Usher Institute
Through the application of data science, the Usher Institute seeks to develop innovative and financially sustainable models of health and social care that improve lives.
Located at Edinburgh BioQuarter, the new Usher Institute is being built by construction firm McLaughlin Harvey and will become a world-leading hub where over 900 health and social care researchers and scientists will collaborate with colleagues from public, private and third sectors organisations to deliver data-driven advances.
The Usher Institute drives health and social care innovation at scale by integrating the activities of: clinicians, life scientists and data scientists to identify new, co-produced insights in identified areas of challenge; and industry and public sector organisations to extract, apply and commercialise expert knowledge.
The Institute draws on Scotland’s mature and world-leading health data assets, and well-established governance and data-sharing protocols developed in partnership with the National Health Service and the Scottish Government.
“Our vision is to create a world-leading innovation hub where public, private and third sectors collaborate to enable data-driven advances in the delivery of health and social care. Through these collaborations, the Usher Institute will support a data-driven approach to the prevention, diagnosis and management of conditions, help improve health and wellbeing"
Topping Out Event
In June 2022 an important milestone was reached when Topping Out took place - the symbolic point at which the tallest part of the structure is put in place.
At the event were the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Councillor Robert Aldridge, joined representatives from across the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh BioQuarter, alongside principal contractor McLaughlin & Harvey.
Community Benefits - Employability Case Study
McLaughlin Harvey and the University of Edinburgh are committed to a positive social impact in the area surrounding the new building, as well as having further-reaching positive impacts.
Employment and training opportunities for local people forms an important part of their community benefits approach, and there has already been engagement with several local schools to discuss careers in construction and engineering and interaction with regional colleges.
McLaughlin Harvey also run their employability programme Be Your Best, which locally they have delivered in partnership with Action for Children. As well as giving an insight into careers within the industry, the project covers wider topics such as CVs and interview skills.
One two-week placement on the scheme was local young person Oskar Lewinsky, who enjoyed his placement so much that he subsequently undertook further training and returned for a two-week work trial.
Following the success of that trial, he has subsequently joined the team as a full-time apprentice labourer.
Community Benefits - Suppporting Social Enterprises
McLaughlin & Harvey have also been able to deliver community benefits in the appointments of their sub contractors.
Early on, two social enteprises were successful in winning a place within their supply chain - Move on Wood Recycling and All Cleaned Up.
Move On are a charity which works with vulnerable young people and those affected by homelessness to help them direct themselves to more positive destinations.
They deliver a range of services to these inidividuals such as mentoring and befriending, schools outreach, finding routes into employability and training as well as targeted signposting to other services.
One of the largest sources of income to support this provision is through their social enterprise Move on Wood Recycling. Their team includes those with lived experience of the issues Move On seeks to address, and collects waste wood from commercial and domestic customers, sells quality timber and provides volunteering, training and work experience opportunties.
Similarly, All Cleaned Up are the social enteprise arm of the charity Apex Scotland. Apex work with children and young people who have been through the justice system to provide routes to positive destinations through employment and training.
All Cleaned Up provides commercial and industrial cleaning and clearance services to a range of industries, generating income to support the charity's core services whilst offering work experience and skills to those with criminal convictions and other barriers to employment.
Data Driven Innovation
The Usher Institute investment is part of the Data Driven Innovation (DDI) strand of the Edinburgh & South East Scotland City Region Deal.
From food production and climate change, to exploring Space and genetically-tailored healthcare, the DDI initiative is a cluster of innovation hubs that bring academic disciplines together to delve into some of the world’s most pressing challenges – using data to innovate. To find out more, visit the DDI website (https://ddi.ac.uk/), or click the entries below to view further information about each of the hubs: