Stunning aerial images show Edinburgh hub project under construction

Lee Dalgetty

14 November 2024 at 7:07 am·3-min read

The building is set to open in 2025 — -Credit: (Image: John Graham)

Images have shown progress of work on a new Queen Margaret University (QMU) building in East Lothian.

The 'ground-breaking' structure will serve as the Edinburgh Innovation Hub. Work began back in March, with the hub set to create 'high value' employment.

The project is a joint venture between East Lothian Council and QMU. It's expected to open in 2025.

The hub received planning permission in September 2023, and will comprise flexible labratory, office, meeting and conference spaces for rent by small to medium enterprises. Businesses will be supported through technology and knowledge exchange, with industry and academia "under one roof".

It's been supported by £28.6 million from the UK Government, £1.4 million from the Scottish Government and £10 million from East Lothian Council.

Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox

Councillor Norman Hampshire, Leader of East Lothian Council, said: "The start of construction on this project highlights our ambition to create a sought-after location for business growth and increase high value jobs for East Lothian. It aligns with our aim of making East Lothian the best place in Scotland in which to live, work and do business.

“By supporting the food and drink and other important economic sectors, including tech and life sciences, we can attract innovative businesses to one of Scotland’s fastest growing areas.

“The 52 acre Edinburgh Innovation Park adjacent to the Edinburgh Innovation Hub will transform a strategic economic development site, owned by East Lothian Council, into a nationally significant cluster of knowledge exchange, innovation and high value business growth."

The project has been supported by £28.6 million from the UK Government -Credit:John Graham

UK Government Minister for Scotland, Donald Cameron, said: "Construction starting on this UK Government and partners funded innovation hub is a hugely exciting milestone for the area. I can't wait to see the facility up and running as it will help boost the local and national economy through generating innovative business and employment growth.

"The UK Government is backing the facility with £28.6 million investment - part of our £300 million commitment to the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal. In total we are investing more than £3 billion to level up across Scotland."

Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.

Sir Paul Grice, Principal of Queen Margaret University, added: "Along with driving economic development locally and nationally, the Hub will act as a gateway into QMU for businesses, increase opportunities at the University for industry-relevant research and knowledge exchange, promote an entrepreneurial culture, and increase the vibrancy of the area around the campus.

"The Hub is not just a new building, it will be a new business. Importantly, it will provide a much more bespoke and focused service than is currently offered by business parks, providing not only physical facilities but also the operational support SMEs need to work effectively and grow."

