Aerial shot of River Forth and Stirling

Scotland’s International Environment Centre

Scotland’s International Environment Centre (SIEC) is a pioneering collaboration that will create an ‘innovation community’ in the Forth Valley, driving the creation of a net zero regional economy and acting as a global exemplar of low-carbon growth.

Through innovation and partnership, the Environment Centre will deliver transformational change in sustainable business practice, positioning the protection and enhancement of our natural resources as an enabler of economic prosperity, wellbeing, and a just transition to a net zero future.

Established as part of the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal, the Environment Centre is funded through an investment of £17m from the Scottish Government and £5m from the UK Government, with additional funding leveraged through private and match-funded investment. The investment builds on the University’s global reputation for environmental science, and the Forth Valley’s established status as a hub for environmental and conservation activity in Scotland. 

Partnering for productivity

The Environment Centre brings together a broad spectrum of academic researchers, talented students and external partners from industry, government, and regional stakeholders, including communities and the third sector. In doing so, it acts as the enabler for new methods of collaboration across sectors to re-imagine innovation and deliver sustainable inclusive growth.

Through a range of targeted, integrated, and high-profile projects, the Environment Centre will co-develop innovative and disruptive products and services, offering agile solutions that will help tackle and mitigate the inevitable impacts of climate change, support the transition to a net zero economy, and protect our natural environmental assets.

Forth Environmental Resilience Array

Forth-ERA will enable a regional living laboratory across the Forth Valley, helping businesses to adopt more sustainable practices, supporting effective policy and regulation, and building community resilience to climate change.

Young Pathfinders

Young Pathfinders is an extracurricular educational outreach programme, which seeks to support and empower young people from Stirling and Clackmannanshire through developing a range of creative and problem-solving skills in response to the challenges presented by climate change.

Hydro Nation Chair

This initiative is funded by Scottish Water in partnership with the Scottish Funding Council. The Hydro Nation Chair is a catalyst for academic research and innovation specifically to support the Scottish water sector in delivering and going beyond net zero whilst delivering service excellence and offering great value and financial sustainability.

forestLAB

forestLAB is a new research hub created to explore climate-smart, conservation-led solutions for sustainable development in central Africa. The project will provide policymakers, investors and development practitioners with the data and tools required to create world-class models of natural ecosystems management that are environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.

Forth Climate Forest

The Forth Climate Forest will plant around 16.4 million new trees planted across 8,300 hectares within the next 10 years. The forest will benefit 306,000 people in Forth Valley communities by planting trees in school grounds, on vacant and derelict land and across parks.

The Scotland 5G Centre

The Scotland 5G Centre (S5GC) is the national centre for accelerating the deployment and adoption of 5G connectivity in Scotland’s industry and public sectors.

Net zero support for business

If your organisation or business has operations in Stirling, we can help you reduce your carbon impact with a net zero plan.

Forth Valley Connectivity Commission

The Forth Valley Connectivity Commission will consider how enhanced transport and connectivity can support the region’s transition to Net Zero.

DOORS Black Sea

Developing Optimal and Open Research Support for the Black Sea (DOORS) is a major, multi-partner research and innovation programme, delivered by the University of Stirling as part of the international work of SIEC.

DOORS brings together science, policy, and industry for critical Black Sea regeneration, addressing the human and climate change impacts on damaged ecosystems.

Scotland’s International Environment Centre in numbers

100 industry partnerships

125 new regional jobs

Supporting 200 start-ups

Working with 300 low carbon SMEs

Delivering a skills portfolio supporting 8669 individuals

Putting £114 million into the region

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