Tag: Memorandum of Understanding

New agreement to strengthen Scottish and Ukrainian business ties

Supporting the recovery and rebuilding of Ukraine

Angus Robertson has welcomed a new agreement which will strengthen business links between Scotland and Ukraine and support the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine.

A Memorandum of Understanding between the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine commits the two governments to strengthening trade and investment links through information exchange and practical support for businesses working in both countries.

Total trade in goods between Scotland and Ukraine was worth £38.4 million in 2024. A number of Scottish companies are supporting Ukraine’s efforts to rebuild, including Coatbridge-based Cairnhill Structures Ltd which has supplied fabricated steel to rebuild two bridges in Kyiv destroyed during the Russian invasion.

The signing took place during a visit to Scotland by a delegation of more than 60 Ukrainian mayors and business representatives.

External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson said:  “Scotland is deeply committed to supporting Ukraine, whose men, women and children are putting their lives, their freedom and their prosperity on the line to defend their country – and all of our democracies.

“The Memorandum of Understanding we have signed today will strengthen the trade and investment relationship between Scotland and Ukraine, helping businesses in both countries to grow through the exchange of ideas, knowledge and practical support for businesses working in-country.

“We want to learn from each other to make the most of our combined strengths, from e-commerce, to green energy technologies and innovation in agrifood. Scotland stands ready to support Ukraine to recover and rebuild from the damage caused by Russia’s barbaric aggression.

“We will work with the UK Government and our international partners in support of Ukraine’s long-term future, her sovereignty and social and economic prosperity.”

The Consul of Ukraine in Edinburgh Andrii Madzianovskyi, who signed the agreement on behalf of the Ukrainian Government, said: “For Ukraine, this partnership opens new avenues for investment, technology exchange, and access to high-value markets.

“For Scotland, it provides opportunities to expand its business presence in Eastern Europe, diversify partnerships, and support Ukraine’s recovery and growth.

“We wish to see increased bilateral trade and joint business projects as well as stronger business networks and institutional ties. There will be promotion of innovation, sustainable development, and entrepreneurship and enhanced mutual trust and international cooperation.

“This agreement signals a commitment to long-term collaboration and mutual prosperity.”

Heriot-Watt University and Age Scotland strengthen partnership to improve the lives of older people

Heriot-Watt University has further cemented its longstanding relationship with leading charity Age Scotland by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), aimed at accelerating impactful research and innovation to enhance the lives of older people across the country.

The new MOU builds on a rich history of collaboration between Heriot-Watt researchers and Age Scotland, particularly through initiatives led by Professor Alan Gow and the University’s wattAGE network, which has championed healthy ageing projects for several years. This agreement sets the stage for an even closer, more strategic partnership, focused on translating cutting-edge research into tangible benefits for older citizens.

Michelle Beukes, Business Development Manager within the Global Research Institute for Health and Care Technologies at Heriot-Watt, explained: “This MoU marks an exciting step in deepening our collaboration with Age Scotland.

“It creates a structured pathway for expanding our joint efforts and ensures that our research aligns closely with the real-world needs of older people. By combining academic insight with lived experience, we can drive meaningful change and deliver a positive impact for people across Scotland.”

Central to the partnership is a shared ambition that will see Heriot-Watt’s world-class research expertise combine with Age Scotland’s unique insight into the lived experiences and challenges faced by older people. Together, they aim to co-create solutions that are not only innovative but also practical, accessible, and impactful.

The collaboration has already produced significant results. Age Scotland is a key partner in ‘CONSOLIDATE’ — a £2 million EPSRC-funded ‘Network Plus’ project led by Professor Gow — which focuses on co-designing technology for people with dementia. This approach ensures that emerging technologies meet actual needs, promoting a better quality of life for users and helping to address pressing challenges in health and social care.

Professor Gow from the School of Social Sciences said: “Over a number of years, we’ve been privileged to partner with Age Scotland on a range of activities and projects that support healthy ageing in Scotland.

“This new phase of partnership builds upon that foundation and will open up many new opportunities, not just as a bridge between research and the third sector but driven by our shared commitment that the voices of older people shape and lead what we do together.

“By working more closely with Age Scotland, we will drive forward research and innovation to positively impact quality of life for all as we get older.”

