About

Delivering excellence in Animal Science and Food Security

Livestock farming remains a major industry in the UK, crucial to the life and sustainability of rural communities. The Easter Bush Campus allows delivery of solutions to global challenges within the veterinary and livestock industries. 

The Easter Bush Campus has the largest concentration of animal science related expertise anywhere in Europe. It aims to become internationally recognised in animal science by 2025, leading efforts to address livestock improvement, food security and alleviation of poverty in developing countries.

The Roslin Institute undertakes research on the health and welfare of animals and seeks to apply findings in basic animal sciences to human and veterinary medicine, the livestock industry and food security. The work currently being carried out on infectious diseases, neurobiology, development and reproduction traits paired with a world-leading functional genomics capability is improving livestock productivity and reducing the spread of disease to humans. 



Veterinary, including Animal Bioscience, and Agricultural research has been ranked top in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework (2014). 

Three quarters of the research and related activity has been judged to be 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent'.

REF 2014 logo


Sustainable increases in the productivity of the agriculture sector are required to address the future food security of the UK and the world.



One Health diagram




The creation of the Roslin Innovation Centre will help to deliver the aims and ambitions of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine which include:

  • Providing a ‘world leading centre of veterinary research, education and clinical care’ which reflects the on-going synergy between the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute.
  • Teaching and exhibition space for the wider community at Easter Bush Science Outreach Centre (EBSOC).
  • Providing ancillary accommodation such as gym, shop and support services for staff, students, tenants and visitors to the Campus.
Farmer working in barn with sheep




Lab staff meeting

The Roslin Innovation Centre plays a fundamental role in:

  • Supporting The Roslin Institute/Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies/Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) spin-off commercial activities
  • Attracting and developing bioscience companies at different stages of maturity, including company start-up capacity
  • Providing research and development partnering opportunities with access to Campus expertise and facilities
  • Extending and promoting collaboration between research-intensive companies and the UK bioscience research base



The Easter Bush Research Consortium (EBRC) brings together The Roslin Institute, Animal Sciences researchers of Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and the Moredun Research Institute.

Together, the EBRC forms one of the largest groups focussed on the biology of companion and production animals in the world. It undertakes basic and translational science to tackle pressing issues in animal genetics and genomics, development, health and welfare and their implications for human health. 




“In recognition of our excellence of animal sciences research in Scotland, we are a major partner in the UK Agri-Tech Centre of Excellence, and also form a joint venture with the International Livestock Research Institute in Nairobi with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.”

Professor David Hume, Personal Chair of Mammalian Functional Genomics 
Previously Director of The Roslin Institute and Research Director of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies