Edinburgh Napier University – Page 4 – The NEN

Breaking Barriers students join Edinburgh Napier graduation ceremony after completing acclaimed course

The programme is run in partnership between ENABLE, ENU and EY

Enable. students with their awards at the Edinburgh Napier University graduation ceremony .

Students from a pioneering programme to help support young people with learning disabilities into higher education and work have played a part in Edinburgh Napier University’s graduation celebrations for the first time.

Breaking Barriers is a partnership between the charity ENABLE, ENU, and professional services firm EY, offering participants the opportunity to gain an accredited qualification.

Run by The Business School at the University, it helps support young people with learning disabilities make the transition to university and higher education through a combination of supportive study and work placements.

The latest cohort collected their qualification during Edinburgh Napier’s autumn graduations, crossing the stage during a ceremony at this city’s Usher Hall with friends and family watching on.

Professor Andrea Nolan, Principal & Vice Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University, said: “It’s really important for our Breaking Barriers students to be a part of our graduations where we celebrate achievements from across the University.

“For these young people, their achievements have been fantastic. I feel proud of them. I’ve met them all and listened to their stories and it brought a tear to my eye.

“Programmes like Breaking Barriers show people what’s possible. They provide opportunity. It really brings to life what we mean by an inclusive community. One of our values at Edinburgh Napier University is inclusion and so I hope that others will see the types of programmes that we offer, the success of the students that come and the opportunities that are open to them in the future.”

Programme leader Dr Malcolm McGregor, Lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University’s Business School, said: “We are all just chuffed to bits to have the opportunity to work with this cohort.

“They are all wonderful people and we feel we are doing something very important to support their growth and development not only in terms of academic capability but more importantly perhaps, giving them confidence to make decisions they weren’t able to take a year ago.

“I am proud as punch to be supported by a highly experienced and knowledgeable team of academic staff who are all totally committed to making sure the programme is a huge success.”

Breaking Barriers is taught at ENU by Mike Sanderson, Malcolm McGregor, Joan McLatchie, Andy Moffat and Kyle Andrews. It also formed part of The Business School’s successful bid to gain AACSB accreditation.

Seven students took part in the 2022-23 programme, where they learned skills in areas, including accounting and finance, marketing hospitality and customer service, and human resource management. All elements of the ‘Applied Business Skills’ module are taught on ENU’s Craiglockhart campus, with students then applying their knowledge in a work setting at EY.

The programme, which ENABLE began running in 2018 at the University of Strathclyde, has seen 90% of graduates go on to secure employment or further education and training opportunities in recent years.

Screenwriting student Laura enjoys novel graduation

Laura Goodwin’s book is out a few days after collecting her degree at the Usher Hall

An Edinburgh Napier screenwriting student has had two reasons to celebrate her graduation – as it coincides with the publication of her debut novel.

Laura Goodwin began writing ‘One Last Mission’ in 2022 before beginning her course at ENU, where she was able to hone her storytelling craft.

The 28-year-old from Ayr says working on the book – which she describes as ‘James Bond meets Hamlet’ – gave her an extra creative outlet alongside her coursework.

Laura said: “I’ve always been writing stories and scripts since I was a young kid. I’m neurodiverse and my brain is constantly overthinking everything. I was hyperfixating during lockdown in 2020 when I came up with the idea for this book, fully-formed.

“I finally completed the novel, all 150,000 words and 425 pages of it, in April this year.”

After finishing the book, Laura had it published, and brought one of the first copies along to her graduation ceremony at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.

As for her studies, Laura hopes the year-long MA Screenwriting programme will help give her a springboard into the production side of film and television.

Laura Goodwin Graduated in MA Screen Writing and is about to publish her first novel “One Last Mission’ at Edinburgh Napier University.

She added: “I sent in my application 12 hours before the deadline, two days after discovering the degree existed. The course was a lot of work but it was great. It solidified what I want to do and made me feel like I made the right choice.

