Napier University to be home of Scotland's Policing Academic Centre of Excellence
Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) will be the home of Scotland's only Policing Academic Centre of Excellence (P-ACE), building on its success of hosting the Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR).
The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) has announced that nine new P-ACEs will launch across the UK in October 2025, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
As the host of SIPR, Edinburgh Napier will lead the Scottish P-ACE, with the collaboration of partner institutions Glasgow Caledonian University, the University of Edinburgh and the University of St Andrews.
Backed by £4.5m in funding and working with police services across the UK, the Centres of Excellence will aim to ensure that policing is shaped by the latest and best scientific expertise, and that leading researchers are able to challenge and innovate in partnership with policing. The P-ACEs will support police with adopting new technologies, developing new tools and techniques, improving training and skills, and increasing public safety.
The ENU-based centre will be entitled SPACE – the Scottish Policing Academic Centre for Excellence. The name also links its key research themes, each of which is critical to modern policing: safety, prevention, analytics, confidence and ethics.
Today's announcement will allow SIPR to distribute £300k to support new research and knowledge exchange activity in Scotland over the next three years, in line with these key areas of research interest.
Professor Liz Aston Professor of Criminology at Edinburgh Napier University, SPACE Lead and Director of SIPR, said: 'We are delighted to have been recognised as a Policing Academic Centre of Excellence. The collaborative nature of SIPR between its member institutions has made this achievement possible.
'Not only does this recognition cement SIPR's reputation, but it will also increase the reach of our work and help to drive innovation in policing.
'I'm really looking forward to leading SPACE from Edinburgh Napier University with the co-leads. By working with the NPCC and other partners in Scotland over the coming years, we will create evidence-based innovations to improve safety and prevent harm.'
Professor Paul Taylor, Police Chief Scientific Adviser, said: 'Academia and policing have a long history of collaborative working on issues as diverse as forensic science, crime prevention, and analytical technologies.
'The P-ACEs will fortify this connection, providing a focal point for research and knowledge exchange.
'I'm particularly excited about what the P-ACEs can bring to early career scientists who are interested in tackling the complex challenge of keeping the UK public safe. The P-ACE community will, I hope, provide them more opportunities and greater support as we look to forge deep and lasting partnerships over the next decade.'
Led by Professor Liz Aston and involving experts from across the SIPR member institutions, SPACE will work across three main themes:
Safety, led by Dr Andrew Wooff, Edinburgh Napier University and co-lead for the SIPR Organisational Development Network. This builds on ENU's reputation for impactful policing research linked to safety, including the award-winning study into Police Scotland's use of naloxone.
Prevention, led by Dr Sarah Marsden, University of St Andrews and Professor Lesley McMillan, Glasgow Caledonian University. Dr Marsden is Director of the Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence, while Professor McMillan,a renowned expert on gender-based violence, is director of the Scottish Cold Case Unit at GCU.
Analytics, led by Professor Susan McVie, University of Edinburgh, will work in partnership with Police Scotland and the Scottish Prevention Hub. This area will bring together a network of academics who will use data driven innovation and AI-based solutions to support operational practice and policy decision making.
In addition, Confidence and Ethics will shape all of SPACE's academic work and builds on developments including the independent review of emerging technologies in policing.
SIPR itself is a strategic collaboration between member universities, Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority.
It has helped to forge strong links between policing and the academia, as recently shown in the ENU-hosted Neurodiversity and Policing conference.
