THE ‘pioneering’ new Rural and Veterinary Innovation Centre (RAVIC) has been officially opened at Inverness Campus by HRH The Princess Royal.
Built by Muir Construction with Currie & Brown providing project management, the £12.5 million facility has been developed by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) with funding from the European Regional Development Fund and the Scottish Funding Council.
Sustainability was ‘central’ to the design of the building, led by Threesixty Architecture, with the energy used for heating being 10% that of an equivalently sized building thanks to high levels of insulation, air tightness, use of renewable energy sources, and heat recovery units, SRUC said.
This translates to annual carbon emissions that are 50-75% lower than those of notional buildings of a similar size and a lifetime reduction in carbon emissions exceeding 335,000kg, the learning institute added.
Forming part of SRUC’s new school of veterinary medicine, the new Highland hub offers ‘world-class’ research and innovation facilities including serviced units for prospective businesses. RAVIC tenants can access onsite expertise and infrastructure, including fully equipped laboratories, meeting rooms, a lecture theatre with extensive modern networking, and hot-desking spaces.
The centre will look to develop closer links between science and industry, with it aiming to drive innovation and job creation in Scotland’s health, agriculture, and aquaculture industries.
Integrating SRUC’s existing expertise in veterinary services, consultancy, research, and education, RAVIC will offer business tailored support to deliver new technologies, products, and services required to address emerging global challenges.
Academics, research groups, businesses, and students will collaborate to better prepare industry and the public for climate change, emerging health threats such as avian influenza, antimicrobial resistance, food security, and market instability.
Patrick Reel, MD of Muir Construction, said, “The requirements for the centre provided a great opportunity to bring several of our divisions at Muir together, to not only build the exceptional facility, but also create bespoke high performance timber panelling that creates a distinctive feature throughout.
“Using building materials with lower embodied carbon and working with the design team to create a space that uses less energy, we have created a building that is truly sustainable.
“This exciting building will play a major role in bringing local organisations together. It provides a high quality facility which will make a great impact across the country’s science industry for years to come.”
Professor Wayne Powell, principal and chief executive of SRUC, said, “By leading planetary health innovation in Scotland, we can address global challenges in human and animal health, agriculture and aquaculture.
“Not only will the world-class facilities, equipment and human capital at RAVIC help to deliver new technologies, products and services essential to growing Scotland’s blue and green economies, but they will play a key role in making our new School of Veterinary Medicine a jewel in the country’s tertiary education crown.”
Professor George Gunn, RAVIC director, added, “Supporting new start, spinout and inward investment opportunities, RAVIC will be at the centre of creating and sustaining rural jobs and recruitment across key sectors and it will strengthen links between education and entrepreneurship throughout rural industries across Scotland.”
