Transport

Scotland has a considerable breadth and depth of multidisciplinary transport research expertise across the 14 universities that form ETP’s research pool. 

Power electronics
Within the fields of electrical and mechanical engineering, research centred on innovative power electronics systems led by the University of Strathclyde and the University of Edinburgh, which are helping to advance the development of innovative hardware and software components for electric vehicles and the infrastructure needed to charge them. 

Batteries & fuels  
Scotland is also home to world leading chemical and thermodynamic engineering schools at the University of St Andrews and the University of Glasgow whose researchers are at the forefront of making breakthroughs that improve the performance of batteries and low carbon fuels such as hydrogen. 

Lightweighting 
The National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) leads the way in identifying how lighter and reusable components for vehicles can be manufactured from materials sourced organically or from end-of-life equipment such as wind turbine blades.    

Behaviour change
Napier University’s Transport Research Institute (TRI) works collaboratively with industry to undertake research that helps to inform the policy and technological innovations needed to create and embed travel behaviours that reduce vehicle generated Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GGE). 

SMEs
Across Scotland there are many well established small and medium-sized engineering businesses who have a proud track record of manufacturing electrical and mechanical components for the national and international automotive, maritime rail, and aviation segments of the transport sector.  

Through the strength of their customer relationships and with the support of the transport ecosystem in Scotland, they are well positioned to transition their business to meet the future demands of the sector.  

Start-ups & scale ups
There are a rapidly growing number of Scottish start-up and scale ups who are developing new products and services that advance the mechanical, electrical, chemical and materials science research being undertaken within the academic community. 

When combined with support from ETP, and other funding and advisory bodies, their entrepreneurial energy is key to Scotland creating a new generation of high-performance businesses that generate more high skilled jobs for people. 

ETP works closely with the following organisations to maximise transport research and innovation collaboration between the Scottish universities and businesses.  

• Interface
• Transport Scotland
• Scottish Enterprise
• Highlands & Islands Enterprise 
• South of Scotland Enterprise Agency
• Power Networks Demonstration Centre (PNDC)
• National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS)
• Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc (MSIP)

Facilities of particular relevance to the academic and industrial transport research community include:

• Power Networks Demonstration Centre, University of Strathclyde, Cumbernauld
• ETC - Renewable and Low Carbon Energy Test Facility, Energy Technology Centre, East Kilbride
• Hydrogen Laboratory, University of the Highlands and Islands, Inverness
• LOCATE Scotland, Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc, Dundee
• Eden Campus, University of St Andrews, Guardbridge 
• Lightweight Manufacturing Centre, University of Strathclyde, Renfrew
• Li-ion Battery Development Test Facility, University of St Andrews, St Andrews
• Islands Centre for Net Zero, Heriot-Watt University, Orkney