Beyond research, the MOU outlines opportunities for wider collaboration, including student internships, staff volunteering, community engagement projects, and policy influence initiatives.

With Age Scotland playing a major role in shaping national policy on ageing issues, Heriot-Watt’s research can feed directly into government conversations around healthcare innovation, digital inclusion, and support for ageing in place.

Michelle added: “This partnership is pivotal in strengthening Heriot-Watt’s position as a key player in health and care technologies, particularly in the healthy ageing space. We are committed to creating innovative solutions that don’t sit on a shelf, but that truly transforms lives and with Age Scotland’s expertise and network, we can better achieve this.”

The MOU, which will be governed by a shared strategic plan and regular review, represents a long-term commitment by both institutions to ensure Scotland’s ageing population benefits from inclusive, research-driven innovation.

Katherine Crawford, Age Scotland’s Chief Executive said: “Supporting an older and ageing population is one if the biggest challenges of our time, and one which governments across the world have not yet got to grips with.

“Ensuring older people are at the heart of the research which drives innovation for their benefit is essential. Their unique experiences and perspectives are hugely valuable, but they are often excluded. I am really excited about what we can achieve together by pairing Age Scotland’s networks, insight and expertise with world class researchers at Heriot-Watt University.”

Heriot-Watt’s Health and Care Technologies Global Research Institute is a Worldwide Centre of Excellence for transdisciplinary research, innovation and training. It enables academics to work together with healthcare professionals, industry, and citizens to help co-develop solutions.

Anyone interested in working with this GRI can contact the Global Research Innovation and Discovery (GRID) team at GRID@hw.ac.uk.

Next generation of innovators inspired by support from collaborative health and social care initiative

Formal NHS Scotland partner InnoScot Health is proud to be part of a collaborative programme aiming to develop fresh health and social care innovations that can help solve clinical problems. 

Led by Heriot-Watt and Edinburgh Napier Universities with InnoScot Health support, the initiative – labelled a “first of its kind research collaboration” – has seen engineering and nursing students pooling capabilities and know-how to hone breakthrough ideas. 

It is hoped that the programme could help to progress innovations into products, leading to better patient outcomes while aiding healthcare staff in integrating innovative approaches into their daily activities. 

InnoScot Health signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Heriot-Watt’s Medical Device Manufacturing Centre (MDMC) in 2022, leveraging significant expertise to accelerate medical and healthcare opportunities. 

The organisation has now helped to encourage what it calls “the next generation of health and social care innovators” by providing real world project briefs to teams of Heriot-Watt engineering students while helping them build consulting and client engagement skills.  

The promising ideas from NHS Scotland innovators were first submitted to InnoScot Health, which has since acted as their client and liaison point. 

The learnings of the student engineering project teams – enhanced by clinical insights from Edinburgh Napier University’s nursing students and access to its specialised clinical simulation facilities – are now expected to lead to improved co-designed projects. 

There are currently three ideas being developed, each of which have originated from different health boards across the country – a catheter redesign from NHS Fife; cannula cuff from NHS Forth Valley; and wobble stool from NHS Grampian. 

InnoScot Health Innovation Manager Fiona Schaefer said: “Collaborating on this Heriot-Watt and Edinburgh Napier University link-up offers an excellent and important opportunity for engineering students to learn more about the demands of health and social care, to understand how products are used, and see a simulated NHS environment in action. 

“Likewise, nursing students and healthcare professionals can offer feedback on prototypes with the opportunity to test them more easily and safely than would have been possible by going into hospitals and healthcare settings.  

“At the same time, they have also been encouraged to think about innovation, to realise that they have a lot to offer, and recognise the value of their know-how for future career progression. We hope this inspires them to see opportunities to develop new ideas when they soon start working in health and social care as registered healthcare professionals.” 

She added: “Developing NHS ideas with student teams offers a great way to take forward early ideas to get closer to practical solutions. It’s clear that all three teams are really engaged, and we’re excited by the possibilities.

“I have also recently spoken to Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Masters students who have innovation modules as part of their course so hope there may be new avenues of innovation to explore with them too.” 

Maïwenn Kersaudy-Kerhoas a Professor in Microfluidic Engineering at Heriot-Watt University and the lead academic for its new global research institute in Health and Care Technologies, has been described by InnoScot Health as “instrumental” in realising the link-up with Edinburgh Napier University through its Professor of Simulation and Clinical Skills, Cathal Breen. 

