Research – could it be our route to recovery?

AMID the gloom of international financial crisis and the proliferation of "To Let" signs hanging in the high streets, there is a glimmer of hope for Scotland. The nation is excelling in at least one area – world-class research.

A seven-year investigation of university research departments across the UK found Scotland is punching above its weight in this vital area of academic study.

The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) found institutions north of the Border even incr...