DOUBLE SUCCESS FOR RESEARCHERS IN ABERDEEN University of Aberdeen gains two major awards from the strategic research fund of the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council
TThe University of Aberdeen has today [Tuesday 12 May] been awarded two major research grants from the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC).
A SHEFC grant of £450,000 has been secured for the development of Scotland’s only dedicated radiochemistry facility and a big expansion of the University of Aberdeen’s Arkleton Centre for Rural Development Research is planned following a SHEFC award of £420,000.
University of Aberdeen Principal Professor C. Duncan Rice said:
“Winning two such awards clearly demonstrates that the quality of research at our University is being recognised in the best possible way - by funding its continual improvement. The award towards development work for a Radiochemistry Facility for Positron Emission Tomographic Imaging allows us to improve our existing imaging facilities, linking our expertise in molecular biology to clinical practice and applying the technology to a number of scientific disciplines and builds on the sucess of the designers of MRI, the most important technology ever invented in the North.
“The award of the Research Development Grant to the Arkleton Centre for Rural Development Research is excellent news for the University and, in particular, for colleagues at the Arkleton centre. That such a significant award is made to research of rural issues maintains Aberdeen’s strategic position of expertise at this vital time in Scotland’s policy development and devolved power. This is a tremendous boost for the North of Scotland and enhances the ability of the University to be of help to the Highlands and Islands as well as our own agricultural lowlands.”
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a scanning technique which allows doctors to see cancer tumour sizes and activity levels. It enables diagnoses and guide treatments by monitoring progress. It can also monitor brain activity levels. This is the only scanner of its type North of Cambridge and the development of a dedicated facility keeps Aberdeen at the forefront of diagnostic scanning techniques for medical purposes and research. The multi-million pound facility is being built with joint funding form the Health Board, Aberdeen Royal Hospitals and the Fraser Foundation.
Professor Graeme Catto, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Medical Sciences said:
“This is excellent news for the Medical Faculty as well as the Faculty of Science and Engineering, because the new facility will be used by a wide range of departments, including Chemistry, Psychology, Biomedical Sciences, Pharmacology and Biochemistry. It will bring about a synergy between scientists of different disciplines - a concept in which we invested heavily in the Institute of Medical Sciences and which has been recognised by this award from the Funding Council.”
The University of Aberdeen’s Arkleton Centre for Rural Development Research plans to appoint new core staff and increase its multi-disciplinary research capacity into long-term rural competitiveness and quality of life with the help of the SHEFC grant.
The Arkleton Centre for Rural Development Research was established in 1995 to research the issues of rural change and development relevant not only to Scotland but also other rural areas in Europe. The Centre draws on the expertise of academics in Land Economy, Geography, Economics, Agriculture, Sociology and other departments. Research at the Centre benefits rural communities directly with analysis of economic and social change, rural housing issues, rural poverty and deprivation, telematics and the information society and rural policy issues focusing on the emergence of new threats as well as the opportunities for rural areas. The Directors of the Centre, Professors John Bryden and Mark Shucksmith are internationally renowned for their work on rural development issues and have been called upon by the Scottish Office, the European Commission, OECD, the World Bank and others to help formulate government policies.
Professor Mark Shucksmith, Co- Director of the Arkleton Centre said:
“Rural areas and rural people in Scotland and the rest of Europe are subject to major forces of change which bring both threats and opportunities. These funds will help us to understand these processes of change and to advise on how best rural people and policy makers can build sustainable rural communities for the next century. Our work will focus on this human dimension looking both at how to promote rural development and how to address rural poverty and exclusion.
Professor John Bryden, Co-Director of the Arkleton Centre said:
“We hope to make a major contribution to rural policy and practice, not only in Scotland but also internationally. In the EU as a whole over £50 billion per annum is spent on a combination of rural policies - well over half of the total EU budget. In Scotland alone, an estimated £380 million per annum is spent on rural development by the EU on top of substantial national expenditure. How to revise or reform these policies as we enter the new Millenium is a vital question which requires a better understanding of rural economies and societies, and a greater awareness of the effectiveness of current initiatives.”
Lord Sewel, Scottish Office Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment, said:
“I am delighted to hear the wonderful news of the award of the SHEFC Development Grant to the Arkleton Centre. Rural Development Research is a particularly important area of public policy at the current time, and it is of great interest to the Government, especially in relation to Scotland and in the context of the run up to the creation of the Scottish Parliament. CAP reform and the WTO round will inevitably lead to significant economic and social change occurring in rural Scotland. It is important that research helps us to understand the impacts and processes of change, together with identifying the opportunities for positive initiatives. The Arkleton Centre focuses on bringing together and building on networks of practioners, policy makers and academics across Europe, North America and elsewhere. I fully support their priorities in researching the human and social aspects of rural change which are highly relevant to both policy making and implementation. I wish the Centre every success in the future, and look forward to the research which will spring from this significant development funding.”