News

Peatlands project to tackle greenhouse gas emissions
A major new project has been launched to tackle greenhouse gas emissions from drained peatlands.
SRUC is the UK lead in the EU-funded Horizon Europe project 'Socio-Economic and Climate and Environmental Aspects of Paludiculture' (Paludi4all) – the productive use of wet and rewetted peatlands.

New vertical farm a first for Scottish education
SRUC has stepped up its commitment to global and local food production and security by becoming the first higher education institution in Scotland to open a commercial-sized vertical farm.
Jim Fairlie MSP, Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, officially opened the £1.8 million SRUC Vertical Farming Innovation Centre – which has received £200,000 from the Scottish Government – at the Edinburgh Campus of Scotland’s Rural College.

‘Cool Calf’ could help accelerate dairy journey to net zero
Hilda may look like an ordinary calf, but the sprightly, Scotland-born animal represents an historic moment for the world’s longest-running livestock genetics project and could help accelerate the dairy industry’s journey to net zero.

Why birth of IVF calf Hilda in Scotland is being hailed as a milestone for greener farming
Vets working on a project to breed more environmentally-friendly cows have described as “hugely significant” the birth of a calf using IVF, saying it could accelerate the dairy industry’s journey to net zero.
The calf, named Hilda, is part the Dumfries-based Langhill Herd, which has been a source of data for the UK dairy industry for more than half a century.
Source: The Scotsman

Lightbulb moment for fungi scientists
Researchers from SRUC and the Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology) St Gallen, Switzerland have successfully inserted the decay fungus Desarmillaria tabescens – a white rot fungus – into balsa wood to make it glow, with the aim of producing functionality.

Degree awarding powers an historic moment for SRUC
Becoming the first Scottish education provider in almost two decades to be granted degree-awarding powers is a truly historic moment for SRUC.

Rural college gets degree-awarding powers
Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) is beginning a new chapter after becoming the country's first education provider in nearly two decades to be granted the power to award degrees.
Source: BBC

Edinburgh Innovators secure top prizes at Scotland’s Converge Awards
Four University of Edinburgh projects have claimed victory at this year’s Converge Awards, an annual awards ceremony designed to celebrate and reward the pinnacle of Scottish academic innovation.

Scotland learns from Ireland's booming co-working scene
A research project investigating the impact of remote working hubs has identified a potential blueprint for Scotland’s rural communities.
Source: The Scotsman

World’s first GreenShed opens its doors
A world-first circular farming system which uses cattle waste to power a shed and grow indoor crops has opened its doors for the first time. More than 80 members of the beef industry attended the opening of GreenShed at Easter Howgate, an SRUC research farm near Edinburgh.