Maïwenn said: “This collaboration will ensure an excellent student experience and we are very enthusiastic about the interface between nursing and engineering. 

“Nurses are the closest to patient needs on a daily basis. By championing this first-hand knowledge and expertise, we enable nurses to co-create and help deliver innovation. Alongside this, our engineering students benefit from detailed real-world feedback on their health and care engineering concepts.” 

Cathal Breen, Professor of Simulation and Clinical Skills at Edinburgh Napier, said: “Nurses are an untapped reservoir of innovative solutions for the health and care sector. 

“In this new agreement, our students will identify potentially suitable clinical problems and work with engineering students at Heriot-Watt to design solutions to real-life clinical problems. It is hugely exciting.” 

Heriot-Watt University and Napier University join forces

Heriot-Watt University and Napier University join forces to accelerate health technology innovation and improve patient outcomes

A first-of-its-kind research collaboration between Heriot-Watt University and Edinburgh Napier University is bringing together engineering and nursing students to develop cutting-edge health technologies tailored to addressing real clinical needs.

The Edinburgh-based universities have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) formalising a joint programme which will see Heriot-Watt engineering students visit Edinburgh Napier’s specialised clinical simulation facilities to gain first-hand understanding of real healthcare scenarios and challenges.

These learnings, together with insights from Edinburgh Napier’s nursing students into patient needs and care, will drive collaborative projects focused on co-designing novel health solutions that target clinical issues. 

“Nurses are an untapped reservoir of innovative solutions for the health and care sector,” explains Cathal Breen, Professor of Simulation and Clinical Skills at Edinburgh Napier, which is Scotland’s only university to offer pre-registration training in all four nursing specialties and midwifery.

“However, the health sector workforce is not currently incentivised to come up and come forward with solutions. In our new agreement with Heriot-Watt, our students will identify potentially suitable clinical problems and work with engineering students at Heriot-Watt to design solutions to real-life clinical problems. It is hugely exciting.”

Maïwenn Kersaudy-Kerhoas is a Professor in Microfluidic Engineering at Heriot-Watt University and the lead academic for the university’s new global research institute in Health and Care Technologies. She said: “It has already proved to be a fantastic and fun learning experience for students from both the nursing and engineering programmes.

“This collaboration will ensure an excellent student experience and we are very enthusiastic about the interface between nursing and engineering. Nurses are the closest to patient needs on a daily basis, by championing this first-hand knowledge and expertise, we enable nurses to co-create and help deliver innovation.

“Alongside this, our engineering students benefit from detailed real-world feedback on their health and care engineering concepts. The professional advice of nursing practitioners and their network of patient engagement opportunities is invaluable as we continue to create the health and care technologies needed for the future.”

Professor Breen adds: “While nursing students are exposed to engineering innovation, when they are given the opportunity to contribute to development they are empowered to innovate in their future career.

“There is no doubt that technology is going to play a vital role in delivering health care solutions in the future.

“In September, Edinburgh Napier is launching a new Masters programme for clinicians trying to understand the opportunities and challenges that new technologies will bring – The MSc Clinical Healthcare Technology.

“This MoU with Heriot-Watt is another link in the chain to ensure we equip the UK’s future healthcare professionals with the skills, experiences, and opportunities they need to sustain a world-leading healthcare service.”

One of the Heriot-Watt engineering students involved in the pilot, Sree Choyathala, said: “Our visit to Edinburgh Napier University marked a significant milestone for our team, allowing us to conduct a successful test of our project prototype and derive essential conclusions.

“The impact of this experience resonated profoundly in the preparation of our design report, and we are sincerely grateful to Professor Kersaudy-Kerhoas for facilitating such a remarkable opportunity.”

Stacey Jenowska, Edinburgh Napier nursing student, said: “I found this activity very interesting and useful. It was great to hear about and see so many creative ideas on ways to improve the care we provide to patients.

“Going forward I feel this will help shape the support and care we can provide to patient groups of all ages.”

World’s Two Biggest Arts Festivals unite in Cultural and Knowledge Exchange agreement

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, the charity that supports the world’s largest performing arts festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and the biggest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere, Adelaide Fringe are coming together to form an arrangement that will see both organisations amplify one another’s efforts for the benefit of artists and the international arts community.

