A look back on our 2024 year-in-news
Date posted
17 December 2024
09:43
It’s been another busy year for the news team at Edinburgh Napier. From ranking success and pioneering research stories to new staff members, awards, graduations and more – we take a look back on some of our most-read news articles of 2024.
January
The year got off to a positive start with our Libraries of Inspiration project awarded a grant of £99,700 from The Royal Academy of Engineering’s Diversity Impact Programme.
The project, which is led by Dr Debbie Meharg from ENU’s School of Computing, Engineering & the Built Environment, aims to empower 12 and 13-year-olds to become future leaders in the engineering industry by demonstrating how science, technology, engineering, and mathematics shape the world around them.
You can read more about it here.
January also saw Edinburgh Napier student and trailblazing female rugby referee Sara Cox collect her MBE for services to sport.
Sara Cox is currently studying for ENU’s MSc Performance Enhancement in Sports Officiating degree while she continues a stellar whistling career, which has seen her blaze a trail for other female officials.
Read more about Sara here.
February
February was a big month for the Hub For Success as it celebrated its fifth anniversary.
Since it was set up in February 2018, The Hub for Success (Support for University and College for Care Experienced in South-East Scotland) has provided one-to-one support to 628 care experienced learners and responded to 1,241 enquiries.
The project was established to address low rates of higher education admission and retention for people who have spent time in care, which were initially highlighted by Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) research.
You can read more about the Hub here.
February was the month that also saw Edinburgh Napier officially partner with Black Professionals Scotland in a joint effort to create a more inclusive and representative University.
You can read more about the partnership here.
The month also saw the conflict in Ukraine pass the two year mark. Principal Andrea Nolan sent this message to the Edinburgh Napier community to recognise its passing.
March
March saw Glentress Forest trails spectacularly brought to life with light and sound as the Light Up The Trails mountain bike event burst into action.
The event saw Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland (DMBinS) and Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) collaborate to create a series of interactive installations along a 6.5km circuit at the popular Scottish Borders destination.
You can learn more about the event here.
Closer to home, it was also a good month for Professor Gerri Matthews-Smith. Professor Matthews-Smith is Director of Edinburgh Napier University’s Centre for Military Research, Education and Public Engagement and was named Advocate of the Year at the fifth annual Scottish edition of the Ex-Forces in Business Awards.
You can read more about her award here.
In film news, a short film about the intertwining fortunes of two carers, which started out as a final year project for Edinburgh Napier University students, was beginning to open doors at festivals and award ceremonies across the country.
Care tells the story of a disheartened young Polish immigrant and an experienced Scottish lady, who strike an unlikely connection while working for a private care company.
You can learn more about the film here.
April
April was a strong research news month for the University.
Cybersecurity and cryptography expert Professor Bill Buchanan was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE). He was joined on this year’s list by Edinburgh Napier honorary graduate Dr Mike Welch, as well as notable figures such as Armando Iannucci and Sally Magnusson.
You can read more about the award here.
Two scientists who discovered they could use seaweed waste to produce a bio-degradable alternative to chemical plastics were able to take their technology to the next level – after spinning out from Edinburgh Napier University.
Mark Dorris and Dominic O'Rourke founded Mercel after realising they could make high-value nanomaterial from brown seaweed extract, with zero waste. They made the discovery during their research with the Advanced Materials group in the University’s School of Computing, Engineering & the Built Environment.
Learn more about Mercel here.
April also saw an Edinburgh Napier study - which will look at how health care for people living with HIV/AIDS in Ghana can be improved – secure a major grant of around £1.5m.
Led by Dr Mary Abboah-Offei from the University’s School of Health and Social Care, ExtraCECI has been backed by £1,468,810 in funding from the Medical Research Council.
Learn more about the project here.
May
Final year students from the School of Arts and Creative Industries displayed their work at the 2024 Degree Show. Their incredible work received recognition and praise from across the University and indeed across the globe.
You can still browse their projects here.
There was more award success for the University too, with the work of Professor Lis Neubeck recognised with an Outstanding/Lifetime Achievement Award from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland.
You can learn more about that award here.
To round off a fantastic month, Edinburgh Napier University was named the top higher education institution in Scotland at the sector’s premier awards.
The University was awarded the main prize, Higher Educational Institution of the Year, at the Herald Higher Education Awards in Glasgow.
