SFC’s funding of £961,000 will help the Institute to increase their collaboration with local businesses and agencies to help them grow their business and remain competitive.  They will also increase the amount of research that is relevant to local issues, including health and social care needs, service development and delivery.  They will also improve the collection, analysis and use of information including demographic, socio-economic, environmental, and health data of significance to the region to inform Dumfries and Galloway Council’s and other development agencies’ planning and policy for the area.

The Crichton Institute is a collaborative venture between the Crichton campus academic partners – the Universities of Glasgow and West of Scotland, the Open University in Scotland, and the Scottish Agricultural, Barony, and Dumfries and Galloway Colleges – and the Crichton Carbon Centre, Dumfries and Galloway Council, NHS Dumfries and Galloway, the Crichton Foundation, the Crichton Trust, the Crichton Development Company, Scottish Borders Council, Scottish Enterprise, and the Scottish Funding Council.

Professor David Clark, Campus Director for the University of Glasgow, who is co-ordinating the work of the Crichton Institute, said: “This will be a tremendous boost for knowledge exchange and applied research in South West Scotland.  The partners will create a unique formula for assessing and responding to the social and economic challenges we face in the region – and how to address them. ”

Laurence Howells, Senior Director of Skills, Research and Knowledge Exchange at SFC said: “We are delighted to support the next stage of development at Crichton through the creation of the Crichton Institute which will benefit the economy and regeneration of the South West of Scotland.”       

First published: 23 July 2012

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