Hydro Nation PhD scholarships launched

The Scholars Programme is a key element in Scotland’s drive to become a Hydro Nation.

A major educational boost for Scotland’s ambition to become a Hydro Nation has been announced. The Scottish Government-funded Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW) and the James Hutton Institute are opening the Hydro Nation 2013 Scholars Programme for PhD studies.

The Scottish Government says Scotland’s water is a prized natural resource and its aim is to draw together home-based expertise to build an international profile for Scotland as a leading player in the water sector.

The Scholars Programme is a key element in Scotland’s drive to become a Hydro Nation, as it aims to respond to water sector demand-led research questions. It was outlined by a government-issued prospectus early in 2012, which was reaffirmed in a recent conference speech by Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.

Besides other responsibilities, such as holding a register of water academic expertise in Scotland and providing robust advice on the subject, CREW will also administer the new Scholars Programme which will cover the following research areas.

• Valuing water: e.g. the value of water to the economy, society and the environment in market and non-market terms; implementation of payment for ecosystem services; the economic regulation of water.
• Water governance: transboundary water management; water governance to meet millennium development goals.
• Water and energy: novel solutions for water services; rural waste water treatment; climate change adaptation.
• Catchment management: water ecosystem health; multiple benefits of water resource management; source protection.

Applications will be open until 28 February 2013. Further information is available on the Scholars Programme page of the CREW website.

Read more information on the Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW) online.

Notes for editors

The Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW) is a developing partnership between the James Hutton Institute, the Scottish Government and its agencies (SEPA and Scottish Water) and Scottish Higher Education Institutes, supported by Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Scotland. It ensures that water research and expertise is available and accessible to the policy community, in a timely and effective manner. Funded by the Scottish Government, CREW has also been assigned the administration of the Hydro Nation Scholars Programme, and currently conducts research on key issues such as Scotland’s water sector map and the value of water resources.

More information from: Bernardo Rodriguez-Salcedo, Media and External Relations Coordinator, James Hutton Institute, Tel: 01224 395089 (direct line) or 0844 928 5428 (switchboard) or Lorraine Wakefield, Content Manager, James Hutton Institute, Tel: 01382 568749 (direct line) or 0844 928 5428 (switchboard).