Scotland to pool its marine science research

The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS) brings together ten partners, including eight Scottish universities of Aberdeen, Glasgow, St Andrews, Stirling, Strathclyde, Heriot-Watt, Edinburgh Napier, and the UHI (University of the Highlands) Millennium Institute, to create a critical mass of research in areas including sustainable mariculture and fisheries, biodiversity and marine predators, and to enable Scotland to capitalise on its marine resources.

MASTS also includes Marine Scotland (Science), the Scottish Government’s science research and advisory service, and the Universities’ Marine Biological Station at Millport, Scotland, which is part of the University of London.

The formation of MASTS will create eight new professorships and 13 lectureships/readerships. A graduate academy will be at the core of the Alliance, offering advanced postgraduate training in marine sciences to attract and retain young scientists and make marine science an attractive career.

Scotland has many advantages in the area of marine science on which MASTS aims to capitalise, with over 18,000 kilometres of coastline over 40,000 species of marine organism. The country claims this translates into 25 per cent of Europe’s total tidal and offshore wind resource.

Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment, said, “As we move towards an era where renewable energy will be even more vital in our fight against climate change our seas will only become more important. It’s clear that our leading research institutions have a vital role to play in placing Scotland at the forefront of international marine research.”

Ian Boyd, Director of the Scottish Oceans Institute and the Sea Mammal Research Unit at St Andrews University, said, “The extent to which we are able to maximise the benefits from Scotland’s seas, while ensuring that this is done sustainably, is going to rest on finding innovative solutions, and these will come from basic research. The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland has been designed to provide a strong foundation for this basic research.”