Press release
Dundee climate projects win support
Two University of Dundee projects are among the 14 initiatives from Scotland’s universities to have received funding to address some of the country’s most pressing environmental challenges.
Published on 18 August 2026
The School of Business, University of Dundee
The projects have received seed funding from Scotland beyond Net Zero (SBNZ), a national initiative that brings researchers from Scottish universities together with policymakers, public bodies and communities.
The initiatives supported by the SBNZ Seed Fund go beyond achieving net zero by addressing wider priorities such as climate justice, biodiversity and nature recovery, and exploring how society can thrive in a net zero future.
Both Dundee projects to receive funding are collaborations with the University of St Andrews.
‘Blending Finance for Nature Restoration’ is led by Professor Colin Dey, Chair of Financial Accounting at Dundee, and Dr Shona Russell, from St Andrews. Working with Bioregioning Tayside in the River Isla catchment, the project will explore how public, private and philanthropic funding can be combined to support nature restoration and community resilience, with a focus on socially just and ecologically beneficial outcomes.
Dr Martin Skelly, Reader in Product Design and Creative Technologies at Dundee’s Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, and St Andrews’ Dr Loraine Clarke will collaborate on ‘Exploring the Potential of Open-Source Creative Mesh Network Prototypes as a Form of Community Resilience’.
Working with communities in Meigle and Ardler, the project will explore independent communication networks that can remain operational during flooding, power outages and mobile signal failures, strengthening local resilience to climate-related disruption.
Professor Lorraine van Blerk, Vice Principal of Research and Innovation at the University, said, “We are delighted that projects featuring University of Dundee researchers have been awarded funding by Scotland Beyond Net Zero.
“This is an important collaboration that enables researchers across Scottish institutions to collaborate on these significant issues, empower communities and inform policymaking.”
Scotland Beyond Net Zero’s partner universities will work to combine research strengths to build interdisciplinary collaborations around its six core themes: Built Environment, Energy, Finance, Food, Natural Systems, and Transport.
SBNZ is a partnership between Scotland’s universities to mobilise research expertise for beyond net zero. The SBNZ seed funding scheme was established with the goal of fostering collaborations which help drive solutions for net zero in Scotland. Funding of up to £15,000 per project is available, with awards split across the university research partners.
Professor Chris Pearce, Vice Principal for Research & Knowledge Exchange at the University of Glasgow and Chair of the SBNZ Governing Board said, "Now in its third year, the Scotland Beyond Net Zero Seed Fund continues to grow in scale and ambition. This year, we have increased our investment and funded more projects across more of Scotland’s universities than ever before.
We are delighted to support these innovative and impactful collaborations, which reflect the breadth of climate and sustainability research across Scotland. I look forward to seeing the results of these projects and the lasting benefits they will bring to Scotland’s communities and environment."