The strategy is designed to improve the quality and volume of research outputs; strengthen the impact of work and enhance research environment; grow research and knowledge exchange income; increase the size and diversity of doctoral research community; and grow the proportion of staff holding PhDs.
It also includes a significant investment as RGU aims to meet its goal of being the top modern university in Scotland in terms of its research quality profile. All of these efforts will build on the positive Postgraduate Research Student Experience (PRES) survey results for 2022 which placed RGU first for research culture and research skills.
The University has a track record of supporting early-stage entrepreneurs so their innovative ideas can be transformed into businesses. RGU has a culture of entrepreneurship, and the University is passionate about driving forward both innovation and supporting new enterprises to support economic growth in the North East and beyond. RGU’s Startup Accelerator programme was launched for its fifth year in 2022, and in that time, has supported dozens of businesses across North East Scotland, which have gone on to create more than £1.5 million worth of economic impact. The Startup Accelerator has created 98 businesses with innovative, scalable products and services - the most recent a Regional Accelerator for 36 teams in partnership with Opportunity North East and funded by the Scottish Government’s North East Economic and Skills Recovery Fund. RGU was also nominated as one of the UK’s most entrepreneurial universities at the 2022 Times Higher Education (THE) Awards.
We recognise the important role that entrepreneurial business growth plays in accelerating economic recovery and diversifying the country’s business base. At RGU, our entrepreneurship and innovation agenda is an integral component of our strategy to contribute to social and economic development. RGU has a culture of entrepreneurship, and the University is passionate about driving forward both innovation and supporting new enterprises to support economic growth in the North East and beyond.