“I can’t put into words how proud of myself I am that after everything I’ve managed to get to a place in my life where I’ve achieved this.

“Not only am I graduating with a masters degree, my debut novel will be published and available to the world five days later.”

One Last Mission is available to buy from 31 October – and Laura already has plans to write another novel!

Jupiter Artland founder honoured by Edinburgh Napier

Sculpture garden inspires next generation

The co-founder of world-renowned contemporary art attraction Jupiter Artland has spoken of her pride after being awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Edinburgh Napier University.

Nicky Wilson was given the honour during the University’s graduation ceremony at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall, in recognition of her work to inspire the next generation of artists.

An accomplished artist in her own right, Nicky set up Jupiter Artland on the outskirts of Edinburgh in 2009, with the park’s distinctive sculptured grass landscape and permanent works quickly establishing it as one of Scotland’s most significant artistic projects.

Nicky said: “It means so much to me to have the work of Jupiter Artland and the team over the last 20 years recognised by the University.

“It’s a wonderful thing to be given a graduation, when I didn’t have one right at the beginning. I did get my degree, but I didn’t go to it.

“It’s with regret that I didn’t go because I now know how much it feels like you’re at the beginning of another chapter of your life. And funnily enough, this feels like the beginning of another chapter of my life.

“The recognition from the work that’s been done so far is just spurring me on to do more.”

Born in Edinburgh, Nicky graduated with a BA, then an MA in sculpture – continuing to practice it alongside a career in marketing and PR.

Since the creation of Jupiter Artland, it was nominated for ArtFund’s Museum of the Year in 2016. It has also become a powerful learning space for young people, offering free school visits throughout the year.

In 2017, Nicky founded Jupiter Rising, a festival of avant-garde music, art and film for young artists and performers from diverse backgrounds, and in 2018 she set up the ORBIT Youth Council, a creative collective for 16 to 18-year-olds from all over Scotland. Most recently, Jupiter+ was established as an offsite commissioning programme designed to inspire the next generation of artists.

There have also been several examples of collaboration between Jupiter Artland and Edinburgh Napier University.

One project involved replicating the entire park in Minecraft – which was used to connect with young people across the world during lockdown – while a recent immersive installation to a formerly vacant shop on Ayr’s high street included a learning experience put together with the help of ENU.

Giving the laureation speech to award Nicky with an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University, Dr Tom Flint, Associate Professor in Edinburgh Napier’s School of Arts & Creative Industries, said: “It is hard to imagine anyone with more passion for art, artists and the opportunities creative practice affords than Nicky.

“Working with Nicky and her team has opened a world of radical engagement and inclusivity. The resulting knowledge generated from our collaborations has been presented at conferences around the world.

“Nicky’s generosity and outlook have augmented my own practice as well that of as numerous colleagues and students. As a university we have immense gratitude for all she has achieved.”

Founding Edinburgh Book Festival Director recognised with Honorary Doctorate from Edinburgh Napier

Jenny Brown has worked with many of the biggest names in Scottish literature

A leading figure in Edinburgh’s book scene, and founding Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, has been recognised with an Honorary Doctorate from Edinburgh Napier University.

Jenny Brown established the literary agency Jenny Brown Associates in 2002, and previously served as Head of Literature at the Scottish Arts Council and presented book programmes for STV.

She is now Vice-Chair of Edinburgh International Book Festival, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Jenny was awarded her new title of Doctor of the University, and collected her Honorary Degree, during Edinburgh Napier’s graduation ceremony at the Usher Hall today (Wednesday), in recognition of her major contribution to literature and publishing.

Jenny Brown Founding director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival receiving an Honorary Doctorate At Edinburgh Napier University

Jenny said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be receiving this Doctorate – it’s a real honour. I’ve had a long association with the University. I’ve talked to the publishing students, I’ve had lots of interns at my literary agency from the publishing course, and I’ve been to the creative writing studios quite a number of times. So it’s a lovely honour.

“It’s thrilling to have somebody who has worked in literature all their life recognised this way. I’m not an academic, I’m somebody who believes in the power of reading and power of writing – and somebody who believes very strongly that Scottish writing has got a lot to offer on the international stage.”

Giving her laureation, David Bishop, creative writing lecturer at ENU’s School of Arts and Creative Industries, said: “If anyone who knows the value of a story, it’s Jenny – a woman who revolutionised the way Scotland thinks about reading, writing and publishing.

“A 40-year career in the arts, festivals, publishing and literature has given Jenny a unique perspective on the ability of writers to move and inspire us, and on the power of stories to entertain, to educate and to enthral.

“There is no doubt Jenny’s involvement has been a significant part in the renaissance of Scotland’s writing and publishing industries.”

Jenny was born in Manchester but grew up in Edinburgh. At the age of 24, she was given six months to pull the first Edinburgh book festival together in 1983. It proved so successful it returned two years later and became the annual fixture it is today.

Today she runs an acclaimed literary agency in Edinburgh with a roster of bestselling and multi-award-winning authors. She has worked with William McIlvanney, the godfather of Tartan Noir, and helps keep alive the work of acclaimed writers such as George Mackay Brown and Alasdair Gray.

In addition to her storied career in literature, Jenny has been a consultant for the creation of Edinburgh Napier’s acclaimed BA English programme, taken on students from the Publishing Masters as interns, and been a frequent guest speaker on the University’s Creative Writing programme.

Edinburgh Napier’s autumn graduation ceremonies are being held between 24-26 October at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall. Once again the nearby Shakespeare’s pub, on Lothian Road, is being renamed The Napier Graduate for the occasion.

Different class: Hibs captain picks up degree from Edinburgh Napier

Paul Hanlon has graduated with distinction – and added a medal to his collection

Hibernian captain Paul Hanlon has collected a different kind of silverware – marking his outstanding academic performance – after graduating from Edinburgh Napier University.

The 33-year-old footballer completed his BA Business and Enterprise in Sport with Distinction, and won the class medal in recognition of outstanding academic performance.

After three years of study on the programme, which is designed specifically for athletes, the Scotland international picked up his degree during a ceremony at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall yesterday.

Reflecting on his time with ENU, Paul said: “Studying has helped massively in dealing with the pressure of sport. It has given me a separate focus away from football.

“The course was a real eye-opener. It took a bit of getting used to. Things like the academic way of writing and reading were completely new to me.

“In football, things are black and white. Suddenly, I had to understand a bit more about dealing with grey areas – forming opinions and backing them up.

“At first it was nerve-racking! I left school a long time ago, so hadn’t done anything like this for a while.

“There is that daunting aspect of getting started, but the support you get here is amazing.”

Paul completed his programme as a Dual Career student – which allows athletes, or people working in sport, to fit their studies around their professional career.

During his time with ENU’s School of Applied Sciences, Paul won his first Scotland cap, and was named club captain at Hibs, all while competing at the top level of Scottish football.

The 2016 Scottish Cup winner says the course has opened new paths he could take when the time comes to hang up his boots. He said: “I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do once I finish playing, but this helps me cover a lot of bases. I feel well prepared.

“There were modules which helped with leadership and coaching, while others dealt with the business side of the game.

“It has given me a new confidence and determination to keep learning. I’m now doing the Applied Football Management course at ENU because of this – I don’t want to stop.

“I don’t think I would be like that now if it wasn’t for this course.”

Dr Tom Campbell, Programme Lead for BA Business & Enterprise in Sport said: “Paul has set a fantastic example to our Dual Career students.

“During his time with us, he has displayed outstanding academic performance, all while competing at such a high level in his sport.

“We have a strong track record of supporting athletes through their studies, and it is pleasing to see Paul develop his thirst for knowledge with us.”

