Heriot-Watt University and Age Scotland strengthen partnership
Heriot-Watt University has further cemented its longstanding relationship with leading charity Age Scotland by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), aimed at accelerating impactful research and innovation to enhance the lives of older people across the country.
The new MOU builds on a rich history of collaboration between Heriot-Watt researchers and Age Scotland, particularly through initiatives led by Professor Alan Gow and the University's wattAGE network, which has championed healthy ageing projects for several years. This agreement sets the stage for an even closer, more strategic partnership, focused on translating cutting-edge research into tangible benefits for older citizens.
Michelle Beukes, Business Development Manager within the Global Research Institute for Health and Care Technologies at Heriot-Watt, explained: “This MoU marks an exciting step in deepening our collaboration with Age Scotland. It creates a structured pathway for expanding our joint efforts and ensures that our research aligns closely with the real-world needs of older people. By combining academic insight with lived experience, we can drive meaningful change and deliver a positive impact for people across Scotland."
Central to the partnership is a shared ambition that will see Heriot-Watt’s world-class research expertise combine with Age Scotland’s unique insight into the lived experiences and challenges faced by older people. Together, they aim to co-create solutions that are not only innovative but also practical, accessible, and impactful.
The collaboration has already produced significant results. Age Scotland is a key partner in 'CONSOLIDATE' — a £2 million EPSRC-funded 'Network Plus' project led by Professor Gow — which focuses on co-designing technology for people with dementia. This approach ensures that emerging technologies meet actual needs, promoting a better quality of life for users and helping to address pressing challenges in health and social care.
Professor Gow from the School of Social Sciences said: “Over a number of years, we’ve been privileged to partner with Age Scotland on a range of activities and projects that support healthy ageing in Scotland. This new phase of partnership builds upon that foundation and will open up many new opportunities, not just as a bridge between research and the third sector but driven by our shared commitment that the voices of older people shape and lead what we do together.
“By working more closely with Age Scotland, we will drive forward research and innovation to positively impact quality of life for all as we get older.”
Beyond research, the MOU outlines opportunities for wider collaboration, including student internships, staff volunteering, community engagement projects, and policy influence initiatives. With Age Scotland playing a major role in shaping national policy on ageing issues, Heriot-Watt’s research can feed directly into government conversations around healthcare innovation, digital inclusion, and support for ageing in place.
Michelle added: "This partnership is pivotal in strengthening Heriot-Watt’s position as a key player in health and care technologies, particularly in the healthy ageing space. We are committed to creating innovative solutions that don’t sit on a shelf, but that truly transforms lives and with Age Scotland’s expertise and network, we can better achieve this."
The MOU, which will be governed by a shared strategic plan and regular review, represents a long-term commitment by both institutions to ensure Scotland’s ageing population benefits from inclusive, research-driven innovation.
Katherine Crawford, Age Scotland’s Chief Executive said:
“Supporting an older and ageing population is one if the biggest challenges of our time, and one which governments across the world have not yet got to grips with.
“Ensuring older people are at the heart of the research which drives innovation for their benefit is essential. Their unique experiences and perspectives are hugely valuable, but they are often excluded. I am really excited about what we can achieve together by pairing Age Scotland’s networks, insight and expertise with world class researchers at Heriot-Watt University.”
Heriot-Watt’s Health and Care Technologies Global Research Institute is a Worldwide Centre of Excellence for transdisciplinary research, innovation and training. It enables academics to work together with healthcare professionals, industry, and citizens to help co-develop solutions.
Anyone interested in working with this GRI can contact the Global Research Innovation and Discovery (GRID) team at GRID@hw.ac.uk.
About Heriot-Watt
Heriot-Watt University is a global research-led university based in the UK, with five campuses in Edinburgh, the Scottish Borders, Orkney, Dubai and Malaysia.
Around 27,000 students from 154 countries are currently studying with us. We have 159,000 alumni in 190 countries.
We are specialists in business, engineering, design and the physical, social, sports, environmental and life sciences subjects which make a real impact on the world and society.
Heriot-Watt was founded in Edinburgh in 1821 as the world’s first mechanics institute. In 1966, it became a university by Royal Charter. The university is named after 18th century Scottish engineer and inventor James Watt and 16th century Scottish philanthropist and goldsmith George Heriot.
86.8% of Heriot-Watt's research is classed as world-leading and internationally excellent in the Research Excellence Framework 2021 – the UK’s system for assessing the excellence of research in UK higher education providers.
The university runs 113 undergraduate programmes and 170 postgraduate programmes across six academic schools and Edinburgh Business School.
Website: https://www.hw.ac.uk/
