Tha dà rud cudromach airson oilthighean: rannsachadh agus teagasg.
Agus ann am measadh o chionn ghoirid air rannsachadh air feadh na Rìoghachd Aonaichte, chaidh faisg air 75% de rannsachadh UHI a mheasadh mar a bhith sàr-mhath air feadh an t-saoghail, no sàr-mhath gu h-eadar-nàiseanta. ’S e euchd air leth a tha seo do dh’oilthigh na Gàidhealtachd agus nan eilean, agus don sgìre againn. Anns an dòigh seo, tha rannsachadh ùr-nodha cudromach, chan ann a-mhàin do UHI ach dha na coimhearsnachdan a tha e a’ frithealadh.
Agus aig deireadh an latha, ’s e buaidh an rannsachaidh air coimhearsnachdan, air an roinn agus air an eaconamaidh, a tha am measg nan nithean as cudromaiche.
Seo dà eisimpleir air mar a thug an rannsachadh againn buaidh air a’ Ghàidhealtachd agus na h-Eileanan.
Tha a’ chiad phròiseact mu dheidhinn seirbhisean slàinte ann an sgìrean dùthchail na Gàidhealtachd. Tha fios againn gu bheil dùbhlain mu choinneamh sgìrean iomallach agus dùthchail na h-Alba, nuair a thig e gu bhith a’ fastadh agus a’ cumail luchd-obrach cùram-slàinte.
Tha atharrachadh a’ cuideachadh choimhearsnachdan dùthchail
Bho 2014 gu 2020, stiùir UHI prògram rannsachaidh gus dòighean ùra a dhealbhadh agus feuchainn ri seirbheisean bun-chùraim seasmhach a lìbhrigeadh ann ann sgìrean iomallach agus dùthchail. Ghabh iad sin a-steach dòighean ùra air beàrnan a lìonadh airson GPan dùthchail, a’ cleachdadh cho-labhairtean bhidio agus a’ cruthachadh sgioba taic dhùthchail a’ gabhail a-steach àrd-bhanaltraman agus luchd-eiridinn. Tha na h-atharrachaidhean seirbheis seo air buannachd a thoirt gu coimhearsnachdan dùthchail agus solaraichean seirbheis slàinte.
Tha dòighean ùra air cùram-slàinte a lìbhrigeadh, a tha a’ faighinn taic bho mhuinntir an àite, air an lìbhrigeadh ann an cuid de sgìrean air a’ Ghàidhealtachd mar thoradh air an rannsachadh seo. Tha coimhearsnachdan ann an sgìrean iomallach agus dùthchail Astràilia cuideachd air ùidh a nochdadh san rannsachadh seo.
£681k facility @CCAP_Oban to research DNA of algae launched @SAMSoceannews as well as a Seaweed Academy. Both will be useful to feed humans and animals, as medicine, fuel and to replace plastic as packaging. They can even help to mitigate climate change #AnLa @bbcalba 8pm pic.twitter.com/xmDaR6G9Kp
— Andreas G. Wolff, MA (@BBCAndreasWolff) April 27, 2022
Tha an dàrna pròiseact mu dheidhinn tuathanachas uisge. Tha fios againn gu bheil an gnìomhachas seo a’ cur £620M ri eaconamaidh na h-Alba. Tha e a’ toirt taic do 12,000 obair cuideachd. Ach tha mòran dùbhlain mhòra an lùib a’ ghnìomhachais seo, a’ gabhail a-steach dùbhlain àrainneachdail, mar bhlàthan algach cronail (HABan).
Faodaidh HABan buaidh a thoirt air slàinte dhaoine, iasg a mharbhadh, agus buaidh mhòr a thoirt air tuathanasan èisg. Tha Comann Saidheans Mara na h-Alba, com-pàirtiche acadaimigeach UHI, air rannsachadh a dhèanamh a dh’fhaodar a chleachdadh gus ro-innse far an tachair HABan. Lùghdaichidh an obair seo an cothrom air buaireadh ann an tuathanachas èisg mar thoradh air HABan, a bharrachd air a’ chunnairt do shlàinte dhaoine a lùghdachadh.
Chan eil annta seo ach dà eisimpleir de far a bheil an rannsachadh againn a’ dèanamh eadar-dhealachadh san “fhior shaoghal”, ann an coimhearsnachdan air feadh na Gàidhealtachd agus nan Eilean.
Two things are important for universities: teaching and research.
In an assessment undertaken a short while ago across the United Kingdom, nearly 75% of the research at UHI was assessed as being world-leading or internationally excellent. This is a great achievement for UHI and for our region.
Modern research is not only important to the university, but to the region it serves
In this way, modern research is not only important to the university, but to the region it serves. And, at the end of the day, it is the impact of the research on communities, on the region, and on the economy that are amongst the most important things.
Here are two examples of how our research has impacted the Highlands and Islands.
The first is about health services in rural areas of the Highlands. We know that remote and rural areas of Scotland face challenges when it comes to recruiting and retaining healthcare workers.
Changes that benefit rural communities
Between 2014 and 2020, UHI led a research programme to design and test new ways of delivering sustainable primary care services in remote and rural areas. These included new ways to fill gaps for rural GPs, using videoconferencing and creating a rural support team made up of senior nurses and paramedics. These changes have benefitted rural communities and healthcare providers.
New research has led to the delivery of new, locally supported forms of healthcare in some areas of the Highlands as a result of this research. Communities in remote and rural areas of Australia have also expressed interest in this research.
The second project is about aquaculture. We know that aquaculture businesses contribute £620 million to the Scottish economy each year. The industry also supports 12,000 jobs. But, there are many major challenges to this industry, including harmful algal blooms (Habs).
Habs can affect human health, kill fish and have a major impact from fish farms. The Scottish Association for Marine Science, a UHI academic partner, has carried out research that can be used to predict where Habs will occur. This work will reduce the potential for disruption to fish farming caused by them, as well as reducing the risk to human health.
These are but two examples where our research is making a difference in the “real world”, within the communities throughout the Highlands and Islands.
Tha an t-Àrd-Ollamh Niall Simco iar-phrionnsapal eadar-amail (treas-ìre agus rannsachadh) aig UHI / Professor Neil Simco is interim deputy principal (tertiary and research) at UHI
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