SCOTLAND’S economy could benefit from an additional £4.5 billion gross value added per annum, according to a report.
Published by BiGGAR Economics, it found that there are substantial benefits to the rural sector that an enterprise university could bring.
Looking at the likes of Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and New Zealand, the independent economic consultancy benchmarked Scotland’s performance against comparator nations that already have a rural university.
It found that these nations enjoy significant advantages over Scotland in terms of better productivity in the agricultural and primary sectors. It also found much greater research and development (R&D) investment.
The report outlines the opportunity for Scotland to put systems in place to match the comparator countries studied in this report – with the establishment of an enterprise university for the rural sector as a core component.
Professor Wayne Powell, pictured, chief executive and principal of Scotland’s Rural College, said: “By looking outside we can see clearly that the other countries studied in the report have rural universities which drive innovation and economic growth in the rural sectors.
“In these comparator countries, a rural university offers a global outlook but is connected to the local rural landscape and heritage, helping translate and transfer knowledge into practice that benefits the domestic economy.”
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