The IRC has collaborated, both formally and informally, with a wide range of academic and non-academic partner institutions across Scotland and internationally. Some of these collaborations have been project-specific (see Research), others – such as Learning for Sustainability Scotland – more generic.
We are academic members of the international doctoral programme “Transformations in European Societies” and had Erasmus links with the Center for Social Anthropology at Vytautas Magnus University Kaunas in Lithuania and the Latvian Academy of Culture in Riga, which facilitated mobility for staff and postgraduate research students prior to Brexit.
Academic Institutions
The IRC has an extensive network of international partner institutions. Prior to Brexit these included Erasmus exchange agreements involving researcher mobility, which we are currently seeking to negotiate substitutes for.
![]() Latvian Academy of Culture | ![]() University of Zagreb | ![]() University of Copenhagen |
![]() Ludwig Maximilian University – Munich | ![]() University of Graz | ![]() Universidad de Murcia |
![]() Tel Aviv University | ![]() University of Basel | ![]() Center for Social Anthropology – Vytautas Magnus University |
Visiting Scholars
The IRC offers a vibrant research environment that attracts visiting academics and practitioners from across the United Kingdom and abroad to spend time at Heriot-Watt University. For a modest bench fee, the IRC provides visitors with access to the university’s facilities, including workspace, internet connection and a library card, as well as opportunities to participate in research events (including conferences, research seminars and training sessions) on the same terms as regular IRC members. By building up its international network of researchers and research users, the IRC continues to strengthen its research capacity and the visibility of Heriot-Watt University in the intercultural field.
We look forward to welcoming as Visiting Professor to IRC/HWU Edinburgh Prof. Patrick Barban Centre for Research into legal and social change (CERMUD), University of Le Havre in November 2022 (more details to follow) !