Principal's welcome

This year’s Annual Report and Accounts reflect a period in which the University continued to deliver impactful teaching and research against a backdrop of financial challenges in the higher education sector.

We have taken a number of actions to ensure the financial sustainability of the institution and continue to implement longer-term changes to improve our ways of working and reduce costs.

Despite these difficult circumstances, we still have much to be proud of in this financial year, including world-leading research and ambitious partnerships.

This year, we profile the impact of our research in areas as diverse as artificial intelligence (AI), Alzheimer’s and dementia, sustainability and the social history of Scotland. Often these themes intertwine, showing the power of collaboration in addressing tomorrow’s greatest challenges today.

The University was once again ranked first in the world for ‘Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure’ by The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025. We are proud to run a number of sector-leading initiatives through our commercialisation service, Edinburgh Innovations, which enables collaboration between research and industry. This includes the launch of the Innovation Career Pathway – a new route to career development for academics wishing to focus on commercialisation and engagement with industry.

Our Race Review was also published in 2025, an academically-led examination of the University’s historic links to slavery and racism. It was a landmark moment demonstrating our willingness and determination to learn from our past and present to shape our future. The review will inform ongoing dialogue and galvanise sustained, meaningful change, driven by the Race Review Response Group

We had an inspiring new cohort of on-campus and online students joining the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program this year, fostering the next generation of Africa’s climate leaders by opening opportunities to advanced sustainability studies.

The Education Beyond Borders programme has enabled refugees from countries such as Syria, Sudan and Afghanistan to further their studies in the UK. Our relationship with Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (KNU) in Ukraine also continues with the donation of around 215 computers and other IT equipment for a new computer centre, replacing a facility destroyed in a missile strike in 2022.

Reviewing all this important work, it is clear that the University has once again had an immense, positive impact on a global scale. Looking to the future, our distinctive international approach and continuous drive for transformation will serve us well as we navigate the next financial year.