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The National
6 hours ago
- The National
The professor who united Celtic & Rangers for sports science
It's not exactly a component of the modern game that have been widely accepted by supporters, pundits, or indeed some members of the media in these parts. A glance back a little over six months ago is all that's required as evidence of the reaction to Philippe Clement's assertions that he could not field some of his best players in an important fixture for Rangers due to advice from his sports science team. The naysayers remain, however, there are more pertinent reasons as to why Scotland, while learning to progress, is so far behind the Premier League and other elite footballing nations in this field. 'I'll be careful here, because obviously I work with a lot of football clubs! Why do I think that occurs? Perhaps for two reasons,' Vish Unnithan, Professor of Paediatric Exercise Physiology at University of the West of Scotland, said. (Image: UWS) 'Number one, a lot of the measurements that we have to take and the data that we need to acquire requires funding. I've lived up in Scotland for nine years, and I've got a much better understanding of the Scottish football structure. Funding is key. 'If you're in the English Premier League, you probably have the budget to be able to devote a huge amount of money to evaluations of players and so on and so forth. 'I know that does happen in Scotland as well. But say, for example, you went down in the English pyramid, even to the Championship, you know, I look at the budgets that the Championship clubs are able to devote to sports science and I'm thinking 'wow, in some cases, that's superior to what Scottish Premiership clubs can devote to sports science'. So one of the reasons is quite pragmatic. 'Second reason is it's probably fair to say there are some coaches, not all, are from a different generation where sports science wasn't as important. The reason it wasn't as important in those days was the volume of matches maybe wasn't as high, or maybe it was comparable to now, but absolutely not. 'The intensity in those days wasn't anywhere near what it is now. So maybe even in those days, you probably didn't need to be so forensic about the sports science side. Now, with the way the intensity of the game is, you do have to have some mechanisms in place to be able to safeguard the health and welfare of players, as well as make sure that you're winning football matches as well. 'I would say in Scotland, things are changing. I know clubs in League Two. They can't afford a full-time sports scientist, but they can afford a part-time sports scientist that comes in and supports them. 'It is here. And obviously, the top clubs, Rangers and Celtic and Hearts and Hibs, they probably have a budget and an infrastructure that will probably be able to support sports science. I believe Aberdeen as well have redone their training ground and it's absolutely top class as well.' Professor Unnithan organised the World Congress of Science and Soccer 2025 in Glasgow last week. Held at Ibrox Stadium and Celtic Park, 260 people from 26 countries networked, interacted with industry professionals and listened to seminars by expert researchers. Clubs such as Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Borussia Dortmund and Fiorentina had representatives present across the four-day spectacle, mainly facilitated by UWS as academic hosts. 'Be it academy football, men's first team, women's football, the game in and of itself is changing out of all recognition,' Vish explained when asked what the conference delivered. 'And therefore, the science around it has to adapt too. 'For example, the increases in intensity in the men's game, the women's game, and the volume of fixtures that are now played across men's and women's elite football. That necessitates a constant, I would say, upskilling of the individuals who work in and around football. 'This conference is a chance for scientists and practitioners that work in and around football, or all the domains, be it sports science or psychology or sports medicine, to come together and to share developments in soccer science. 'As scientists, we're not going to be able to affect that calendar, which is also true for cricket, by the way. If you look at the elite cricketers, they're pretty much playing 11 and a half months a year as well. We can't. We're just scientists. So we have to respond to the changes that are taking place. 'And whether that's through, you know, as is reflected in the conference, we're talking about recovery and readiness to play. That's one of the themes. We're talking about the area that I'm interested in. 'I've done a lot of published research in the area of cardiac adaptation, positive cardiac adaptations of the heart in response to high volume soccer training in young academy players, male and female. 'We've got sessions on illness and injury in the elite women's game as well, because what's happened in the men's game, you can track that straight across to the women's game now in terms of the intensity of play, in terms of the volume of matches that are being played as well. 'We are covering all the major areas, along with things like talent identification and talent development. What are the current methodologies that are being used across the world? 'And of course, we're talking about strength and conditioning, which is an incredibly important part of soccer science, and other huge parts of elite football, including data analytics and performance analysis.' (Image: UWS) The intense rivalry between Celtic and Rangers is renowned worldwide. It belongs to the football pitch, but most interested, or even uninterested, onlookers know it runs much deeper than that. In recent years, the relationship between both clubs has been fractured with various rows over ticket allocations and indeed cutting away tickets from the derby fixture altogether, among many other things, leading to scrutiny of those in power, who simply haven't seen eye-to-eye. Professor Unnithan – who has collaborated with both Glasgow sides as well as English Premier League and Championship clubs – was extremely complimentary of either side of the Glasgow divide, explaining they willingly came together to help push this project, perhaps allowing outsiders an insight into a healthier association at boardroom level between the two. He added: 'I have such a good relationship with Celtic all the way up to chief executive level with Michael Nicholson and they were so supportive of the conference. 'So Thursday and Friday, we were at Celtic Park and Tuesday and Wednesday, it was Ibrox. This was through the previous chief executive, Stewart Robertson, and the previous chairman, John Bennett. I supervised John's daughter at UWS, so there was a connection there. 'Also, one of my former undergraduate students at Liverpool Hope University, when Steven Gerrard was at Rangers, was head of sports science on Steven's staff. So that's the Rangers kind of connection. 'On the Celtic side of things, I've got multiple PhD students who are working and have worked in the boys' academy and one of them has gone on to become Celtic's first team men's nutritionist and the other has just been appointed one of Celtic's first team sports scientists. 'That's the kind of background in terms of the relationship I have with both clubs and so they were massively supportive of the bid. 'It was kind of you in one of those moments where the whole Celtic and Rangers thing, that never came up. It was all about what was for the good of football, for the good of football science. They were willing to support my bid, which they both deserve credit for. 'I was the sort of conduit between both clubs, but there was never, ever a sense of any sort of competition between the two, none. 'It was just all about ensuring that the delegates got the best possible embedded, and I think that's the key word for this conference. It's an embedded football conference. 'So, you know, other conferences I've been to, they're in the convention centres and so on, but the topic of this conference is football science and so it absolutely had to be in the two stadia. 'They've been wonderful both clubs for me to work with. Absolutely wonderful.' Joined by co-chairs Dr Mike King, and Dr Antonio Dello Iacono of the University of Glasgow and UWS, the conference allowed students from the latter to volunteer at the event, and even speak. Allowing them unforgettable experiences to network with sports scientists and other academics within the field, the students and various other attendees were treated to a talk by Professor Mark Williams, who addressed the future of talent identification and development in football. 'We've got a lot of our students who are actually the volunteers for this conference, because the one thing is, for a conference of this sort of magnitude, you have to have the infrastructure in place,' Vish added. 'So, after they finish as an undergraduate student, or they complete their PhD, they can, through this conference, make those connections, which are really crucial if you want to have a career ultimately working within the football industry.' To find out more about studying or researching sport, exercise and health at UWS, click/visit here:
The Herald Scotland
6 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
The professor who united Celtic & Rangers for sports science
A glance back a little over six months ago is all that's required as evidence of the reaction to Philippe Clement's assertions that he could not field some of his best players in an important fixture for Rangers due to advice from his sports science team. The naysayers remain, however, there are more pertinent reasons as to why Scotland, while learning to progress, is so far behind the Premier League and other elite footballing nations in this field. 'I'll be careful here, because obviously I work with a lot of football clubs! Why do I think that occurs? Perhaps for two reasons,' Vish Unnithan, Professor of Paediatric Exercise Physiology at University of the West of Scotland, said. (Image: UWS) 'Number one, a lot of the measurements that we have to take and the data that we need to acquire requires funding. I've lived up in Scotland for nine years, and I've got a much better understanding of the Scottish football structure. Funding is key. 'If you're in the English Premier League, you probably have the budget to be able to devote a huge amount of money to evaluations of players and so on and so forth. 'I know that does happen in Scotland as well. But say, for example, you went down in the English pyramid, even to the Championship, you know, I look at the budgets that the Championship clubs are able to devote to sports science and I'm thinking 'wow, in some cases, that's superior to what Scottish Premiership clubs can devote to sports science'. So one of the reasons is quite pragmatic. 'Second reason is it's probably fair to say there are some coaches, not all, are from a different generation where sports science wasn't as important. The reason it wasn't as important in those days was the volume of matches maybe wasn't as high, or maybe it was comparable to now, but absolutely not. 'The intensity in those days wasn't anywhere near what it is now. So maybe even in those days, you probably didn't need to be so forensic about the sports science side. Now, with the way the intensity of the game is, you do have to have some mechanisms in place to be able to safeguard the health and welfare of players, as well as make sure that you're winning football matches as well. 'I would say in Scotland, things are changing. I know clubs in League Two. They can't afford a full-time sports scientist, but they can afford a part-time sports scientist that comes in and supports them. 'It is here. And obviously, the top clubs, Rangers and Celtic and Hearts and Hibs, they probably have a budget and an infrastructure that will probably be able to support sports science. I believe Aberdeen as well have redone their training ground and it's absolutely top class as well.' Professor Unnithan organised the World Congress of Science and Soccer 2025 in Glasgow last week. Held at Ibrox Stadium and Celtic Park, 260 people from 26 countries networked, interacted with industry professionals and listened to seminars by expert researchers. Clubs such as Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Borussia Dortmund and Fiorentina had representatives present across the four-day spectacle, mainly facilitated by UWS as academic hosts. 'Be it academy football, men's first team, women's football, the game in and of itself is changing out of all recognition,' Vish explained when asked what the conference delivered. 'And therefore, the science around it has to adapt too. 'For example, the increases in intensity in the men's game, the women's game, and the volume of fixtures that are now played across men's and women's elite football. That necessitates a constant, I would say, upskilling of the individuals who work in and around football. 