Ministers seal £90m City Deal boost for two Scottish districts
Two international research centres will be developed at a leading Scottish university as part of the latest City Deal to be signed off by UK and Holyrood ministers.
The new facilities, focusing on the environment and aquaculture, will be opened at the University of Stirling thanks to £22 million in government funding. The investment forms part of a wider £90.2m UK City Region Deal for Stirling and Clackmannanshire, the details of which were confirmed yesterday.
Working in partnership with local authorities, the Scottish and UK governments are each investing £45.1m with regional partners and the private sector.
All of Scotland’s seven cities either now have in place or are in negotiations for a City Deal. Talks are also under way to secure growth deals for the Borders and Ayrshire.
Council bosses in Stirling and Clammannanshire will use the cash to pay for transport improvements across the two council areas as well as boosting economic growth.
The Scottish Government has also announced a further £5m of investment, which will fund a new business park at Kildean, and support the next stage of development of the proposed new infrastructure at Callander.
The university will receive £17m for a new Institute of Aquaculture and Global Aquatic Food Security facility, as well as £5m for an International Environment Centre.
University principal Professor Gerry Mccormac said: “Investment in world-class research through the City Deal will enable our researchers to further tackle some of the world’s most pressing problems.
“By working in partnership, we can unleash our economic potential, delivering a unique source of jobs, growth, and skills development, both for Stirling, and the wider Scottish and UK economies.”
The new development at the Institute of Aquaculture will form part of a new innovation hub which will operate four aquatic research facilities. Unique in the UK, the hub will provide the full range of marine environmental conditions, and create research and development opportunities to grow the export of Scottish aquaculture skills and products.
Welcoming the deal, Scottish Secretary David Mundell said: “The ambitious and innovative deal will drive economic growth across the region, creating jobs and boosting prosperity for generations to come. It is now for Stirling and Clackmannanshire to get on with the hard work needed to turn these proposals into a reality.”
The Scottish Government’s secretary for the economy, Keith Brown, said: “Scotland’s cities and regional communities are the engines of our economy. This City Region Deal demonstrates our strong commitment to supporting and growing the regional economy.
“This has the power to build on the area’s strengths and expertise, developing them to transfer the economy, bringing sustained growth and positive social impact to all of its communities.”