Crichton Institute was launched in January 2013. It is a unique collaborative venture between the Crichton Campus academic institutions and our wider partners in the business, local government, health and voluntary sectors. The Institute has been set up in the realisation that the educational and knowledge resources of those academic partners can be put to positive use in driving the overall development of the region and our ability to attract resources and inward investment. The recent South of Scotland Knowledge Transfer Partnership project (South of Scotland Business Solutions) showed what positive impact academic collaboration can have on the economy of the South of Scotland.
Calling on the vast experience of the academic and wider Community Planning partners, the work of Crichton Institute is being recognised at regional, national and international levels and is beginning to make a significant contribution to realising the Scottish Government’s core aim of promoting sustainable economic growth.
The regional context for the establishment of the Institute is identified in the Single Outcome Agreements for Dumfries & Galloway and Scottish Borders, as well as the South of Scotland Competitiveness Strategy for 2007-2013 and its ‘refreshed’ strategy.
The core documents between them define the main socio-economic-environmental and cultural issues, opportunities and challenges facing the region, many of which are shared in the national and international arena.
At the regional level, the South of Scotland Alliance and Forum also provide a conduit for engagement with the Scottish Government and provides a focus for discussion on common issues across Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders. Strong links are also developing between the region and other rural and urban local authorities in Scotland, North of England and beyond.
Examples of collaboration to date include work on rural broadband access and the Small Towns Report and its follow up publication.