Also in the news

Management Science Professor's appointment extended at Sir Isaac Newton Institute

The appointment of Professor Kerem Akartunali, Department of Management Science, to the management committee of the Sir Isaac Newton Institute in Cambridge (https://www.newton.ac.uk/) has been extended to a second term.

As a leading national research institute for mathematical sciences and their applications over a wide range of science and technology, the institute is devoted to support interdisciplinary research programmes that attract leading national and international scientists. Since its opening in 1992, 27 Fields Medallists, 9 Nobel Laureates, 23 winners of a Wolf Prize and 12 winners of the Abel Prize have attended Institute programmes.

The Institute and its ongoing activities are funded from a wide variety of sources including the University of Cambridge, and a large rolling grant from EPSRC.  Many other institutions and individuals have also made donations to the Institute, including NM Rothschild and Sons, Hewlett-Packard, the Dill Faulkes Foundation, Leverhulme Trust, CNRS, Rosenbaum Foundation, PF Charitable Trust, London Mathematical Society, Prudential Corporation plc and the Clay Mathematics Institute.

The Management Committee is responsible for overall control of the budget of the Institute, and for its short-term and long-term financial planning, under the guidance of the Director of Institute. Professor Akartunali will carry out his duties in the committee until the end of 2028, when his second term will expire.

Research highlights best practice for renewable energy community benefit funds

A new report by the Strathclyde Institute for Sustainable Communities (SISC) has identified Foundation Scotland as a model for good practice in the design and governance of Community Benefit Funds (CBFs), which support communities affected by renewable energy developments.

Today, over £30m of CBF investment is distributed across Scotland’s communities every year, and this is set to grow significantly over the coming years. Despite the current scale and growth trajectory of CBFs there has been little research exploring the different types of CBF operation and governance, and the respective strengths and weaknesses of these different approaches in generating impactful and resilient community benefit.

To help fill this research gap, SISC partnered with Foundation Scotland who have 20 years of experiencing developing, operating and evaluating CBFs. They are responsible for managing around a third of all Scotland’s total CBF investment, working closely with communities, developers and wider stakeholders across 100 different funds.

Foundation Scotland commissioned the Strathclyde Institute for Sustainable Communities to carry out an in-depth review of its practices to provide quality assurance of their internal process and also help share their experiences of ‘what works’ with the wider sector.

The research is presented in a new report: A Review of Foundation Scotland’s Approach to Community Benefit Funds. The report offers a detailed outline of the CBF lifecycle and the key design choices that need to be taken. It also applies Strathclyde’s own Guiding Principles and Actions for Enhancing Community Benefits from Community Benefit Funds to assess how strongly Foundation Scotland’s approach aligns with good practice.

The report finds that Foundation Scotland’s practice offers an exemplary case for other intermediaries. They play a critical role in directly supporting communities and project developers as a ‘one stop shop’ to initiate, design, operate and evaluate CBFs. The work also found that Foundation Scotland offers value to the sector as a whole, as it is highly active in terms of sectoral leadership and advocacy, playing a key role in developing and disseminating sectoral guidance on CBF good practice.

The report also outlines opportunities for Foundation Scotland to further enhance its good practice include reflecting on employee capacity, increasing awareness of its value proposition, and supporting consistent and transparent reporting and evaluation of Foundation Scotland’s fund portfolio.

Professor Matthew Hannon, Director of the Strathclyde Institute for Sustainable Communities, said, “Foundation Scotland is a ‘one stop shop’ that plays a critical role in supporting communities and project developers to initiate, design, operate and evaluate CBFs. But their value proposition stretches far beyond their project partners. Our research found that Foundation Scotland offers value to the sector a whole, being is highly active in terms of sectoral leadership and advocacy, as well as playing a key role in developing, testing and disseminating innovative approaches to CBF good practice.”

Rachel Searle, Head of Communities and Impact at Foundation Scotland said, “This study has proven to be an interesting and insightful exercise for us. Sometimes you need to take a step back to appreciate the breadth of work you are carrying out on a day to day basis, and the depth of partnerships you are forming. Another really beneficial outcome of this study is that it has helped us see where we can learn and, importantly, step up to support better practice.”

Dr Jen Roberts, Deputy Director of the Strathclyde Institute for Sustainable Communities said, “Foundation Scotland and the Strathclyde Institute for Sustainable Communities have forged a strong partnership, with a shared commitment to improve knowledge and understanding of practice in community benefit in Scotland and beyond. We hope this research will point the way for other organisations to enhance community benefits from such funds, and spotlight the varied and valuable role of intermediary organisations in doing so.”

DigiInventors mentored by MBAs

The Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI)  launched its international school’s competition, the DigiInventors Challenge 2025, earlier this year, calling on secondary school pupils across Scotland and the UAE to design digital solutions to real-world digital health and social care challenges.

Strathclyders in both Scotland and the UAE have been mentoring local school pupils on this Challenge which encourages pupils in S1-S6 to work in teams, identify a health or wellbeing issue, and create an innovative digital idea that could help solve it. Participants are tasked with developing a concept, submitting a video pitch and competing for the chance to amazing tech prizes, recognition at a national health conference, and accreditation through the Young STEM Leader Award.

Pupils were asked to choose between two challenge questions:

1. How can digital innovation challenge stereotypes, inspire girls and women to play football, and support healthy lifestyles?
2. Can you identify a real problem related to people’s health or wellbeing, and develop a digital idea to help solve it?

In the UAE, the SBS UAE team has been supporting the initiative while Executive MBA students Stefan Walter and Jannica Dabuet also dedicated their time to mentoring their local teams, helping them refine their final pitches and prepare to navigate tough questions from the judges in the final next month.  Here in Scotland, Strathclyde Inspire have been supporting the initiative, with Thomas Devaney running the Glasgow bootcamp, and pupils have been mentored by Strathclyde graduates including from the business school.

The Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI) is a national innovation centre funded by the Scottish Funding Council and the Scottish Government and hosted by the University of Strathclyde and the Glasgow School of Art, leading research and innovation in digital health and social care.  IT aims to transform services and improve lives by building a future-ready workforce equipped with digital and entrepreneurial skills.

We wish all the young entrepreneurs the very best of luck in the final!

Latest SISC event focuses on Sustainable Communities in Transition

The Strathclyde Institute for Sustainable Communities (SISC) has organised an event on December 17 with speaker Christian Calvillo Munoz, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Energy Policy.

The talk, entitled "Sustainable Communities in Transition: Equity Impacts on Groups with Protected Characteristics", will take place from 12-2pm on Level 8 at Strathclyde Union.

Christian will be speaking about his secondment with the UK Climate Change Committee, focusing on both the experience itself and the research he undertook during that time. The work explored the impacts of the transition on groups with protected characteristics, highlighting how these intersect with issues of equity and inclusion. The findings also have clear links to the development of sustainable communities, emphasising the importance of ensuring that the transition is fair and benefits everyone.

The room will be open from 12-2pm to allow for attendees who would like to bring their own lunch / tea and coffee and for informal networking before and after the seminar (12-12:30pm and 1:30-2pm).

This event is the latest in the SISC seminar series, which brings together researchers, practitioners, and community leaders to explore bold ideas for building more inclusive, resilient and sustainable communities

Sign up on the Eventbrite page here.

Academic facilitates backcasting workshop for Royal Mile Heat Network Consortium

Professor Iain Black facilitated a Backcasting workshop for the Royal Mile Heat Network consortium on October 1. The goal of the session was to shape a shared vision and values for the project and explore how success will be measured.

Held at the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute (ECCI) and organised with the Scottish Parliament and SP Energy Networks, the event brought together over 20 leading organisations, including Scottish Government, City of Edinburgh Council, Historic Environment Scotland, UNESCO, NHS Lothian, Scottish Water, Vattenfall and Star refrigeration.

Through interactive activities, participants worked on defining what success looks like for this ambitious initiative that seeks to deliver a reliable, low-carbon public heat network for Edinburgh’s Old Town that reconnects communities and tackles fuel poverty.

Professor 's external engagement shares tobacco control lessons to combat 'big oil' tactics

Following Professor Iain Black’s recent involvement at the Exeter Global Tipping Points Conference and his role as a reviewer for the Global Tipping Points Report, he was invited to the University of Sussex to run two sessions with faculty and students. Both sessions were built on decades of work undertaken in the Department of Marketing by Professor Gerard Hastings (now University of Stirling) and Centre for Social Marketing examining how to reduce the harm from smoking tobacco and other commercial determinants of ill health. The sessions explored the strategies and tactics of ‘Big Oil’ as they successfully undermine global progress on combating climate change and poverty alleviation and how they can be countered.

As part of the Sustainability Mobiliser Group Seminar Series at the Institute of Development Studies, Professor Iain Black delivered a lecture exploring what climate and nature campaigners can learn from decades of fighting Big Tobacco on November 10. The talk focused on how strategic communications and contested campaigning can help drive systemic change against powerful actors are working with deep pockets and political influence against progress.  The discussion explored the ways in which fossil fuel companies subvert democracy, their strategic use of PR and marketing, how social media algorithms are used to create climate denial and the forms of tactics, and messages climate and poverty campaigners can use to address these.