Edinburgh Napier’s autumn graduation ceremonies are being held from 24 – 26 October at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.

Bright Red Triangle names first ever Entrepreneur in Residence

Bright Red Triangle (BRT), the enterprise hub at Edinburgh Napier University, has appointed Nigel Chadwick as its inaugural Entrepreneur in Residence.

Nigel will bring extensive expertise to the newly created role, which will offer invaluable guidance to the BRT community. His responsibilities will include mentoring, advising, and supporting emerging entrepreneurs as they embark on their entrepreneurial journeys.

Students, staff, alumni and the wider community will be able to draw on Nigel’s experience of founding Stream Technologies and scaling it through to exit. The firm specialised in connecting devices to the Internet of Things (IoT) – a rapidly-growing market allowing physical objects to connect and interact.

Nigel is known for his skill in strategic leadership, brand value, culture, and management excellence, while his passion for technology entrepreneurship matches BRT’s mission to nurture innovative ideas and transform them into successful ventures.

The appointment underscores Edinburgh Napier’s commitment to fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, providing students and the wider community with unparalleled access to industry expertise and mentorship.

Commenting on his new role as Entrepreneur in Residence at BRT, Nigel Chadwick said: “I’m very much looking forward to working with the team at Bright Red Triangle.

“To be Entrepreneur in Residence at ENU presents a fantastic opportunity to assist students, staff, and alumni on their entrepreneurial journey and to add value and drive scale through sharing my experience and skills with these formative as well as scaling teams.”

Nick Fannin, the Head of Enterprise at Bright Red Triangle said: “We are thrilled to have Nigel Chadwick join us as our Entrepreneur in Residence.

“Nigel’s extensive experience in building companies and his commitment to strategic leadership align perfectly with BRT’s mission to nurture and support emerging entrepreneurs. We believe his expertise will have a profound impact on our students, staff, and alumni as they embark on their entrepreneurial journeys.

“Nigel’s presence will be a tremendous asset to our community, and we eagerly anticipate the positive change he will bring.”

Dignity Boxes founder honoured for inspiring charity work

‘Being kind doesn’t cost anything’ – Former nurse and lecturer Isabel Dosser has won the 2023 Alumni Impact Award

A former nurse and lecturer who set up a charity offering free toiletries to people in need is being honoured by Edinburgh Napier University.

Isabel Dosser founded Dignity Boxes following her retirement in 2018, in response to rising levels of poverty. Her charity’s work continues to this day, amid increasing demand, despite having to undergo cancer treatment during the Covid pandemic.

Having studied at ENU to gain her teaching qualification, and subsequently lectured in nursing at the University for 15 years, the 67-year-old has now been awarded the 2023 Alumni Impact Award in recognition of her remarkable career. Born and raised in Glasgow, her time teaching followed 30 years of work as a palliative care nurse.

The charity collects toiletry donations and offers them in areas around Edinburgh and the Lothians experiencing deprivation, including seven schools, allowing those in need to take what they cannot afford from a Dignity Box without having to ask anyone.

The number of organisations asking for a box has doubled since the cost-of-living crisis began, while donations have halved.

Isabel said: “I am very surprised but delighted to receive the Impact Award as I don’t think I am anything special.

“I just do what I do and have always loved learning and taking a chance on something new. I am happy receiving the award if it means that I am encouraging others.

“Age doesn’t matter if you really want to do something. If you have an idea then give it a go but take all the advice and help that is offered.

“When you feel despair and frustration, just remember why you started – and remember being kind doesn’t cost anything.”

Since founding Dignity Boxes, Isabel has been supported by Edinburgh Napier to help it reach as many people as possible. Students, staff and alumni are among its 35 active volunteers, two former University colleagues are on its board, and a graphic design class was enlisted to design the logo.

The Alumni Awards committee, which aims to recognise graduates who are making a difference in their community, praised Isabel for epitomising Edinburgh Napier’s values as an inspiration and a role model.

Isabel added: “Life is full of challenges, professionally and personally, but I am by nature a positive and pragmatic person. I am fortunate to be surrounded by supportive family and friends who have helped me through difficult times.

“This was never needed more so than during Covid as I was diagnosed with cancer. The charity’s board of trustees and volunteers were amazing and kept the charity going while I was undergoing treatment. I have now finished my treatment and am monitored regularly.”

Also honoured in the 2023 awards is Daniel Crehan, who has won the Alumni Rising Star award.

Despite only graduating from the BA (Hons) International Festival & Event Management two years ago, he now works at student housing company Yugo, managing 10 sites across the UK and Ireland, and is Chair of the Edinburgh Students’ Charities Appeal (ESCA).

Daniel said: “I didn’t expect to win the Rising Star Award and was delighted to even be nominated. It was particularly nice to receive this from Edinburgh Napier University because I consider everything that I’ve accomplished to be a domino effect from my time at ENU.

“There are so many incredible people on my course alone that make me go, ‘wow’, but this award has forced me to stand back and go: ‘oh, you’ve actually achieved quite a lot yourself, Daniel’.”

Professor Andrea Nolan, Principal & Vice Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University, said: “Isabel Dosser and Daniel Crehan are role models for Edinburgh Napier students and inspire the entire ENU community. I am delighted to award them these accolades.

“Isabel epitomises Edinburgh Napier’s values. As CEO and Founder of Dignity Boxes she is making a huge societal and community impact by providing free toiletries to those most in need.

“She also champions the University by providing our students with invaluable experience via workplace learning opportunities and collaborates with numerous departments at the University.

“Daniel graduated only a couple of years ago but already has had career success. I’m impressed with his dedication to enriching the lives of those living in student accommodation in the UK and Ireland.

“Most extraordinary is his involvement with the Edinburgh Students’ Charities Appeal. Daniel is Chair of the 150-year-old charity and expertly guided the organisation through its post-Covid recovery.”

Tech solution to tackle impersonation phone scams lands new funding

Edinburgh Napier project LastingAsset has been awarded £220k

An Edinburgh Napier University cyber project has been backed by new funding to explore ways of combatting phone-based impersonation and imposter scams – which cause substantial financial losses, privacy breaches and distress to people around the world.

LastingAsset, which began as a crypto asset security concept, has secured £200,000 in funding from Scottish Enterprise’s High Growth Spinout Programme and £20,000 from The Data Lab.

The LastingAsset team at ENU’s School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment (SCEBE) will now use the technology behind that original idea and spend the next year working with pilot customers to refine their anti-fraud product, before taking it to market.

Among other privacy features, it uses encryption technology to prevent rogue actors from impersonating an organisation’s phone number to dupe victims.

According to the UK Government’s latest fraud strategy, unsuspecting individuals and organisations lost £2.35bn through fraud in 2021, with the banking and finance industry losing £1.3bn.

Project leader Dr Zakwan Jaroucheh said: “Our research team were initially working on a custodial solution for crypto assets. While this remains a problem that needs addressing, we wanted to provide a solution to a more pressing societal challenge. This is when we pivoted to using the same underlying technologies to address the problem of impersonation phone call scams.

“In today’s modern digital world, businesses often find themselves unable to effectively protect their customers from cyber fraud, which tarnishes their reputation and their ability to use the voice calls effectively.

“The LastingAsset solution uses blockchain and homomorphic encryption technologies to effectively combat phone number spoofing, voice-based impersonation and cloning scams, without requiring the organisation to build a new security infrastructure.

“With this, any organisation that communicates with their customers by voice can assure customers that they are speaking with a genuine representative and not a scammer.”

Nanik Ramchandani of Imagine Ventures, who leads the project’s commercial team, said: “We are beginning trials with two pilot customers and opening our waiting list for additional pilots.

