An opportunity for an individual researcher, or small team of researchers, is available in the form of a new Fellowship, funded by SEFARI Gateway, Highland and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and Scottish Development International (SDI), and working in collaboration with HIE on behalf of Life Sciences Scotland Industry Leadership AAA sub-group. The fellowship will generate a report into the current composition, size and value of the AAA sector in Scotland, and a further report exploring the opportunities and barriers to growth of the Scottish AAA sector in a global context. The fellowship is larger in scope than most SEFARI Gateway fellowships, and is resourced in accordance with this extended remit.
Background
SEFARI (Scottish Environment Food & Agriculture Institutions) Gateway (“the Gateway”) is the Centre of Expertise for Knowledge Exchange and Innovation for the Scottish Government’s Strategic Research Portfolio for Environment, Rural Affairs and Agriculture (ENRA) 2022-2027.
The Gateway provides access to the Strategic Portfolio’s expertise, such as from SEFARI Institutes themselves and via the commissioning of wider expertise across Scotland and the UK. We ensure scientific evidence helps inform policy and practice across Scotland’s environment, land use, agriculture, food, and rural communities.
SEFARI Gateway Fellowships are bespoke, responsive opportunities aiming to develop a shared understanding between researchers and stakeholders, and to prioritise areas for common effort in addressing key priorities within Scotland’s National Outcomes.
The Life Sciences Scotland Industry Leadership Group (LSS ILG) is a joint group of industry, enterprise agencies and government strategy teams. Their remit is to develop, drive and deliver the Life Sciences strategy in Scotland. The Animal Health, Aquaculture and Agri-tech (AAA) sub-group was established to champion the three Scottish Life science sub sectors of animal health, aquaculture and agri-tech as one ‘AAA’, thereby lending a greater ‘voice’ to this fast-growing but still relatively new sector, in which Scotland already excels on an international level. The sub-group aims to build AAA awareness and engagement within the life sciences community, promoting its strengths.
In addition to industry membership, representatives from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), The James Hutton Institute, Moredun Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, The University of Glasgow, Roslin Institute, Roslin Innovation Centre, HIE, South of Scotland Enterprise (SoSE), Scottish Development International (SDI), The Department for Business and Trade, SEFARI Gateway, IUK Business Connect, Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre, and UK Agri-tech Centre are members of the group.
Highland and Islands Enterprise (HIE) represents the Scottish enterprise agencies in the AAA sub-group alongside SoSE and leads on aquaculture nationally. HIE’s strategy for 2023-28 sets out HIE’s vision for the Highlands and Islands: to be a leading net zero region with a dynamic wellbeing economy, which benefits its growing population and makes a valued contribution to Scotland. Maximising regional transformational opportunities, the marine economy and life sciences are key to this. The HIE strategy can be viewed here.
Scottish Development International (SDI) is the international arm of Scotland’s enterprise agencies. They help Scottish businesses to trade overseas and support businesses from around the world do business in or with Scotland.
AAA sector, as defined by the LSS ILG, includes all activities relating to:
interventions that improve the health of livestock and companion animals
the breeding and rearing of fish, shellfish, plants, algae, and other organisms in water environments
the development of novel technology for agriculture and aquaculture ensuring improved productivity and sustainability
The Scottish Life Sciences Strategy, due to be published this month, will set out the ambition and roadmap to continue to grow the turnover of Scotland’s Life Sciences sector to £25 billion by 2035.
AAA is a key component of this growth ambition, based on national strengths in high quality research and innovation. The Life Sciences sector export plan also outlines the significant contribution to Scotland’s life sciences exports and the global market growth potential. This Scottish strategy sits alongside the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, which prioritises frontier manufacturing industries with the greatest growth potential, including agritech. The sector plan for Advanced Manufacturing details the potential for agritech businesses to drive global advances in agriculture and aquaculture.
The Life Sciences sector in Scotland is strong but requires focus on collaborative working, joining up centres of excellence across the sector and with businesses, and establishing a clear baseline and key performance metrics. This knowledge will directly feed into the delivery of the Scottish Life Sciences Strategy.
The Fellowship
Despite being seen as of key importance for Scotland and indeed Scotland being felt to be a major contributor in the animal science sector globally, little validated information is available for AAA.
Since AAA is a dynamic and fast-moving sector, a previous landscape mapping exercise, completed in 2021, needs an update. The previous report and inventory are available here:
To increase both the understanding of sectoral opportunities and collaboration of all stakeholders in the sector (public, academic, private), this fellowship will develop knowledge about the sector, which will contribute to a fuller consideration of its strengths/weaknesses, competitive advantages/disadvantages and opportunities or challenges.
