Business innovation facilities

Innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Aside from the support of academics, students and the wider university, we can offer physical space and facilities for business growth, research, innovation and creativity.

A young specialist with pink hair engaged in conversation

Incubator space

The Hive is the University’s student and graduate business incubator, supporting the creation of innovative and viable start-ups. Based at the University of Stirling Innovation Park, the Hive encourages entrepreneurs to make a difference in their communities and wider society.  

Email enterprise@stir.ac.uk to talk to us about your needs. 

Support for start-ups and entrepreneurs

Faculty of Natural Sciences business support and services

University of Stirling's Faculty of Natural Sciences can offer a range of specialist business services, facilities and consultancy. 

The Forth Environmental Resilience Array (Forth-ERA)

A world-first, the Forth Environmental Resilience Array is a digital observatory that enables monitoring of water stress and resilience.

It is a state-of-the-art, user-driven, catchment-scale observatory for the full Forth basin, Scotland, developed by the University of Stirling. It uses data from distributed sensor networks, Earth observation, and models to provide actionable intelligence on the state and trajectory of water resources and the pressures acting upon them.  

In-situ networks of static and mobile sensors will provide high frequency, real-time data on water quantity and quality located using satellite navigation and connected to the cloud via cellular and satellite communications.  The data from these networks will also support the calibration and validation of Earth Observation data products.  We have developed a suite of Earth Observation services for water resource monitoring and management using open access Copernicus data as well as observations from commercial providers.

We’re strongly connected to the UK Water Partnership, UK Water Industry Research and British Water.  Internationally we’re engaged with the UNEP GEMS Water and World Water Quality Alliance. 

Forth-ERA has gained supersite status with the DANUBIUS-RI pan-European research infrastructure on River-Sea systems.

Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory (ERL)

The Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory measures how much radiation is in the environment. Our focus is on understanding how radiation affects the environment over time and in different places. We do this by studying things like soil erosion and sediment build-up. Our team and equipment are some of the best in the UK for monitoring radiation in the environment. 

Our expert team can provide specialised environmental services including: 

  • habits surveys, 
  • environmental dose modelling, 
  • scanning electron microscopy, 
  • and micro-scale digital imaging.  

Stirling Analyses for Geoarchaeology (StAG)

Stirling Analyses for Geoarchaeology (StAG) provides a range of professional services and analysis for archaeologists. 

Our modern laboratories include: 

  • SEM-EDS Lab
  • Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) Lab 
  • Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Lab

Thin section slide production lab and micromorphology/image analysis lab

Our experts in thin section and micromorphology specialise in the production of large format (75 x 110 mm) thin section slides from soils and sediments from locations across the world. They have lots of experience dealing with organic rich samples, such as peat and heavy clay materials. They also have experience in producing slides from a wide variety of other materials such as rock, egg shell, bone, wood, ceramics, fossils, leather, and many others.

Aquaculture business support services

The Institute of Aquaculture is a research hub that works with government and business to create new technology and find ways to do things better. 

Our extensive marine and freshwater facilities operate to the highest standards and are available for pioneering commercial research at molecular, cellular and whole-organism levels.

Niall Bromage Freshwater Research Unit (NBFRU)

The Niall Bromage Freshwater Research Unit (NBFRU) is a research centre for studying salmonids in freshwater, located about seven miles from the main University campus near Carron Valley reservoir.

The NBFRU's facilities include:

  • A dedicated sterile room for handling live fish,
  • a laboratory for detailed analysis,
  • temperature-controlled tanks,
  • and a fully equipped hatchery with computer-controlled monitoring, lighting, and feeding systems.

Conducting research at the NBFRU can lead to improved animal health, welfare and resilience, improved industry performance and reduced environmental impacts. 

Marine Environmental Research Laboratory (MERL)

MERL is the Institute of Aquaculture's marine site at Machrihanish near Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsula. The site pumps and filters seawater constantly and supports many academic and contract research projects, such as drug development for farming salmonid to Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) standard. 

We offer the following drug development services: 

  • in vivo safety testing,
  • pharmacokinetics,
  • in vivo efficacy testing against sea lice, including drug-naïve sea lice,
  • and bioassays on farm isolates for drug sensitivity, starting with just a few gravid female lice.

Nutrition Analytical Services (NAS)

The Nutrition Analytical Service (NAS) is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for nutrition research with a specific focus on lipids and fatty acids.

Our laboratories are equipped with HPLC, LCMSMS, GC, GCMS and GCMSMS capabilities as well as modern sample preparation facilities. We also provide a service for the analysis of human and animal clinical samples, especially blood fatty acid analysis.

Omega 3 analysis

We conduct analysis of Omega 3 fatty acids for pharmaceutical companies, health professionals and pathology laboratories and support research projects involving the measurement of Omega 3 status. Working with research and commercial partners we analyse fatty acids in human red blood cells using the Omega Blood Count™ test, a rapid method of providing Omega 3 status through a single finger prick of blood.  

OmegaQuant are partnering with us to run precise testing in laboratories servicing North America, Asia Pacific and Europe. 

"The advantage of the blood spot method, compared with collecting venous blood from a vein, is its non-invasive nature. The speed and simplicity of collection is important when vulnerable patients are being studied, in particular young children, patients with neurological problems and the elderly."

James Dick

Outdoor play at Psychology Kindergarten

Psychology Kindergarten

Our on-site kindergarten offers childcare for children aged between 2 years 9 months and 5 years old. We welcome all children, including those from the wider community and local businesses in the Stirling and Clackmannanshire area. 

Psychology Kindergarten