“It is going to be an incredibly exciting and rewarding journey over the coming months, as we translate our proof of concept and vision into a valuable offering to clients and stop scammers from defrauding fellow citizens.”

Recently named one of the top 10 universities in the UK for spin-out activity, ENU has supported the creation of many cyber spin-out businesses over the last 10 years, including Cyacomb, MemCrypt, Symphonic Software and ZoneFox. Four years ago, the university created the first identity lab in the world, the Blockpass ID Lab, which has focused on creating more trustworthy systems.

Supporting LastingAsset’s progression from research project to a spin-out business is ENU’s Professor Bill Buchanan, alongside Dr Cathy Higginson, Business Development and Relationship Manager at the University’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise department.

This latest funding received from Scottish Enterprise and The Data Lab will help the LastingAsset project team to integrate their solution with multiple early pilot customers.

Over the next eight to 12 months, they expect to work with more than 30 initial pilot customers in securing their voice communication. This process will allow the team to refine the architecture of their product; test their solution and increase its credibility. At the end of this period, they anticipate product-market fit and the ability to rapidly scale their offering.

Through Scottish Enterprise’s High-Growth Spinout Programme, LastingAsset is receiving £200,000 in funding, building upon £74,948 which was awarded in 2022.

Leah Pape, Head of High Growth Services at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Edinburgh Napier University has an enviable track record of producing companies whose products and platforms direct cutting-edge technological advancements into efforts to combat increasingly sophisticated fraudsters.

“Our grant builds on the funding and advice provided previously to LastingAsset at its earliest stages and underlines Scottish Enterprise’s commitment to supporting the development of the high-growth industries of the future.”

The Data Lab, Scotland’s innovation centre for data and AI, also recently funded £20k to help LastingAsset develop their proof of concept.

Brian Hills, CEO of The Data Lab, said: “Online scamming can have devastating impacts on unsuspecting victims’ finances and mental wellbeing, with recent advances in AI exacerbating the problem.

“Preventing people from falling victim to these crimes in the first place is key. The Data Lab were delighted to support the LastingAsset team at Edinburgh Napier University to develop their groundbreaking technology further to tackle online scamming and reduce the number of victims and financial losses.”

Napier student wins engineering prize for app to improve F1 lap times

EDINBURGH Napier student Michael Suttie has received the Leidos Best Engineering Prize for developing an application to help amateur and entry-level drivers improve lap times in F1 e-sports.

34^th annual awards Young Software Engineer of the Year Awards champion Scotland’s most innovative and creative tech students
Dundee University Student from Isle of Eigg earns top award for developing a solution that offers greater accuracy in mapping the moon’s surface
Two runners-up recognised for projects involving AI and coding
Best Engineering Prize winner uses real-life Formula 1 data to improve amateur and entry-level drivers’ F1 e-sports performance

A Dundee University student has been named Young Software Engineer of the Year for his solution which illustrates what unexplored areas of the moon might look like.

The 34^th annual Young Software Engineer of the Year Awards took place in a ceremony in Edinburgh yesterday evening (28^th September) hosted by Scotland’s tech trade body ScotlandIS at its ScotSoft conference.

Struan Robertson, originally from the Isle of Eigg in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, took the top prize home for his project on Lunar Terrain Void Infilling.

Models of the moon’s surface typically show literal gaps in knowledge from where spacecrafts have not been able to see the surface. Struan’s project used a machine learning model to make incredibly accurate assumptions to fill in these gaps, solving an ongoing issue in lunar surface modelling. This innovative solution allows for more accurate maps of the moon’s surface to be developed and is also applicable to earth-based challenges such as disaster management and climate change planning.

The judges recognised the challenging technical complexity of this project, and admired Struan’s creative yet structured approach to the problem, and his real achievements in demonstrating a successful outcome.

The awards recognised a further three students for their outstanding work.

