Plans are progressing to create a ground-breaking £2million centre of excellence for digital agriculture and animal health in Inverness.
The Scottish Rural College (SRUC) has confirmed proposals to expand its existing research and commercial operations at Inverness Campus.
The new facility also aims to improve scientific and education services which will help to secure improvements in animal and human health.
It will take a new approach by combining for the first time multidisciplinary strengths in veterinary disease surveillance, research, education and rural business consultancy, housed in a new building on Highlands and Islands Enterprise’s Inverness Campus.
The centre builds on the existing collaboration between SRUC’s veterinary epidemiology research centre and its farm and rural business consultants.
SRUC’s academic director Professor Jamie Newbold said: “We are very excited about this new development in our partnership with HIE.
“SRUC has an ambitious regional, national and global strategy to increase its positive impact on rural economies.
“Key to our new strategy is collaboration with existing and new partners, achieved through the sharing of expertise, resources and facilities.”
He added: “Our new centre will open up huge opportunities and give us the scope to deliver new services.
“Examples include the harnessing of ‘big data’ and digital technology for use in research and education and improvements in the responsiveness and impact of the advisory services we offer to local farmers.”
HIE’s Ruaraidh MacNeil, project director of Inverness Campus, said: “SRUC is already involved in a variety of collaborative projects at Inverness Campus working with other academic institutions, NHS and commercial companies.
“SRUC has been a key member of the Inverness Campus Partnership Forum since its inception in 2010.”
The investment will enable an estimated six new posts to be created to harness the available data collected within SRUC to drive its business and also deliver content for online learning postgraduate digital courses and continuing professional development.
Discussions are well advanced for the sale of land and it is anticipated the new centre could open at Inverness Campus in early 2019.
SRUC will also work with a number of educational institutions to develop improved undergraduate and postgraduate veterinary education in the region.
The new building will include teaching facilities for veterinary students.