HuffPost UK
Putin Minister Accidentally Hints At Daunting Ukraine War Stat Which Kremlin Has Tried To Keep Secret
Her colleague quickly pleaded to viewers: "I earnestly ask you not to use these figures anywhere."
Associated Press
Trump calls for 'immediate ceasefire' in Ukraine after meeting Zelenskyy in Paris
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, shortly after a meeting in Paris with French and Ukrainian leaders, claiming Kyiv “would like to make a deal” to end the more than 1,000-day war. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed that Moscow and Kyiv have both lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers in a war that “should never have started.”
The Independent
Farage’s Reform UK in poll surge as Labour loses support after Starmer reset
Exclusive: The latest Techne UK tracker poll appears to confirm support for Nigel Farage and Reform UK’s populism is on the rise
The Hill
Trump on Syria conflict: ‘This is not our fight’
President-elect Trump heavily criticized Syrian rebels for their move to overtake the city of Damascus on Saturday, but emphasized that this was not America’s fight. “Russia, because they are so tied up in Ukraine, and with the loss there of over 600,000 soldiers, seems incapable of stopping this literal march through Syria, a country they…
Sky News
As Assad falls, the power dynamics of this troubled, volatile region will utterly change
Not when it comes to events currently under way in Syria, a country straddling the fault lines of the Middle East. The collapse of the Assad regime will be the most significant event yet in the upheaval that's followed the 7 October attacks by Hamas in Israel last year. It will be the end of a brutal reign of terror that has lasted since the Assad family, under patriarch Hafez Assad, seized power in the early 1970s.
Reuters
Russia says Syria's Assad has left country and gave orders for peaceful power handover
MOSCOW (Reuters) -The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had left office and departed the country after giving orders there be a peaceful handover of power. In a statement, the ministry did not say where Assad was now and said Russia has not taken part in the talks around his departure. "Russia did not participate in these negotiations," the ministry said.
Reuters
Russian bases in Syria threatened by insurgent advance, say Moscow's war bloggers
(Reuters) -Two strategically-important Russian military facilities in Syria and Moscow's very presence in the Middle East are under serious threat from rapidly advancing insurgents, Russian war bloggers have warned. With Russian military resources mostly tied down in Ukraine where Moscow's forces are rushing to take more territory before Donald Trump comes to power in the U.S. in January, Russia's ability to influence the situation on the ground in Syria is far more limited than in 2015 when it intervened decisively to prop up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Rapid advances by the insurgents threaten to undermine Russia's geopolitical clout in the Middle East and its ability to project power in the region, across the Mediterranean and into Africa.
The Telegraph
How Oct 7 led to the fall of Syria - and the retreat of Iran
They must be cursing the memory of Yahya Sinwar in Tehran’s corridors of power.
Sky News
Starmer's McDonald's joke would be called racist if made by a Tory, Kemi Badenoch claims
Kemi Badenoch has hit back at Sir Keir Starmer for joking about her comments on working at McDonald's - saying he would face calls to resign if he were a Conservative prime minister. Ms Badenoch, who replaced Rishi Sunak as Tory leader last month, has spoken extensively about her time working at the fast food chain.
The Telegraph
Will the Senate approve Tulsi Gabbard? Our experts are united
Once is a mistake. Twice is a pattern. That’s the conundrum facing the Trump transition team right now, as rumours swirl that Tulsi Gabbard might be next on the senatorial chopping block.
Bloomberg
Syria’s Assad Is Under Siege and Is Making Overtures to US
(Bloomberg) -- With Syrian rebels edging ever-closer to the capital, President Bashar Al-Assad is making a last-ditch attempt to remain in power, including indirect diplomatic overtures to the US and President-elect Donald Trump, according to people with direct knowledge of the situation.Most Read from BloombergA Chicago Skyscraper Cements the Legacy of a Visionary Postmodern ArchitectNYC’s Run-Down Bus Terminal Gets Approval for $10 Billion RevampKansas City Looks Back on its Long, Costly Ride
AFP
Zelensky says Kyiv wants 'enduring' peace to protect it from Russia
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday he told US President-elect Donald Trump Kyiv needed an "enduring" peace that Russia will not "destroy" in the future, after they met in Paris for talks on the almost three-year war."I stated that we need a just and enduring peace -- one that the Russians will not be able to destroy in a few years, as they have done repeatedly in the past," Zelensky said on social media.
Sky News
Assad 'has left' Damascus, says Russia, as Syrian army declares end of his rule
The Syrian government has fallen after a lightning offensive by anti-regime forces across the country - ending President Bashar al Assad's 24-year rule. Mr Assad has left office and the country after giving orders for there to be a peaceful transfer of power, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It did not say where he was, but said Russia had not been involved in the talks surrounding his departure.
Sky News
Russia's 'hybrid attack' on Romanian election could trigger NATO response if proven
Any evidence that Russia tried to influence an election in a NATO state would expose a form of hybrid attack that is designed to weaken the alliance from within. It is why events in Romania - where a top court has just annulled the result of the first round of voting in a presidential election amid concerns about an interference operation conducted from overseas - will surely be ringing alarm bells across NATO capitals.
CNN
Video of military police officer throwing man off bridge sparks anger in Brazil
A military police officer has been arrested in Brazil after a video emerged of him throwing a civilian over a bridge in Sao Paulo on Monday, sparking protests in the city.
BuzzFeed
16 People Who Voted For Donald Trump Are Sharing Exactly Why They're Already Questioning Their Decision
"I could care less about politics; that crap is for the 1% type of people who are rich."
Wales Online
UK to get new 2025 bank holiday to mark celebration
The UK is set for an additional bank holiday to celebrate the 'Greatest Generation' meaning next year will see a four-day celebration
The Independent
An Alabama couple were ardent Trump supporters. Then their trans son told them he wanted to die
Once news outlets called the election for Trump in the early hours of November 6, panic ripped through the LGBTQIA+ community and hotlines saw a dramatic surge in calls. Michelle Del Rey reports
The Independent
Trump tensions with Starmer increase over Chagos deal amid fears of nuclear weapons ban
Exclusive: Trump team see Chagos deal row as ‘day one issue’ for new administration as it is unclear whether nuclear weapons will still be allowed at the Diego Garcia base
HuffPost
'He Knows That He F**ked Up': James Carville Calls Biden 'Most Tragic Figure' In U.S. Politics
The Democratic strategist slammed Biden for not exiting the presidential race sooner and lamented that his otherwise "stunning" legacy is now overshadowed.

Latest stories