The Fellowship will examine available datasets, source knowledge from sector stakeholders and provide two reports:
Update to the 2021 report and provision of basic quantitative data
Provision of additional key metrics, and an international baselining exercise
The fellowship will be carried out in two parts.
Part 1:
Update to the previous report and provision of basic quantitative data, as follows:
Comprehensively updated stakeholder list/inventory and map, including planned/future developments and covering any gaps in previous report
Description of the size and value of the AAA sub-sectors including number of jobs, and export value and markets
Description of the research community and good practices in knowledge exchange that further the sector
Part 2:
Provide additional key metrics, and an international baselining exercise:
Comparison with international clusters to draw out USP and partnership opportunities e.g. Kansas Corridor, Wageningen etc
Description of the drivers for growth nationally and internationally
Description of the barriers that could constrain growth
Analyse the role AAA will play going forward in net zero, sustainable food production, food security and resilience, the economy and the jobs it will create.
SWOT and the Proposition Document as part of report outcome (all in collaboration with Agency Partners)
In meeting these objectives, the fellowship should not duplicate existing research or knowledge.
The goal is to create an accurate and up to date dataset that can inform strategic decision making at policy, enterprise agency and business level. To achieve this, workshops with stakeholders may be held to gather information. Workshops will be supported by separate funding from Gateway.
Approach
The successful applicant(s) will iterate a final approach with the guidance of a project management team. This will be chaired by HIE and include SDI, Scottish Government and SEFARI Gateway.
It is anticipated at least one workshop with stakeholders may be held to gather information.
Required Outputs
Two reports, as outlined above.
A case study to disseminate findings across stakeholders, which will be published on the SEFARI Gateway website, that will link to the above report.
Duration and Time
The deadline for final report from the Fellowship is 20 March 2026.
The distribution of time on the project will be jointly agreed by the Fellow(s), the project Steering Group and SEFARI Gateway.
Resources
Due to its scope and associated co-funding, this fellowship offers a maximum of 56 days FTE (funding up to a limit of £44,000 funded by SEFARI Gateway, SDI and HIE) for an individual or team of (maximum 3) researchers.
Travel and subsistence and to support any workshop costs will be agreed and funded separate to the FTE costs, and up to a maximum of £5,000.
Costs should be submitted net of VAT recovered by the applicant. Applicants should seek advice on appropriate VAT treatment of proposed funding.
Practicalities
The details of the final Fellowship work plan will be developed, and agreed, between the successful Fellow(s) and the project management team. This will include such details as the number of days to be worked and work pattern through the week.
The project must report by 20 March 2026.
Eligibility and further details
The central focus of this Fellowship is to the ENRA Portfolio. The Fellowship is open to applicants from staff:
from any SEFARI Organisation
ENRA Portfolio Centres of Expertise
Staff within any UK Higher Education Institution (or Research Institute)
Please note, you do not need to have been previously funded by Scottish Government via the Portfolio to qualify for SEFARI Gateway funding.
Applicants must have the support of their organisation
Sign-off should be at the level deemed appropriate for each organisation (please talk to your line manager), but Directors/Chief Executives of your Institute (or University school as appropriate) should be made aware.
The taking of such an opportunity should not result in a candidate going beyond the end of any agreed contract they may have with their employer.
It is recognised that individual circumstances are different, and support levels will vary depending on salary, distance from the opportunity and so on – the support level will be kept under review to try and maintain a fair and equitable competition and process. The organisation of the successful fellow(s) should not expect to meet any costs beyond that paid for by SEFARI Gateway.
The successful candidate(s) will be expected to contribute to relevant meetings or outputs for the project partners as the Fellowship progresses and to generate knowledge exchange related content, including a case study, for SEFARI Gateway.
Applications
Applications must be made to: info@sefari.scot, copying in jenny.fyall@sefari.scot, and should include a cover letter (two pages of detail on your suitability or that of the team) and a two-page CV (or up to 6 pages for a team). Decisions on who to interview will be based solely on this letter and CV.
The cover letter should include:
why you are interested in this opportunity and what you hope to get from it;
what skills and experience you would bring to this role;
how you propose to address the objectives of the Fellowship;
what you would do to take the learning back into your organisation and to maintain links with the project’s stakeholders, SEFARI Gateway and the ENRA Portfolio.
Team-based applications should demonstrate how they propose to manage individual contributions to satisfy the degree of multi-disciplinary integration required.
The deadline for applications is 8th December with an expected start date of early January.
If you have any questions on this, or any general aspect of the SEFARI Fellowship scheme, please contact Jenny Fyall, research and communications manager, SEFARI Gateway, at: jenny.fyall@sefari.scot
