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Research
A multi-million pound programme of strategic research delivered over five years providing science and evidence to support policymakers and its partners. Informed by strong partnerships and the needs of a broad range of stakeholders. Science at the heart of society contributing to the health, wealth and wellbeing of Scotland and beyond.
Explore our research projects
The aim of this project is to produce constructive insights about the most productive venues (territorially and sectorally) and approaches (how and with and for whom) for using natural capital concepts and data to galvanise change for sustainability.
- Natural Capital
- 2022-2027
This project is using genomic data to evaluate genetic diversity in major breeds of cattle and sheep in Scotland and link this the ability of animals to adapt to variability or extremes in their environment, particularly in the context of the effects of climate change. Results will be incorporated into selective breeding programmes aiming to achieve improved productivity, while protecting and enriching diversity and livestock sustainability in Scotland.
- Livestock Improvement
- 2022-2027
This project assesses how specific land uses and management activities affect biodiversity and ecosystem services to inform land use policy.
- Biodiversity
- 2022-2027
Infectious diseases, particularly when caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens, are major problems in farmed animals. New treatments are urgently needed to reduce infections. We aim to address this by harnessing the animal intestinal microbiome to boost their defence. We will screen our diverse gut bacterial culture collections to identify health-associated microbes with potent activity against pathogens, including antibiotic resistant strains
- Animal Disease
- 2022-2027
The Scottish diet remains poor quality and a main factor in driving unhealthy weight. To reduce the burden of diet related disease, this project explores public attitudes towards nutritional factors, namely food additives (specifically artificial sweeteners) and dietary fibre. We also implement controlled diet trials to investigate these key dietary components on physiological mechanisms associated with appetite control for a healthy weight.
- Human Nutrition
- 2022-2027
A healthy soil can provide us with nutritious food, clean water, provide habits for biodiversity, and can slow the impacts of climate change. This project will strengthen our understanding and help protect soils, improve soil health, and identify the roles and contributions of Scotland’s soils in delivering key beneficial services (e.g. food production and other wider benefits).
- Soils
- 2022-2027
The Scottish Government's Climate Change Plan includes reference to carbon sequestration options for agriculture. This project research supports hemp, a climate resilient crop, for stimulating Scottish farming sector to run greenhouse gas removal activities, identifying opportunities for the Scottish food and drink sector to promote sustainability and by understanding nutrition sufficiency and consumer acceptance of hemp food as part of low carbon footprint diet.
- Crop Improvement
- 2022-2027
It is vital to understand the contribution of resident intestinal bacteria to the environmental flow of antimicrobial resistance genes. We will isolate resistant commensal bacteria from diverse sources, assess the co-carriage of heavy metal resistance genes on mobile genetic elements, compare identical resistance genes between non-harmful and pathogenic bacteria, and investigate the impact selective pressure has on gene evolution and transfer.
- Animal Disease
- 2022-2027
The aim of this project is to identify how the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) drivers affect key parts of Scotland’s biodiversity.
- Biodiversity
- 2022-2027
This project increases our understanding of the impacts of land-based public funding mechanisms on land values and related outcomes for landownership diversification and land use. It provides an evidence base for understanding whether current funding mechanisms have direct or indirect effects which act to reduce landownership diversification and for investigating potential mechanisms for counteracting any such effects.
- Land Use
- 2022-2027