Enrique Martin Ocana, of Strathclyde University, was named runner up for his use of autoregressive language models in the classroom. The project considered the comparative effectiveness of traditional educational content, versus content generated by AI (Artificial Intelligence). He impressed judges by clearly articulating both the contributions and drawbacks of AI generated content in an educational setting.

Aberdeen University student, William Brown, was a runner up with his automatic code reviewer recommendations in the open-source project, MediaWiki. Code review is a critical element in open-source developments, and William compared the success of using a rule-based system to select the reviewer or using a neural network to perform the recommendations.

The Leidos Best Engineering Prize was awarded to Michael Suttie, of Edinburgh Napier University. Michael developed a prototype telemetry application with practical uses in Formula 1 e-sports.

His application presents both live and historical real-life Formula 1 telemetry data in a simplified way to help amateur and entry-level drivers improve lap times in F1 e-sports.

Karen Meechan, CEO at ScotlandIS, said: “Each year we are amazed at the amount of young talent coming through our universities, showcasing true innovation by producing creative solutions to solve real-world problems.

“These awards are a fantastic way for us to showcase the exceptional technological minds, cultivated right here in Scotland, as they begin their transitions into the workplace.

“It’s ever more important to acknowledge and foster emerging talent to ensure that our tech sector in Scotland continues to flourish. Our industry needs to constantly evolve with skilled people staying ahead of the curve – especially with the growth of AI. This year’s winners really demonstrate how original thinking and a flair for software engineering can transform our understanding of and aptitude in wide-ranging subjects – congratulations to all!”

The longstanding Young Software Engineer of the Year Awards are held annually by ScotlandIS, to champion budding talent in the Scottish technology industry and highlight the innovation and ideas coming from Scotland’s university students.

To enter, universities submit the best final year software engineering project from among their undergraduate computing science and software engineering courses for the awards.

Other shortlisted students included Mads Bendixen, Abertay University, Jack Duffy, Glasgow Caledonian University, Laura Schauer, Heriot Watt University and Irvyn Hall, Robert Gordon University.

First large-scale study shows success of 20mph speed limit across Scottish Borders

Edinburgh Napier report highlights significant reduction in speeds, as Wales implements country-wide change at the weekend

A study by Edinburgh Napier University has shown that the rollout of 20mph speed limits across the Scottish Borders has reduced average speeds by 3mph.

With previous research showing that there is an average 4% reduction in collisions with each 1mph reduction in average speed on rural roads, the study demonstrates the significant knock-on effect the new speed limit is likely to have, particularly when seen within the context of the national Road Safety Framework to reduce deaths and serious injuries to zero by 2050.

The trial, which took place across 97 villages and towns in the Borders since October 2020, showed that 85% of drivers dropped their speed by 3mph. It also showed that the largest speed reductions were observed in locations where higher speeds had been seen in the past – with those areas seeing an average reduction of 5.4mph.

Significantly, the report also concluded that the change in driver behaviour continued well after the beginning of the trial, with average speeds still well below previous levels eight months after the start of the trial.

The trial in the Borders is the first one in the world to look at the effects of a 20mph speed limit on such a large, rural area and the results will be studied by governments, local authorities and organisations across the UK and the world.

The study also comes just days before the Welsh Government made Wales the first nation in the UK to adopt 20mph as the default speed limit on restricted roads – generally roads that are located in residential and built-up areas where there are significant numbers of pedestrians.

Professor Adrian Davis of Edinburgh Napier’s Transport Research Institute who led the research said: “Previous research has shown that 20mph speed limits are effective in large towns and cities in both reducing speed driven and in reducing casualties.

“Our work looking at speed changes reveals that speed reduction to 20mph from 30mph in rural settlements produces similar results for speed reduction as in urban areas.

“Communities which have been asking for action to reduce speeding have been given a response, in this case by Scottish Borders Council who have taken action to address the dangerous and anti-social impacts of inappropriate speed.

“Our research findings consequently support the switch in Wales on Sunday from default 30mph to default 20mph speed limits.”

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