Each organisation’s respective CEO will sign a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) that outlines the details of the arrangement on August 11 during this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.  

The MOU came to fruition from a collective belief between the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society and Adelaide Fringe that organisations who share common objectives have the potential to positively influence the personal development of the Fringe festival artists and workers and thereby increase outcomes for each organisation.  

The MOU will be signed by the South Australian Minister for Arts, Andrea Micheals MP and Scotland’s Culture Secretary Angus Robertson.

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “The Edinburgh Fringe is an inspiration to many festivals around the world and this formal agreement between the Edinburgh Fringe Society and the Adelaide Fringe is a fantastic initiative that will bring many benefits to both organisations.  

“In particular the opportunity to share knowledge and skills, grow new audiences and provide platforms for performers will help the business development of both festivals.”

South Australian MInister for Arts, Andrea Micheals said: “This MOU brings together the wealth of talent, experience and creative ideas that exists in both Edinburgh and Adelaide Fringe Festivals. 

“It represents the two largest festivals in the world joining forces to harness that extraordinary skill and create exciting opportunities for artists and arts workers to work at these two internationally renowned festivals and beyond.  

“Adelaide is one of the world’s greatest festival cities and this partnership with the Edinburgh Festival cements our international reputation as the arts capital of Australia.”

The arrangement outlines details between the two festivals in the context of business, exchange and joint initiatives that will see Edinburgh and Adelaide Fringe festivals work to encourage the development of artists and their career trajectory and festival workers to the benefit of festivals internationally.  

Each organisation will recognise their positions as major tourist attractions in their respective regions for both local, national and international travellers; and the benefits of working collaboratively in the development of skills for festival workers, along with the importance of business opportunities that are created at festivals via industry programs for artists to secure future bookings for their work.

Each partner is committed to the development of their staff, which will in part see the implementation of an exchange program between the two major festivals. 

The MOU outlines a commitment from each party to promote one another’s Fringe festivals to artists while growing the audience-facing and industry-facing opportunities for artists participating in the festivals.

Director and CEO of Adelaide Fringe, Heather Croall said: ‘The establishment of this MOU is a momentous occurrence in the festival world.

“Fringe festivals are incubators for live performance and a testing ground for fresh ideas and new works, I’m sure the outcomes of this arrangement will ripple positively for artists and industry across the globe.”

Chief Executive of Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, Shona McCarthy said, “Today is an exciting moment as we formalise a collective ambition to support each other across a range of areas. 

“Our relationship with the Adelaide Fringe has developed over the last decade into a supportive and collaborative partnership, where we learn from each other and share our mutual challenges and opportunities. 

“The signing of the MOU is just the beginning of what we know will be an extremely rewarding partnership for everyone involved in the festivals.”

First Minister rallies delegates to climate challenge

Devolved governments, regions and cities from across the globe will today send a strong message to world leaders by committing to achieve Net Zero by 2050.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will tell the General Assembly of the Under2 Coalition that by signing up to the pledge in a new memorandum of understanding, they will be signalling the level of ambition required of COP26 to keep global warming to 1.5°C.

Promising Scotland’s continued support for the coalition, which has 260 members representing 1.75 billion people and 50% of the global economy, the First Minister said: “Everyone knows what is required for this summit to be a success.

“COP26 must secure the commitments that will limit global warming to 1.5°C or, at the very least, the near term commitments that will keep that objective alive.

“It must also deliver a fair financial settlement for developing countries, one which takes account of the loss and damage caused by climate change.

“There’s no doubt that over the past week we have seen progress. But it’s also clear that we’ve not yet seen enough.

“Over the coming days, world leaders – and the biggest emitters and potential funders especially – must step up. That is essential.

“But governments like ours must continue to play our part because, while none of us are at the negotiating table, our influence and our example will be crucial in building the momentum. That’s why we are placing so much value on our coalition’s revised memorandum of understanding.

“As we move further into this decisive decade, our coalition must be ready for the challenges ahead. As European co-chair, that will be my focus.

“Scotland is determined to play its part in ensuring the long-term strength of this coalition because we recognise its enormous value and its potential to achieve even more.”

The 2021 Under2 Coalition Memorandum of Understanding will be signed by delegates during today’s General Assembly at Strathclyde University.