Communities conference which is taking place on May 12 in Inverness. Professor Bryden's paper will assess the reasons for some rural areas performing better than others. He will also assess the implications for policies.
Acknowledging the challenge faced by PolicyWeb, Professor Bryden said: "I am very pleased to be joining PolicyWeb while also being able to maintain my existing links with Aberdeen and The Arkleton Trust, and other universities and institutes at home and abroad.
"PolicyWeb is an exciting and challenging venture. As the most sparsely populated region in the UK, the Highlands and Islands must be well informed about the impacts of any policy developments.
"We will use the expertise of people working inside and outside the UHI partnership and improve our pool of knowledge for issues affecting us. This way we can ensure decision-makers and local people are well briefed."
UHI principal, Professor Bob Cormack, said: "The development of the PolicyWeb allows UHI to tackle directly an important part of its mission - promoting the economic, social and cultural well being of the Highlands and Islands. Social and public policies need to be shaped which take account of the complexity and diversity of conditions and circumstances in the Highlands and Islands and promote these policies to the Scottish Parliament. With Professor John Bryden in post we are confident we can now move forward on this central aspect of the UHI mission."
Inverness College UHI, which is leading the UHI PolicyWeb initiative, is one of the 14 academic institutions and research centres which comprise the UHI Millennium Institute network. The initiative is also being supported by the local councils and other public bodies in the Highlands and Islands.
The think tank will not be restricted to the Highlands and Islands as the format offers an ideal way to develop the links with other rural areas of Scotland, as well as similar geographical areas in other countries.