News review of 2024

It has been another extraordinary year at the University of Edinburgh, lit up by groundbreaking discoveries, exciting developments and remarkable achievements by members of the University community past and present.

As the year draws to a close, we have compiled a rundown of just some of the many compelling stories we told during 2024.

Healthy futures

Research breakthroughs over the past year have demonstrated some of the innovative ways Edinburgh academics are helping to shape what health and care will look like for years to come.

For example, researchers from the School of Engineering may have transformed the treatment of cardiovascular diseases with the development of 3D-printed blood vessels that closely mimic the properties of human veins.

The strong, flexible tubes could improve outcomes for heart bypass patients by replacing the human and synthetic veins currently used in surgery to re-route blood flow.

Read: Artificial blood vessels could improve heart bypass outcomes

Edinburgh researchers have also created nanoscale robots to manage bleeds in the brain caused by aneurysms. The development could enable precise, relatively low-risk treatment of brain aneurysms, which cause around 500,000 deaths each year and can also lead to stroke and disability. 

Read: Tiny magnetic robots could treat bleeds in the brain

Other important health insights from 2024 also include the findings that people from isolated parts of the UK and Ireland could have variations in their genetic code that increase their chance of developing certain diseases. The research highlights key links between ancestry and health, particularly among remote communities.

Read: Remote UK regions at risk of genetic disease

Environment focus

Photo of (L-R) Dave Gorman, Grant Ferguson, Yvonne Edwards and Annie Yang at Rullion Green in the Pentlands — (L-R) Dave Gorman, Director of Social Responsibility and Sustainability; Grant Ferguson, Director of Estates Net Zero; Yvonne Edwards, Forest Peat and Rural Land Manager; and Annie Yang, Academic Manager, Social Responsibility and Sustainability at Rullion Green in the Pentlands

The University has set itself ambitious climate targets, including reaching net zero by 2040. To help achieve this, work began in 2024 to plant woodland and restore peatlands in Scotland as part of a project to capture the University’s carbon emissions.

The scheme – thought to be the biggest of its kind undertaken by a UK university – will offset any carbon emissions that can’t be reduced to zero.

Read: Forest and peatland scheme sows seed for net zero

Over the past 12 months, Edinburgh research has helped to further understanding of the causes and effects of climate change and inform efforts to mitigate its impacts.

For example, a first-of-its-kind system in the UK is being trialled in Edinburgh to see if waste heat from the University’s Advanced Computing Facility (ACF) can be stored in disused mine workings and used to warm homes.

The Edinburgh Geobattery project is exploring how the large amounts of energy needed to power the ACF – home to the national supercomputer – could be recycled to heat at thousands of households in Edinburgh.

Read: Waste supercomputer heat and old mines could warm homes

Digital innovation

The University has for decades been at the forefront of developments in artificial intelligence (AI). Building on this, two exciting new research hubs were established at the University in 2024.

The centres – supported by £24m from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) – will focus on developing AI tools to help revolutionise the fields of electronics and healthcare.

Of nine new centres announced by EPSRC, Edinburgh is lead or involved in more than half, further cementing its place as a driving force in the development of AI in the UK.

Read: Edinburgh secures £24 million boost for AI innovation

Edinburgh researchers are readily using AI to boost their research. A study from Engineering used a new AI-powered test to identify breast cancer patients in the earliest stage of the disease.

The method, which combines laser analysis with a type of AI, could improve early detection and monitoring of the disease and pave the way for a screening test for multiple forms of cancer.

Read: AI-powered blood test spots earliest breast cancer signs

Our academics are also harnessing data to address key challenges.

Analysis by the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute found that more than 300 million children a year are victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse. The first global estimate of the scale of the crisis, it highlighted the need for urgent, global action to tackle this hidden pandemic.

Read: Scale of online harm to children revealed in global study

Extraordinary people

Athlete Eric Liddell stands on a sports field — Eric Liddell

A century on from his gold medal-winning triumph at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, the University celebrated one of its most famous alumni, Eric Liddell. Mr Liddell was awarded a posthumous honorary degree in recognition of his contribution to sport and humanity.

Read: Eric Liddell awarded honorary degree 100 years after Olympic Gold

Another remarkable alumnus, Professor Geoffrey Hinton, shared the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on machine learning. Hinton was recognised for his groundbreaking work on artificial neural networks, which laid the groundwork for many methods behind generative AI, such as large language models powering chatbots.

Read: Nobel award for pioneering AI alumnus

Societal impact

The University’s wider benefit to economic growth and innovation was highlighted with the announcement it had far surpassed a key government goal.

Edinburgh revealed it had supported innovative businesses to secure more than £200 million of investments within the past five years – four times the initial target of £50 million and in half the time set as part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal signed in 2018. Half of the funding has been secured by businesses registered within the city region area.

Read: University surpasses innovation goal by fourfold, five years early

Elsewhere, groundbreaking courses run by the University and Fife College are offering workers the chance to take up opportunities within the UK’s growing space sector. The six-week-long courses will be taught online and in-person. Organisers hope they ensure a robust pipeline of qualified colleagues entering the space workforce.

Read: Electricians and carers sought to launch careers in space

Inspiring spaces

Image of the opening of the Edinburgh Futures Institute on Lauriston Place

The much-loved Old Royal Infirmary building – which housed Edinburgh’s main hospital until 2003 – opened to the public as the Edinburgh Futures Institute in 2024.

The Institute brings together students, researchers, partners and civic society to focus on the responsible use of data to address global challenges including ethics of artificial intelligence, social inequality and climate change.

The regeneration of the space has attracted international plaudits, including winning a prestigious Prix Versailles award for being one of the most beautiful campuses in the world.

Read: Visionary restoration breathes life into city landmark