Quadruple success for Heriot-Watt in Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards shortlist
Heriot-Watt University is celebrating four nominations in this year’s Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards 2025, marking a significant endorsement of the university’s commitment to impactful partnerships with industry and the public sector.
Now in its 10th anniversary year, these prestigious annual awards honour collaborations that generate tangible economic, environmental, and social value for Scotland. The university’s four shortlisted entries reflect the diverse and far-reaching nature of its research strengths.
Knowledge Exchange Heroes 2025
Heriot-Watt Business Development Manager Kevin McIver has been recognised for his outstanding role in advancing quantum sciences and photonics, an achievement that resonates powerfully with this year’s UNESCO World Year of Quantum Science and Technology 2025.
Kevin supports researchers, industry leaders, and policymakers to build new partnerships that accelerate technological breakthroughs—particularly in quantum imaging, networking, and cybersecurity. His contribution was instrumental in securing the UK’s flagship Integrated Quantum Networks Hub (IQN), as well as hosting major international events such as the Single Photon Workshop. With quantum research poised to transform industries as diverse as telecommunications, healthcare, and precision manufacturing, his nomination showcases how Heriot-Watt is at the forefront of this global revolution.
Multiparty Collaboration Award
Spearheaded by the National Robotarium, the UNITE (Underwater Intervention for Offshore Renewable Energies) project unites leading experts from Heriot-Watt, Imperial College London, spinout Frontier Robotics, and global geo-data specialist Fugro. Together, this ESPRC-supported project is pioneering cutting-edge remote-operated vehicles to inspect and maintain offshore wind assets, reducing environmental impact and boosting operational safety for renewables companies worldwide.
By harnessing advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, and subsea engineering, UNITE aims to transform offshore maintenance and directly support Scotland’s net-zero ambitions.
Also in the running for the Multiparty Collaboration Award is the MDMC (Medical Device Manufacturing Centre), headquartered at Heriot-Watt and drawing on expertise from multiple Scottish universities, supporting over 170 small and medium-sized enterprises to turn innovative health device concepts into commercial reality. By providing access to advanced manufacturing facilities, regulatory know-how, and sustainable product design, the MDMC is accelerating medical technology innovations for patients and health services across Scotland and beyond. The MDMC receives funding from Scottish Enterprise. It was also commissioned by Scottish Development International to provide help to companies on medical device regulations.
This nomination also highlights Heriot-Watt’s growing ecosystem in health and care technologies, emboldened by its forthcoming Global Research Institute in Health and Care Technologies. This new institute will further integrate scientific discovery with clinical partnerships to address key challenges in disease management, surgical innovation, and healthy ageing—ultimately improving outcomes for people worldwide.
Innovation of the Year
The fourth nomination is for SolarSub Ltd, in collaboration with the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) at the University of Strathclyde, which has refined the design of a solar panel cooling system, optimising it for manufacturing and scalability. The technology has undergone rigorous field trials involving our Dubai Campus, to evaluate its performance under extreme heat conditions, ensuring its robustness and efficacy.
We are delighted to be shortlisted in four categories of the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards 2025. These nominations highlight the tremendous breadth of expertise across our global community, from quantum sciences and offshore renewables, through to cutting-edge medical device innovation. At Heriot-Watt, we pride ourselves on forging strong industry partnerships, carrying out purposeful research, and turning ideas into impactful applications that benefit society. We’re honoured to receive this recognition and remain committed to leading the way in multi-party collaborative knowledge exchange.
Strengthening Scotland’s innovation landscape
These award nominations recognise Heriot-Watt University’s approach to cross-sector collaboration and co-creation, combining academic excellence with industrial insight. While quantum and photonics research stands at the threshold of a new technological era, the university is also playing an integral role in the global transition to net-zero through pioneering robotics and low-carbon engineering solutions. At the same time, the MDMC exemplifies how Heriot-Watt’s deep expertise in manufacturing, engineering, and design is advancing the health and care landscape—both for patients and industry partners.
The Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards are organised by Interface, a connector funded by the Scottish Funding Council and hosted by Edinburgh Innovations Ltd. The 2025 ceremony takes place on 19 March at the Edinburgh Futures Institute and features 32 finalists across 10 categories, with all shortlisted entries celebrated for their role in driving Scotland’s future prosperity.
Anyone wishing to collaborate with the National Robotarium and Heriot-Watt can get in touch via the university’s GRID (Global Research Innovation and Discovery) team at GRID@hw.ac.uk