The Hutton Hub
A collaborative centre accelerating nature-based net-zero solutions and sustainable enterprise
The Hutton Hub is a multimillion-pound, state-of-the-art collaborative facility based at our Craigiebuckler campus. Combining virtual and physical spaces, it drives engagement, training and innovation around nature-based net-zero solutions across northeast Scotland and beyond.
The Hub also acts as an incubator for spin-out companies, enabling partners to draw on the Institute’s expertise to accelerate sustainable innovation and regional economic development.
Net-zero Innovations
The Hutton Hub has been funded by the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund. This net-zero innovation hub has a strong land-use and agriculture focus. It was completed in 2025 and officially opened by First Minister John Swinney in March 2026.
The site includes a public café, training facilities, an auditorium, a 360-degree immersive space, and a virtual landscape theatre. This facility aims to bring communities, scientists, agencies, spin-in and spin-out companies, and private finance in the northeast, in person and virtually, using cutting-edge collaborative tools. It is expected to create 200 new jobs and draw around £1.6million into the local economy.
Lee-Ann Sutherland, The James Hutton Institute
This hub is expected to create 200 new jobs and draw around £1.6million into the local economy.
The Hutton Hub supports research and collaboration focused on ensuring that the transition to a low-carbon economy is fair and inclusive. Work involving James Hutton Institute Scientific Services helps explore how environmental and climate policies affect communities, industries and rural economies.
A just transition refers to the process of moving toward a more sustainable and low-carbon economy in a way that is fair to workers, communities and businesses. It aims to ensure that environmental progress does not leave certain groups behind.
Rural communities often depend on industries and land use practices that may be affected by climate policies. Research supported by James Hutton Institute Scientific Services helps understand these impacts and identify ways to support resilient and sustainable rural economies.
