CASE STUDY 1:
WORLD LEADING SCOTTISH RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
Scottish science has given birth to many innovations such as the telephone, anaesthesia and penicillin. More recently, Scotland has been the home of world-leading breakthroughs in medicine such as keyhole surgery, beta blockers and cloning. The following provides a glimpse of some areas of research in Scotland where there is promise of further great achievement on the world stage.
Informatics
Informatics, which embraces the wider development of computer science, has the potential to revolutionise research and development across a wide range of subjects including healthcare, finance and electronics. The University of Edinburgh leads the UK in this area, and has recently embarked on a major expansion of its activities with the construction of a new £42 million Informatics Forum, including a £14 million contribution from the Executive.
E-Health
E-Health - the use of information and communications technology to improve speed and quality of health treatments - is particularly ripe for world-leading advances to be made in Scotland. Scotland is already the home for outstanding expertise in medical and computing sciences, proteomics, bioinformatics and systems biology. Other factors give Scotland an advantage in this area - its population size and stability, its relatively poor health record and the quality of existing medical databases, can all be used to help drive progress.
Gravitational waves
The Institute of Gravitational Research at the University of Glasgow is pioneering research into the detection of gravitational waves, first predicted by Einstein. The Institute is collaborating with universities in Germany and the US and leading the research in many aspects. Research could lead to many unexpected technological applications such as stable lasers and special reflective optical coatings.
Stem cell research and development
Edinburgh is home to Europe's largest and most highly-regarded stem cell research community. In this fast developing area, Scotland already has a strong focus on the commercial opportunities and is attracting significant inward investment. Scotland will be aiming to develop a critical mass of fundamental stem cell science in the UK and to develop strong links between this research and clinical application.
Micro- and Optoelectronics
The company Wolfson Microelectronics plc is designing and developing high performance mixed signal semiconductors for multimedia and communications applications. Wolfson has designed more than 80 products, and sells to some of the world's leading digital consumer electronics manufacturers including Apple, Hewlett Packard, Sony, Samsung and Palm. Other pioneering Scottish companies in the field include MicroEmissive Displays, Critical Blue and Intense Photonics.
Medical devices and testing
Axis Shield is developing proprietary diagnostics kits for use in areas such as cardiovascular and neurological diseases, arthritis, alcohol abuse and diabetes and was the first Scottish biotechnology company to achieve a Stock Exchange listing. Other pioneering medical companies include IDMOS and Biopta. Many other companies are involved in developing innovative medical imaging techniques and this remains a key area for potential exploitation by the optoelectronics sector in Scotland. IDMOS is now listed on the Alternative Investment Market.
Drug discovery
Scotland's universities have major strengths in drug discovery with advances in genomics and proteomics speeding up developments in this field. The Roslin Institute continues its groundbreaking genomics research. High-profile companies include Ardana, Cyclacel, ProStrakan, and CXR Bioscience. Ardana is now listed on the Alternative Investment Market.
Energy
Scotland has abundant natural energy resources as well as a long history of pioneering development in the energy industry. Several Scottish universities are either leading or participating in UK Research Council programmes such as the SUPERGEN Marine Energy Research programme and the Future Network Technologies programme. Companies such as Ocean Power Delivery are developing new renewable energy technologies, such as the Pelamis wave energy converter, and others such as MTEM and Brinker are developing new technologies for the oil and gas industry.