A politician from Forres has lodged a motion at Holyrood highlighting a move to address regional inequalities and underrepresentation in higher education.
Scottish Green MSP for the Highlands and Islands, Ariane Burgess, welcomes the announcement that The Glasgow School of Art – whose School of Innovation and Technology is at Blairs Farm Steading, Altyre – has secured funding for Scotland’s rural creative economy.
Green MSP for Highlands and Islands, Ariane Burgess.
She said: “The Glasgow School of Art’s vision for a distributed doctoral college will not only strengthen our creative industries but also ensure that people from all parts of Scotland have access to world-class research opportunities.
“I’m proud to lodge a motion in parliament recognising this important step forward.”
The initiative, titled ‘A Golden Thread: Crafting the Creative Economy from Scotland’s Highlands, Lowlands and Islands’, will support 20 PhD researchers from rural and island communities.
The funding, awarded through the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Doctoral Focal Awards programme, will enable the creation of a new doctoral training college in partnership with the Open University and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).
The rural creative economy is predominantly a women-led industry that contributes an estimated £70 million annually to the Scottish economy.
The Glasgow School of Art campus at Altyre Estate, Forres. Picture by Beth Taylor
Focused on the craft sector, the programme will embed enterprise, innovation, and wellbeing into doctoral training, aiming to drive inclusive economic growth and cultural enrichment throughout Scotland’s rural regions.