There are significant changes ahead for BGS in Scotland. All
are positive and underpinned by investments in estates, new NERC sponsored
Doctoral training initiatives with Scottish universities and new programmes of
research in geohazards, environmental sustainability and resource security.
BGS has about 180 staff based in Scotland. Most are in
Murchison house, which is based on the University of Edinburgh’s King’s
Building campus. We also have a facility for handling heavy marine drilling
infrastructure at Loanhead, Edinburgh.
We intend to relocate all of our
Edinburgh activities to
the Heriot Watt University (HWU) campus over the next two years. This is an
opportunity in that we can regroup and develop synergies in key areas with HWU,
notably in the resources sector in partnership with the Institute for Petroleum
Engineering, but also with the Marine Sectors and the Institute for the Built
Environment. The focus on transformation of research to innovation at HWU
through spin-out and spin-in activities and
joint ventures with industry is attractive to BGS business development.
We will relocate all of our staff to the Sir Charles Lyell Centre which will be a state of the art facility incorporating our staff and about 100
HWU staff plus laboratories. We also intend to
relocate the marine infrastructure warehouse on the HWU site as part of the
research centre.
In all about 25% of BGS activities are based in Scotland and
we see the new development in HWU as underpinning this investment. Furthermore,
we will enhance collaboration with other Scottish Universities, both in
creating joint research programmes and through the NERC Doctoral Training Centres with Edinburgh University, the Centre for Doctoral Training in oil and gas
that will be managed by HWU and a consortium IAPETUS headed by DurhamUniversity.
We will build on our geohazards work with the University of
Edinburgh and other UK universities and European institutes. For example: we
will be doubling the density of our seismic
grid in creating UK-Array with Edinburgh, Bristol and Leicester Universities;
we will continue to intensify monitoring
volcanic activity in Iceland in partnership with UK HEI; we will enhance our
monitoring programme of the Earth’s magnetic field with the University of Edinburgh and the
British Antarctic Survey.
BGS also works with Edinburgh
and Glasgow universities in managing NERC services and facilities in mass
spectrometry at the Scottish Universities Research and Reactor Centre, the Ion Probe and the
Geophysical Equipment Pool in Edinburgh. We are founding members of
BritGeothermal with Durham and Glasgow universities. We will continue collaboration with
Aberdeen, Dundee and St Andrews University in key disciplines and also work
with the James Hutton Institute and marine institutes in Scotland.
Despite the disruption in moving facilities and staff, which
I understand and which will be managed in an efficient and compassionate way by
BGS support staff, the future for BGS science in Scotland
is extremely positive and I predict an expansion of our research activities and
innovative joint ventures with Scottish universities and companies.
