University of Strathclyde

Manufacturing a climate neutral future

The University is a founding partner and operator of the £57M National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) investment in an industry focused research and development facility aiming to boost the Scottish manufacturing community.

Construction of NMIS was completed in Spring 2023. It is the first operational ‘energy carbon neutral’ building in the University’s estate and the first energy carbon neutral building factory in operation in Scotland.

Not only is NMIS an exemplar of Strathclyde’s sector-leading approach to collaboration with industry, government, and academia; it embodies Strathclyde’s strategic commitment to sustainability.

To achieve this Strathclyde took on a leadership role in this project to demonstrate, that through innovation, planning and a willingness to accept a degree of risk, it is possible for the HE sector to deliver sustainable, carbon and climate neutral infrastructure at scale – and within budget.

Annual carbon savings achieved with the initiative:

• CO2t savings 2022/2023: 391,335kgCO₂/annum (based on relevant CO₂ emissions factor compared with the Target Energy rating for current Scottish Building Standards Compliance). Modelled figures from M+E consultant.
• CO2t savings over the life cycle of the project: 19,566.75TCO2e (modelled over 50 year lifespan).

Top 3 Learnings

1. Public sector institutions (like Universities) need to innovate, plan, and accept some risk in order to enable ‘at scale’ carbon and climate neutral delivery. It can be done!
2. Tackling climate change mitigation at scale using waste heat and clean tech is a huge opportunity for Scotland and the UK.
3. Working with others to achieve scale and ambition can bring forward large scale climate infrastructure.