'This conference is a chance for scientists and practitioners that work in and around football, or all the domains, be it sports science or psychology or sports medicine, to come together and to share developments in soccer science. 'As scientists, we're not going to be able to affect that calendar, which is also true for cricket, by the way. If you look at the elite cricketers, they're pretty much playing 11 and a half months a year as well. We can't. We're just scientists. So we have to respond to the changes that are taking place. 'And whether that's through, you know, as is reflected in the conference, we're talking about recovery and readiness to play. That's one of the themes. We're talking about the area that I'm interested in. 'I've done a lot of published research in the area of cardiac adaptation, positive cardiac adaptations of the heart in response to high volume soccer training in young academy players, male and female. 'We've got sessions on illness and injury in the elite women's game as well, because what's happened in the men's game, you can track that straight across to the women's game now in terms of the intensity of play, in terms of the volume of matches that are being played as well. 'We are covering all the major areas, along with things like talent identification and talent development. What are the current methodologies that are being used across the world? 'And of course, we're talking about strength and conditioning, which is an incredibly important part of soccer science, and other huge parts of elite football, including data analytics and performance analysis.' (Image: UWS) The intense rivalry between Celtic and Rangers is renowned worldwide. It belongs to the football pitch, but most interested, or even uninterested, onlookers know it runs much deeper than that. In recent years, the relationship between both clubs has been fractured with various rows over ticket allocations and indeed cutting away tickets from the derby fixture altogether, among many other things, leading to scrutiny of those in power, who simply haven't seen eye-to-eye. Professor Unnithan – who has collaborated with both Glasgow sides as well as English Premier League and Championship clubs – was extremely complimentary of either side of the Glasgow divide, explaining they willingly came together to help push this project, perhaps allowing outsiders an insight into a healthier association at boardroom level between the two. He added: 'I have such a good relationship with Celtic all the way up to chief executive level with Michael Nicholson and they were so supportive of the conference. 'So Thursday and Friday, we were at Celtic Park and Tuesday and Wednesday, it was Ibrox. This was through the previous chief executive, Stewart Robertson, and the previous chairman, John Bennett. I supervised John's daughter at UWS, so there was a connection there. 'Also, one of my former undergraduate students at Liverpool Hope University, when Steven Gerrard was at Rangers, was head of sports science on Steven's staff. So that's the Rangers kind of connection. 'On the Celtic side of things, I've got multiple PhD students who are working and have worked in the boys' academy and one of them has gone on to become Celtic's first team men's nutritionist and the other has just been appointed one of Celtic's first team sports scientists. 'That's the kind of background in terms of the relationship I have with both clubs and so they were massively supportive of the bid. 'It was kind of you in one of those moments where the whole Celtic and Rangers thing, that never came up. It was all about what was for the good of football, for the good of football science. They were willing to support my bid, which they both deserve credit for. 'I was the sort of conduit between both clubs, but there was never, ever a sense of any sort of competition between the two, none. 'It was just all about ensuring that the delegates got the best possible embedded, and I think that's the key word for this conference. It's an embedded football conference. 'So, you know, other conferences I've been to, they're in the convention centres and so on, but the topic of this conference is football science and so it absolutely had to be in the two stadia. 'They've been wonderful both clubs for me to work with. Absolutely wonderful.' Joined by co-chairs Dr Mike King, and Dr Antonio Dello Iacono of the University of Glasgow and UWS, the conference allowed students from the latter to volunteer at the event, and even speak. Allowing them unforgettable experiences to network with sports scientists and other academics within the field, the students and various other attendees were treated to a talk by Professor Mark Williams, who addressed the future of talent identification and development in football. 'We've got a lot of our students who are actually the volunteers for this conference, because the one thing is, for a conference of this sort of magnitude, you have to have the infrastructure in place,' Vish added. 'So, after they finish as an undergraduate student, or they complete their PhD, they can, through this conference, make those connections, which are really crucial if you want to have a career ultimately working within the football industry.' To find out more about studying or researching sport, exercise and health at UWS, click/visit here:
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- The Guardian
Starwatch: the meeting of a star, the planet Mars and our moon
Following last week's conjunction between Regulus and Mars, the moon now gets in on the act. This meeting of a star, a planet and a moon takes place on 29 June. The chart shows the view looking west from London at 22:15 BST that day. Red planet Mars has moved on from its close pass of blue-white star Regulus, giving enough space for a waxing crescent moon to slip in between them. The moon will be 4.7 days old, and heading towards its first quarter (half-moon) phase. Just over 22% of its visible surface will be illuminated. From the moon, our nearest celestial neighbour, it takes the sunlight that bounces from its surface just 1.3 seconds to reach our eyes. For Mars, the fourth planet in our solar system, the light travel time from its surface is 15 minutes and 57 seconds. And for Regulus it takes light 79 years to reach us. So we see the moon as it appeared 1.3 seconds ago, Mars as it appeared 15 minutes and 57 seconds ago, and Regulus as it appeared 79 years ago. The conjunction is easily visible from the southern hemisphere too, where it will appear in the north-north-west.
