Our universities bring so much to Edinburgh - Liz McAreavey

It was the renowned anthropologist and biologist Thomas Huxley who said that “the modern university looks forward and is a factory of a new knowledge.”

Liz McAreavey

When he uttered the words two centuries ago, he was comparing the modern university to those

which had gone before, as “storehouses of old knowledge.”

There is little doubt that the success of our cities and our economies is becoming ever more closely

linked to the successes of our universities which have become powerhouses of research, innovation,

commercialisation and huge drivers of economic success.

There are few places where this is more evident than in Edinburgh Our universities are estimated to

support a staggering 29,000 jobs in our city through their operations. They also contribute around £2

BILLION per year to our local economy. That’s a huge figure, but to put it into context the University

of Edinburgh, our biggest university, contributes a massive £1.42 billion of that on its own, and in

total contributes £3.3 billion to the UK economy. Their impact directly employs almost 10,500

people and creates a total of 21,300 local jobs.

Edinburgh Napier contributes £347 million to the local economy, creating almost 3000 local jobs;

Heriot-Watt around £180million supporting 3800 local jobs, and Queen Margaret almost £50 million

supporting 840 local jobs.

On top of the huge economic impact our universities have, they create all kinds of other benefits.

Some 55,000 students are reckoned to live in the Capital – and that is equivalent in broad terms to

the population of Perth.

With that number comes creativity, innovation, energy and enterprise. Our universities bring

students from around the world to Scotland’s Capital to study, bringing with them cross cultural

fertilisation and new ideas. Many decide to stay on, start businesses, prosper and grow. Attracting

global talent is a vital component for cities to prosper.

The University of Edinburgh, now rated 16 th in the world is determined to use its status as a leading

global university to help drive a positive future for the city. It’s standing as one of the very best

Universities in the world for data innovation was a big driver in the billion-pound Edinburgh and

South East Scotland City Region Deal, backed by both the UK and Scottish Governments. One of its

main aims is to make Edinburgh the data capital of Europe.

Through its Edinburgh Futures Institute at the former Royal Infirmary building the University is

bringing together experts from Academia, industry, governments and communities to tackle global

issues that affect us all by bringing the community and the people of the city right into the heart of

discussions in a fantastic new space being designed to encourage collaborations.

The University is also partnering with Heriot-Watt in the Edinburgh Robotarium, where the work on

robotics and Artificial Intelligence is world-leading in a fast-developing, global marketplace. Heriot-

Watt is itself an international leader in subjects as diverse as engineering and brewing.

In a City renowned the world over as the Festival Capital, Edinburgh Napier excels in creativity and

the arts. The top UK university for film production and photography, and the best modern university

in the UK for music, art and design, film and media studies, and English, with research that is rates as

“world-leading” or “internationally excellent”.

As well as being massive direct and indirect employers; as well as consumers of local services and

products; as well as driving innovation and research; our universities add so much to our cultural

diversity, encourage entrepreneurship and commercialisation of research, and open minds to the

challenges facing our societies.

Edinburgh is a city built on many strengths. The excellence of its Universities is certainly one of the

biggest bricks in that wall.

Liz McAreavey, chief executive, Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce