Self-levelling railway sleepers could cut disruption and maintenance costs
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Self-levelling railway sleepers could cut disruption and maintenance costs
16th July 2026Engineers at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, working with colleagues at the University of Leeds and across Europe, have designed and tested a new type of self-levelling railway sleeper to tackle the long-standing problem of transition zones on the rail network. They say the innovation could reduce maintenance work, cut costs,…
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The £7,500 Opportunity Many Scottish SMEs Don’t Realise They’re Eligible For
10th July 2026Every business leader knows the value of stepping back to work on the business rather than simply in it. The challenge is finding the time and the budget. The UK Government’s Help to Grow: Management programme, delivered in Scotland by Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University, offers both. Designed specifically…
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Heriot-Watt taps startup founders to boost innovation pipeline
18th June 2026Heriot-Watt University has appointed two entrepreneurs to help scale the next generation of Scottish startups and strengthen links between academia, industry and investors. Gemma Stuart, founder of health startup Gut Wealth, and Jessica Mullen, an exited founder and angel investor, have joined the university as Entrepreneurs in Residence within its…
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Venture debt acts as a bridge between funding stages for tech startups, global study finds
16th June 2026Research across 59 countries shows venture debt reshapes startup finance by reducing early-stage equity, increasing late-stage investment, and expanding the total pool of capital A new international study has found that venture debt is reshaping how capital moves through technology startup ecosystems around the world. Analysing data from 59 countries between 2015 and 2024,…
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Laser breakthrough rewrites the rules of photonics manufacturing
1st June 2026A new technology created by Heriot-Watt University is poised to upend one of the most stubborn bottlenecks in modern manufacturing. FreeForm Photonics is set to commercialise a laser-based process that builds alignment directly into optical glass components, removing the painstaking manual calibration that currently accounts for more than half of…
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Space mission launch advances UK standing in quantum communications
3rd April 2026A landmark space mission built on UK research excellence is set to accelerate progress in quantum communications, as the Heriot-Watt University led Integrated Quantum Networks (IQN) Hub launches the pioneering “Satellite Platform for Optical Quantum Communications” (SPOQC). Emerging from research and development efforts led by the preceding Quantum…
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Island Scholarship launched
23rd March 2026A new scholarship scheme launched as part of the Scottish Government’s new National Islands Plan aims to encourage postgraduate students to move to Orkney and study specialist clean energy and marine science. Heriot-Watt University, the Scottish Government and Orkney Islands Council are behind the programme, which is designed to draw…
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World’s top Human Robot Interaction (HRI) experts unite in Edinburgh
16th March 2026Experts using robots to help autistic children, support independent living, transform healthcare and improve people’s everyday lives will attend a major international conference with free public event. Robots that help autistic children develop communication skills and tech to support people to live independently are just two of the 850 robotic technologies…
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Eye-surgery laser could be adapted for other organs, say scientists
23rd January 2026The team used supermarket-bought lamb liver for the study, to mimic soft brain tissue Scientists in Scotland have shown that a type of laser already similar to the one currently used in routine eye surgery could one day help surgeons remove unwanted tissues, such as tumours, with unprecedented accuracy. Researchers…
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Hot Tin Roof and National Robotarium extend partnership into fifth year
21st January 2026Edinburgh agency’s transformative communications work secures continued role shaping UK’s robotics and AI narrative Hot Tin Roof is continuing its partnership with the National Robotarium at Heriot-Watt University for a fifth consecutive year, building on award-winning campaigns that have fundamentally transformed how Scotland and the UK understand robotics innovation. The…
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