Sustainable Development Research Centre
The Executive awarded the Sustainable Development Research Centre (SDRC) £5,000 towards the staging of the first Highlands and Islands international conference on the subject of Sustainability - Creating the Culture at Eden Court Theatre, Inverness in November 2004.
The conference provided an insight into current academic research, showcased new technology and highlighted business development opportunities. A call for papers was published in February 2004 to attract researchers and practitioners in the fields of sustainable development, environmental management and corporate responsibility. Over 40 papers were received.
The conference was divided into four streams:
Stream 1 Urban and Rural Sustainable Development
Stream 2 Renewable Energy and Community Development
Stream 3 Sustainable Corporations
Stream 4 Future Polices for Sustainable Development
The conference programme was designed to embrace the presentation of the academic papers, together with key speakers to stimulate discussion and future development in each of the four streams. The main aim of the conference was to bring together many examples of sustainable practices and knowledge from around the world to stimulate delegates and provide future opportunities.
An associated exhibition of 14 companies complemented the conference by showcasing new technologies, products and services that can assist in the move towards more sustainable practices. All of the exhibitors were Scottish organisations in fields applicable to sustainable development.
The conference attracted eight sponsors; University of St Andrews, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Scottish Natural Heritage, Stoneyhill Waste Management Ltd, Moray Badenoch & Strathspey Enterprise Company, Talisman Energy UK Ltd,& Scottish & Southern Water and UHI Millennium Institute.
SDRC were aware that the conference could benefit the local area as well as promote sustainable development in the following ways:
- Highlight the Highlands and Islands in the field of sustainable development through exhibition of local businesses and colleges;
- Boost the local tourism economy (hotels, restaurants etc);
- Bring Business and Academia together to exchange ideas and problem solve;
- Promote the sustainable development concept locally;
- Promote Inverness as the capital of the Highlands to an international audience.
SDRC set a number of targets to be achieved:
- Percentage of interested parties that submit a paper - 42 papers were received and 34 were presented at the conference;
- Percentage of interested parties that sign up as delegates - delegates could buy either 3 day tickets or 1 day tickets. Many companies purchased 3 day tickets and sent a different delegate to the conference on each of the days. 84 tickets were sold, 152 delegates attended the conference and 34 speakers presented papers;
- Number of filled exhibition stands by local organisations - all 15 of the stands were filled by Scottish organisations;
- Number and types of sponsors - eight sponsors supported the conference - listed above.
SDRC had a lot of positive feedback from the conference. The quality of the speakers and the format of the conference were highlighted, as well as the warmth of the Highland hospitality.
The 2005 conference took place at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre in November 2005.
The Sustainable Development Research Centre, which was located at the Enterprise Park in Forres, Moray, ceased to trade in 2009.