The Edinburgh region R&D ecosystem
Edinburgh region is ranked number 72 of 392 R&D ecosystems in the 311 Institute directory, with 34 labs within about 120 kilometres: 18 research institutes, 8 university, 4 government, 3 corporate and 1 non-profit. Leading organisations include Medical Research Council, University of Edinburgh, Cancer Research UK and Royal Observatory, focused on molecular biology, genetics, public health, environmental and occupational health and epidemiology.
Part of the 311 Institute Global R&D Labs Directory. Compiled by Matthew Griffin. Last updated .
All 34 labs
| Lab and organisation | Location | Type and sector | Focus | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon Medical Research Europe (United Kingdom)Canon (Japan) | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Corporate Technology | Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, Health Informatics, Artificial Intelligence | |
| Charles River Laboratories (United Kingdom)Charles River Laboratories (United States) | Tranent, United Kingdom | Corporate Healthcare and life sciences | Immunology, Small Animals, Cancer Research | 1947 |
| NatWest AcceleratorNatWest | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Corporate Financial services | Entrepreneur accelerator | 2016 |
| Offshore Renewable Energy CatapultInnovate UK | Glasgow, United Kingdom | Government Energy and resources | Offshore wind | 2013 |
| MRC University of Glasgow Centre for Virus ResearchMedical Research Council | Glasgow, United Kingdom | Government Healthcare and life sciences | Infectious Diseases, Animal Science and Zoology, Epidemiology | 2010 |
| Rural and Environment Science and Analytical ServicesScottish Government | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Government Environment and climate | Pollution, Sociology and Political Science, Management Science and Operations Research | |
| Scottish Mental Health Research NetworkScottish Mental Health Research Network | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Government Social sciences and humanities | Sociology and Political Science, Pharmacology, Clinical Psychology | 2007 |
| Maxwell Institute for Mathematical SciencesHeriot-Watt University | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | University Basic science | Nuclear and High Energy Physics, Geometry and Topology, Astronomy and Astrophysics | 2005 |
| University of EdinburghUniversities in United Kingdom | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | University Multidisciplinary research | AI, Informatics | 1583 |
| Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives ResearchUniversity of Dundee | Dundee, United Kingdom | University Healthcare and life sciences | Epidemiology, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Computational Theory and Mathematics | |
| Asthma UK Centre for Applied ResearchUniversity of Edinburgh | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | University Healthcare and life sciences | Physiology, Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health | 2014 |
| British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular ScienceUniversity of Edinburgh | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | University Healthcare and life sciences | Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging, Surgery, Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine | 2008 |
| Wellcome Centre for Cell BiologyUniversity of Edinburgh | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | University Healthcare and life sciences | Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Plant Science | 1992 |
| Scottish Universities Environmental Research CentreUniversity of Glasgow | Glasgow, United Kingdom | University Environment and climate | Geophysics, Atmospheric Science, Paleontology | 2004 |
| Wellcome Centre for Molecular ParasitologyUniversity of Glasgow | Glasgow, United Kingdom | University Healthcare and life sciences | Epidemiology, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Parasitology | 1987 |
| James Hutton InstituteJames Hutton Institute | Dundee, United Kingdom | Non-profit Agriculture and food | Crops, Land use | 2011 |
| Roslin InstituteBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council | Dalkeith, United Kingdom | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Genetics, Small Animals, Molecular Biology | 1919 |
| Cancer Research UK Scotland InstituteCancer Research UK | Glasgow, United Kingdom | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Molecular Biology, Oncology, Cell Biology | 1890 |
| Edinburgh Cancer ResearchCancer Research UK | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Cancer Research, Genetics, Reproductive Medicine | 1979 |
| Edinburgh GenomicsEdinburgh Genomics | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Molecular Biology, Genetics, Plant Science | 2013 |
| Hannah Research FoundationHannah Research Foundation | Ayr, United Kingdom | Research institute Agriculture and food | Agronomy and Crop Science, Biochemistry, Animal Science and Zoology | 1928 |
| Centre for Inflammation ResearchMedical Research Council | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine, Hepatology, Physiology | 1999 |
| MRC Centre for Reproductive HealthMedical Research Council | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Reproductive Medicine, Immunology | |
| MRC Human Genetics UnitMedical Research Council | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Genetics, Molecular Biology, Plant Science | 1967 |
| MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation UnitMedical Research Council | Dundee, United Kingdom | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Molecular Biology, Neurology, Epidemiology | |
| MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences UnitMedical Research Council | Glasgow, United Kingdom | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Health, Epidemiology, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health | 1998 |
| Moredun Research InstituteMoredun Research Institute | Penicuik, United Kingdom | Research institute Agriculture and food | Small Animals, Microbiology, Parasitology | 1920 |
| Royal Botanic Garden EdinburghRoyal Botanic Garden Edinburgh | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Research institute Agriculture and food | Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Molecular Biology, Plant Science | 1670 |
| Royal ObservatoryRoyal Observatory | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Research institute Space | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Instrumentation, Nuclear and High Energy Physics | 1896 |
| UK Astronomy Technology CentreRoyal Observatory | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Research institute Space | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Instrumentation, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics | 1998 |
| Scotch Whisky Research InstituteScotch Whisky Research Institute | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Research institute Agriculture and food | Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics, Biomedical Engineering | 1979 |
| Simons Initiative for the Developing BrainSimons Initiative for the Developing Brain | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Genetics, Cognitive Neuroscience | 2017 |
| Turing InstituteTuring Institute | Glasgow, United Kingdom | Research institute Technology | Information Systems and Management, Artificial Intelligence, Information Systems | 1983 |
| Urban Big Data CentreUrban Big Data Centre | Glasgow, United Kingdom | Research institute Social sciences and humanities | Transportation, Geography, Planning and Development, Health | 2014 |
Countries
Organisations
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
- Cancer Research UK
- Innovate UK
- Medical Research Council
- Universities in United Kingdom
Other leading ecosystems
- Paris and Saclay
- Beijing and Tianjin
- Washington DC and Maryland
- Greater Tokyo and Tsukuba
- Moscow
- Grenoble
- London and the Golden Triangle
- Greater Bay Area (Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hong Kong)
- Shanghai and Suzhou
- Provence (ITER and Cadarache)
- Silicon Valley and the Bay Area
- Singapore
- Zurich, Basel and Aargau
- Randstad (Amsterdam, Delft, Leiden)
- Stuttgart and Karlsruhe
Questions and answers
How big is the Edinburgh region R&D ecosystem?
It has 34 labs from 24 organisations, ranking number 72 worldwide in the 311 Institute Global R&D Labs Directory.
Which organisations have labs in Edinburgh region?
They include Medical Research Council, University of Edinburgh, Cancer Research UK and Royal Observatory.
What does the Edinburgh region ecosystem specialise in?
Its main focus areas are molecular biology, genetics, public health, environmental and occupational health and epidemiology.
© 311 Institute 2016–2026. This directory is the proprietary work of the 311 Institute, protected by copyright and database rights. Copying, scraping or republishing any substantial part without written permission is prohibited.