You can relive the awards night here.
Pop-up shop for Diabetes
A pop-up shop being showcased as part of Edinburgh Napier’s Degree Show is providing food for thought to attendees as it aims to debunk the myths and stigma surrounding type 1 diabetes.
Find out more
June
June saw Edinburgh Napier assessed positively in several areas of sustainable development, as it is placed in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings for the first time.
Following an evaluation against the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Edinburgh Napier scored 76.1 out of 100, achieving an overall rank of 301-400 out of 1,963 participating institutions.
Learn more about the rankings here.
June also saw the University officially receive its Gold Award as an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACE-CSE) from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
The University joins just 11 other institutions in being Gold Award accredited, and is one of only two universities in Scotland that has had its work in cyber security education recognised in this way.
Learn more about the award here.
July
Our summer graduations returned to the Usher Hall again for three days of celebrations in July. There ceremonies saw the return of The Napier Graduate Pub, two honorary degrees awarded, the first group of students from our trailblazing coaching degree with the Scottish Football Association graduate and more!
Recap the achievements here.
The Edinburgh Napier University International College was also officially opened with a ceremony at Merchiston campus.
The College, which welcomed its first students in January, was set up in collaboration with Oxford International Education Group (OIEG) to offer students from around the world a new route to studying at Edinburgh Napier University.
Learn more about the College here.
July also saw the sad news that Professor Andrea Nolan, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier, was to retire at the end of 2024.
The University’s new Principal – Professor Sue Rigby – was announced to our Edinburgh Napier community.
Professor Rigby has been Vice Chancellor of Bath Spa University since 2018. She will officially join Edinburgh Napier in January 2025.
Learn more about the new Principal appointment here.
August
The Edinburgh Festivals burst back into life throughout the month of August, bringing music, art, comedy and drama to the streets of the city. As always, the Edinburgh Napier community was well represented with students, staff, alumni and friends performing at numerous venues across Edinburgh.
Have a look at our guide from the summer here.
August also saw Scotland’s first conference focused on the role of armed forces in society take place at Craiglockhart. Re-cap the week-long programme here.
A new community-based mangrove conservation project in The Gambia, led by Edinburgh Napier University and the Association for Coastal Ecosystem Services (ACES), also got underway in August thanks to funding from Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy.
Learn more about this project here.
September
September saw our School of Health and Social Care welcome a new Dean in time for the 2024/25 academic year.
Professor Susan Dawkes joined from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, where she was Dean of its School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedic Practice.
Read more about her appointment here.
Merchiston was home to one of our most innovative projects of the year, when Europe’s first bamboo-timber composite gridshell was successfully built on the campus.
The 9x8 metre structure was put up in just four days by a team of 31 visiting students from the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi) in an engineering lab.
Learn more and see the final structure here.
October
October was all about celebrations as we held our autumn graduations at the Usher Hall. This year’s ceremonies saw a massive five honorary degrees awarded, including to Fintech leader Stephen Ingledew OBE and sports broadcaster Jill Douglas.
The 2024 Edinburgh Napier Alumni Awards were also announced, with LGBTQ+ campaigner and former footballer Zander Murray named among the winners.
Twice a graduate from the University, in 2022 he became the first male footballer in the senior Scottish game to come out as gay. Since retiring from the sport, he has turned his attention to becoming an advocate for inclusivity, to help others follow in his footsteps.
Learn more about this year’s winners here.
November
November saw recognition for an Edinburgh Napier University-led project evaluating an effort to reduce the number of drug-related deaths in Scotland.
The research into police use of overdose treatment naloxone was highly commended by judges at the 2024 THE Awards, dubbed ‘the Oscars of higher education’.
Edinburgh Napier spinout Celtic Renewables reached an important milestone when its first tanker of sustainably produced bioacetone and biobutanol was dispatched from its flagship biorefinery in Grangemouth.
Read more about the momentous occasion here.
And a new cyber training programme specifically for women was launched with the aim of encouraging more females to enter – and stay within – the technology sectors.
Learn more about the programme here.
December
And December brought about a new face to Bright Red Triangle, the enterprise hub at Edinburgh Napier, with Dr Leonardo Binetti announced as its latest Entrepreneur in Residence.
Learn more about his appointment, and the organisation’s new relationships with Queen Margaret University and Edinburgh College, here.