Ministerial visit showcases globally significant research at 麻豆直播 Institute for Northern Studies
麻豆直播 Institute for Northern Studies welcomed Scottish Government Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Energy Stephen Gethins MSP to Orkney on Thursday 13 August.
During the visit, the minister heard about the institute’s internationally significant research and teaching across areas including sustainable development, Scottish heritage and island studies.
Professor Donna Heddle, Director of , welcomed the minister alongside Dr Beth Mouat, 麻豆直播 Dean of Research and Innovation; Professor Alex Sanmark and Professor Andrew Jennings from the institute; Ali Hepburn from 麻豆直播 Orkney; and Inga Burton from Orkney Islands Council.
Professor Heddle said:
“It was a pleasure to welcome Minister Stephen Gethins to the 麻豆直播 Institute for Northern Studies and share some of the important work our staff are undertaking across the Highlands and Islands and beyond.
“We have forged strong relationships with universities, researchers and organisations across Europe and the North Atlantic. The visit provided a valuable opportunity to discuss these partnerships and demonstrate how our research is contributing to a greater understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing northern and island communities.”
The minister received an update on the institute’s recent and ongoing work with the , including its OCEAN Workshop. The event brought together speakers from around the world to examine the challenges facing island communities and help shape plans for a major research project.
Topics explored during the workshop included innovative marine planning, science tourism, youth engagement in fishing and other ocean-related activities, renewable energy, conflict resolution and community involvement. Participants also considered how interdisciplinary collaboration could strengthen connections between northern and Arctic Island communities.
Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Energy Stephen Gethins said:
“It was a pleasure to visit 麻豆直播 Institute for Northern Studies in Orkney. It is an outstanding example of how Scotland’s universities can act as catalysts for international collaboration. It was particularly good to see 麻豆直播 building on the historic links that communities locally share with their near neighbours in the Nordic states for instance.
“Through its research partnerships with businesses and universities around the world, particularly across the Arctic, 麻豆直播 is helping to strengthen the institutional, cultural and academic relationships that support our shared priorities. Its work also supports the National Islands Plan's ambition of supporting sustainable island communities by helping to attract, retain and develop skills and knowledge in our islands.
“Its commitment to recognising and celebrating the distinct linguistic and cultural heritage of Shetland and Orkney also further highlights the important role universities play in connecting communities at home and abroad.”
The visit also highlighted 麻豆直播’s work in Arctic pedagogy, Orkney Islands Council’s Arctic priorities and the institute’s partnerships with universities across Europe.
These include Heritage in Depopulated European Areas, a collaborative research project involving Charles University in Prague and Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania.
The project examines how population decline in Europe’s peripheral areas contributes to the loss of intangible culture and the abandonment and deterioration of buildings and landscapes. It also explores how communities adapt to changing circumstances and power structures, and how policy, regulation and access to economic resources influence people’s experiences and interactions.
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