Research Partnerships & Centres

Established in 1990, the CERT research centre's principal focus has been on the transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and East Asia. More recently, CERT's research has extended beyond the former socialist countries to include emerging economies throughout the world.

The Centre for Research into Socially Inclusive Services - or CRSIS - undertakes interdisciplinary research into the provision and use of local private and public services in deprived areas, acting as a national centre of expertise on issues of social inclusion and service provision.

The Centre for Translating and Interpreting Studies in Scotland - or CTISS - provides a focus for research expertise in translation studies, social communication and applied linguistics. The Centre one of only three UK institutions that belong to CIUTI (Conférence Internationale d 'Instituts Universitaires de Traducteurs et Interprètes)

The Edinburgh Collaborative of Subsurface Science and Engineering - or ECOSSE - is a Joint Research Institute (JRI) of the Edinburgh Research Partnership. ECOSSE combines research at Edinburgh University, Heriot-Watt University, the Scottish branch of the British Geological Survey and the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre. Research covers all fields in (earth) subsurface science and engineering.

The collaborative programmes that form part of the Edinburgh Research Partnership (ERP) in Engineering and Mathematics are managed through a series of Joint Research Institutes which cover Signal and Image Processing, Subsurface Science and Engineering, Energy, Integrated Systems (Precision Optical, Electronic and Miniature Systems), Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Mathematical Sciences. The Partnership involves 750 researchers in engineering and mathematics at Heriot-Watt and Edinburgh Universities. In addition to developing a shared research strategy and pooled resources, the ERP has established a joint postgraduate school providing high quality courses and training.

The Heriot-Watt Energy Academy is a pan-university initiative whose objectives are to consolidate energy research activities and facilitate interdisciplinary programmes, within the university and with other higher education institutions, and also to ensure external parties can easily gain an appreciation of our vision, skills-base and active research projects. Based at Heriot-Watt Research Park, the Energy Academy engages with the international agenda of climate change, sustainability and security of supply, to focus on the 'big picture' of how best to match our skills-base to the emerging research challenges.

Established in 2005 with funding from the retail entrepreneur George Davis, this research centre aims to become a major international hub for research in the retail clothing sector. It combines the academic study of dynamic retail practice with the delivery of research-informed programmes tailored to the needs of the next general of retail entrepreneurs. Specific research foci include fashion retailing, luxury brand management and the changing culture of consumption.

ICBL specialises in the design, description and evaluation of computer-based resources and their use in further and higher education. Our current expertise includes resource discovery services, metadata standards for learning resources and evaluation of computer-based learning resources.

The Institute of Signal and Image Processing - or SIP - is a Joint Research Institute (JRI) of the universities of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt forming part of the Edinburgh Research Partnership. The Institute brings together high-quality researchers, strong links with the industrial and commercial sectors, and exciting new challenges and opportunities in the areas of signal and image processing and their applications.

Integrated Systems (Precision Optical, Electronic and Miniature Systems) is a Joint Research Institute (JRI) of the universities of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt as part of the Edinburgh Research Partnership. Integrated Systems brings together international research expertise in the areas of astronomy and space technology, bio-photonic and bio-electronic systems, high-value manufacturing technologies, miniature-system integration and advanced photonic devices and systems.

The Intelligent Systems Lab was established to pursue the synthesis of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques with control engineering methods to produce intelligent systems. The lab participates in a wide range of industrial collaborative research projects.

The Institute in Energy is a Joint Research Institute (JRI) of the Edinburgh Research Partnership. It brings together The Institute for Energy Systems of the University of Edinburgh, and the Energy Academy of the Heriot-Watt University Research spans and is alighted to the main challenges of the renewable energy supply chain.

The Logistics Research Centre (LRC) was established in 1998, and is one of the main centres in the UK for research on freight transport and logistics. The LRC has conducted extensive surveys of users and providers of freight transport services, in-depth case studies, statistical analysis of large primary and secondary data sets and various forms of computer modelling. It has recently diversified into new fields, most notably maritime transport, sustainable distribution and global supply chain management.

The Maxwell Institute for Mathematical Sciences is an internationally recognised centre for research and for postgraduate training in the mathematical sciences. This Joint Research Institute (JRI) forms an important part of the Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt Universities' Edinburgh Research Partnership in Engineering and Mathematics.

Our Orkney Campus in Stromness is home to The International Centre for Island Technology (ICIT) which is part of Heriot-Watt University's prestigious Institute of Petroleum Engineering. ICIT was established to carry out advanced research, postgraduate training and consultancy in marine resource management and related issues.

The Research Institute for Flexible Materials - or RIFLeX - is centred in the School of Textiles and Design. The Institute is at the centre of a diverse range of innovative research projects, for example, those involving 3D digital modelling and the study of the properties and aesthetics of materials.

ScotCHEM is a major collaborative venture for the pooling and enhancement of resources for chemistry research in Scotland. It brings together the major players in research in chemical sciences through the creation of new structures to generate enhanced critical mass and enable joint access to major resources which would previously have been restricted to single institutions.

Housed on the Research Park of Heriot-Watt University The Scotch Whisky Research Institute is a centre of excellence dedicated to the needs of the distilled beverage industry. The Institute works closely with universities, other research facilities and Scotch Whisky companies, and is involved in work on all areas of spirit manufacture.

The Scottish Institute of Sustainable Technology - or SISTech - is a not-for-profit partnership between Scottish Enterprise and Heriot-Watt University, established as an international centre of excellence in Scotland to promote the practical delivery of sustainable development through business development, education, and research and development.

SMI - the centre for excellence for advanced manufacturing solutions at Heriot-Watt University - is one of 16 IMRCs (Innovative Manufacturing Research Centres) established by EPSRC with additional financial support from Industry. Our mission is to support manufacturing innovation through research in technologies that underpin sustainable growth of high value-added manufacturing industries in Scotland and the rest of the UK, by exploiting a constructive engagement between academic researchers and industrial stakeholders. The SMI is based on three research themes: Digital Tools, Microsystems and Photonics.

The Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA), brings together physicists from Heriot-Watt, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Paisley, St Andrews and Strathclyde universities, creating the largest such grouping in the UK with over 200 academic physicists.

TechniTex was established in 2000 with funding from the EPSRC and the DTI to develop a programme of co-ordinated research, training and technology transfer for the technical textiles industry. The Partnership involves Heriot-Watt University, together with the University of Leeds, UMIST and BTTG. Technitex enables this key sector of UK industry to work with leading academic researchers to produce innovative new products and processes.

The Centre for Environment and Human Settlements - or CEHS - is an international centre providing teaching, training, research & development and other knowledge-based services and resources in the fields of environment and human settlements for the developing and rapidly urbanising world.

The Engineering Doctorate Centre centred in the School of Engineering & Physical Sciences provides industrially-relevant training leading to a doctorate qualification. Three Engineering Doctorate Programmes are offered in the areas of Photonics; Microsystems; and Creative 3D Digital Technologies. Support is provided by EPSRC and programmes are offered in partnership with other academic institutions and industry.