A COLLABORATION between Edinburgh Napier University and Lost Shore Surf Resort is promising "ground-breaking surfing research" and a "global first".
The SurfLab partnership marks the first formal research relationship between a further education institution and a wave pool.
The university and Lost Shore Surf Resort, which is Scotland’s first inland surfing destination, and will research areas including surf therapy, high-performance surfing including routes to the Olympics, disability surfing and equipment research and development.
Professor Gary Hutchison, Dean of Applied Sciences at Edinburgh Napier University, said: “As the top Scottish modern university for research power and impact, we pride ourselves on being the home of difference makers and it is initiatives such as this that will benefit our students, staff and wider community.
"It has been a real pleasure to work with this ambitious and innovative organisation and I have great optimism for the future."
As part of the partnership, Lost Shore Surf Resort will provide the university with onsite office space and ongoing amenities free of charge.
The resort, which was previously known as Wavegarden Scotland, is a £55 million development in Ratho, near Edinburgh, and is expected to open to the public in summer 2024.
The company behind the surfing resort, Tartan Leisure Ltd, previously funded the world’s first surf therapy PhD that was undertaken by Dr Jamie Marshall and completed in September 2022.
Marshall, Research Fellow School of Applied Sciences at Edinburgh Napier University, said: “With funding from Lost Shore Surf Resort, I undertook the world’s first surf therapy doctorate at Edinburgh Napier University to better understand how surfing is being utilised to support a range of vulnerable populations around the world.
"I am thrilled that the SurfLab collaboration will further deepen ties and ensure Scotland is at the forefront of all aspects of surfing research”
Marshall added that “exposure to our seas, lochs and waterways can be great for our mental wellness”.
SurfLab will also include the HUB, with facilities such as a waterfront restaurant and food market, retail outlets, a surf school offering surf therapy and a wellness spa.
The developers have vowed to ensure that free, publicly accessible green space is integrated to the resort.
The resort will make use of the Wavegarden Cove wave generation technology, developed by Wavegarden in the Basque Country.