The following day, students joined a hands-on workshop to develop counter strategies and messaging aimed at accelerating social tipping points. Drawing lessons from tobacco control, the group worked together to create ideas that will feed campaigning and ongoing research on tipping points and future reports.

KTL Europe sponsors prizes for top three project management and innovation students

The three top-performing students from the MSc Project Management and Innovation programme for 2024/25 were presented with trophies from a company that sponsored awards for the programme’s highest achieving students.

The presentation took place prior to the business school graduation on Thursday, November 6, with Paul Korzeniewski from awards sponsor KTL Europe, and employee and alumna Ava Kerr alongside him, presenting the trophies. The top three students were Alessia Grimoldi, Trudy Mansbridge and Gregory Kelly.

Alessia, who was top overall, said, "The course made project management feel real: we turned theory into practice through projects based on real situations."

Trudy added, "Studying Project Management and Innovation at the University of Strathclyde was such a rewarding and fulfilling experience. The support from staff, their engaging teaching, and the opportunities beyond the classroom really helped me grow and feel prepared for my future career.”

Gregory commented, “The course was exceptional and complemented my industry experience perfectly, equipping me with robust toolkits and frameworks that have accelerated my professional development. The high-quality curriculum has been instrumental in preparing me for the next stage of my career.”

Course director Ranjit Das, Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Innovation, said, “I’d like to thank KTL Europe for their engagement with the programme – as the place of useful learning, we are always delighted to welcome business and industry onto campus and to engage with our students.

“I’d also like to congratulate Trudy, Alessia and Gregory who were the top-performing students in what was a talented class and wish them well with their future endeavours following graduation.”

Guest lecture for accounting students

The Department of Accounting and Finance welcomed Fiona Donnelly CA, Director of Sustainability for ICAS - The Professional Body of CAs on October 8 to Strathclyde to give a guest lecture to the third year Accounting students on the importance of the role of accountants in the drive for, and reporting on, sustainable business.

The students welcomed hearing about the changing business landscape and the variety of new opportunities available to professional accountants related to sustainability activities while Fiona loved the opportunity to not only engage with the students but to have a wander round her old stomping ground with a quick pop in to our much-changed student union.

NIP advisory board role for academic

Professor Matthew Hannon, Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Innovation, has joined the Nature Investment Partnership’s (NIP) advisory board.

The NIP is a joint partnership between NatureScot and investment companies Aberdeen, Palladium and Hampden Group, designed to test new approaches to nature investment finance that both cut carbon and restore biodiversity across Scotland.

You can read more about the Nature Investment Partnership here: https://www.nature.scot/home/nature-investment-partnership

Best PhD thesis award nomination

Xiaoyu Xu, Department of Accounting and Finance, has been nominated by HEC Paris, where she completed her doctoral studies, for the prestigious 2025 HEC Foundation Best PhD Thesis Award.

Each year, three graduates are selected for the nomination, and the final award will be decided by the HEC Foundation jury early next year.

Xiaoyu joined the University of Strathclyde in June 2025 after her PhD in Accounting and Management Control at HEC Paris. Her research explores professions, professional service firms, and professionalisation, particularly at the intersections of sustainability, professional studies, and auditing.

Event: What should come next for city-region policymaking and governance in Scotland?

Strathclyde researchers Professor Stuart McIntyre and Professor Niall MacKenzie, along with colleagues from the University of Glasgow, Professor Graeme Roy and Dr David Waite, have organised an event where they will provide an overview of their findings on ‘what should come next for city-region policymaking and governance in Scotland’?

The event takes place at the Royal Society of Edinburgh on December 1 from 5-7 pm.

The session will begin with insights from a colleague from the OECD - Dr Margarida Bandeira Morais (Regional Development and Multi-level Governance Division) - who will share perspectives on key issues confronting regional policymakers across the OECD.

Following this, the research team will give an overview of their work on Scottish city-regions and set out their recommendations concerning the shape of future urban governance in Scotland. This will be followed by a panel discussion with reflections from across the four city-regions.

If you can attend, please RSVP to: Dr David Waite: david.waite@glasgow.ac.uk. If you are unable to make the session but have a colleague who would be interested in attending, please feel free to forward this invitation to them.

This event is funded by the ESRC Impact Acceleration Accounts of the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde.

Professor provides perspective at doctorate workshop

Professor Tom Baum, Department of Work, Employment and Organisation, provided international perspectives on professional doctorates in Leisure, Tourism and Hospitality at a recent workshop in The Hague. The workshop addressed the national pilot of professional doctorates (PD) within the Universities of Applied Science (UAS) sector in the Netherlands. The big challenge for this national (and well-funded) pilot is that, while the PD equates to a PhD on the EQF, it does not carry parity of esteem within very conservative academic and professional communities.