Ongoing research
We commission research and analysis to support the Scottish Government as it develops policies on adapting to the changing climate and transitioning to net zero.
We deliver rapid-response research projects in answer to particular research questions via open procurement. Project requests are shaped in response to Scottish Government evidence calls at several points in the year.
We also commission Research Fellowships to offer more long-term support to policy teams. These research opportunities focus on responding to specific policy questions and evidence needs, rather than necessarily carrying out primary research.. Our Fellows, are often embedded with the relevant Scottish Government policy division.
Open research calls can be found on Invitations to quote page while examples of previous work and impact can be found on the Research and Impact case studies pages. Our step-by-step guide on best practice in responding to our invitations to quote for projects can be found on the page Tips for writing research proposals.
For more information about any of our ongoing research projects, please contact info@climatexchange.org.uk.
Sign up and engage with us
To be alerted to new invitations to quote (research calls) via email, please sign up on our Newsletter page.
We also encourage researchers to offer us insights that may be relevant to climate-related policies. This can be done for instance by contacting us about research evidence or to suggest blog posts.
Our current ongoing research projects
Overheating risks and climate adaptation in NHS Scotland healthcare environments
This work will provide evidence to help understand overheating risks and climate adaption options within the NHS Scotland estate. It will be used to inform future NHS Scotland policy, guidance and estate resilience planning.
This research project will start in October 2026 and is being managed by Nicola Dunn.
Single-use food and drink items
Using industry data, this project will to estimate the number of single use food and drink items on the market, their environmental impact, and how a potential ban could impact businesses.
This research project will start in September 2026 and is being managed by Emma Dore.
Scottish future electricity demand scenarios
The findings from this research project will provide the Scottish Government with an understanding of the dynamics and dependencies of the future electricity system, including how this aligns with emissions estimates as Scotland moves to a net zero economy.
This research project started in September 2026 and is being managed by Nicola Dunn.
Mandatory reporting of food waste
This project will investigate options for mandatory food waste and surplus reporting, engaging with stakeholders to identify appropriate reporting methods and will help to shape proportionate and effective regulations and implementation planning.
This research project started in September 2026 and is being managed by Emma Dore.
Modelling measures needed to address fuel poverty while supporting decarbonisation
This project will develop modelling that can be used to investigate the balance and trade-offs between investments in energy efficiency and clean heating measures. It follows on from previous research into balancing investement in clean heat and retrofit measures.
This research project started in September 2026 and is being managed by Nicola Dunn.
Climate policy investment readiness
Funding and financing the actions required to meet our climate goals is one of the most significant risks to delivery. This research project is exploring the costs of climate action and options to meet these costs from sources outwith the Scottish Government.
This research project started in September 2026 and is being managed by Jonny Casey.
Solar on underused spaces
This project is assessing the potential for using underused spaces for solar development. Researchers will gather evidence on how other countries have approached solar deployment on underused spaces including what has been delivered, through what mechanisms, at what scale, and with what barriers.
This research project started in September 2026 and is being managed by Nicola Dunn.
Electric vehicle uptake on Scottish islands
Using a systems approach, this research will explore electric vehicle adoption by people, communities and businesses in the specific context of Scottish islands and look at possible barriers to uptake.
This research project started in September 2026 and is being managed by Colin Seditas.
Export opportunities for Scottish environmental goods and services
Accessing HMRC and other data sources, this research project will identify export opportunities for ‘environmental goods and services’ for Scotland, what any trade barriers are and how they might be overcome.
This research project started in September 2026 and is being managed by Emma Dore.
Developing a practical framework for uncertainty analysis and communication
This project is developing a practical framework to support the Scottish Government to make uncertainty visible, comparable, and decision-relevant. strengthening accountability and enabling proportionate, evidence-based policy and delivery choices across multiple Scottish Government portfolios linked to ENRA science areas.
This research project started in September 2026 and is being managed by Jonny Casey.
Connectivity metrics for nature networks in Scotland
This project is scoping out an appropriate, simple measure of ecological connectivity which could be used to measure the effectiveness of, for example, nature networks and other efforts to reduce habitat fragmentation across Scotland, at both local and national levels.
This research project started in September 2026 and is being managed by Sarah Govan.
Making climate futures real
Climate impacts are here and now and the significant climate-related disruption we exprience today is projected to escalate. This research aims to establish how the public sector in Scotland can best communicate to the public what a +2 degrees temperature change means for Scotland.
This research project started in September 2026 and is being managed by Jonny Casey.
Fellowship: Approaches to setting and monitoring climate adaptation targets in Scotland
For this project a researcher is embedded directly within Scottish Government. They are helping to design and apply a robust analytical framework in order to generate empirical insights into how adaptation policy targets can be applied in the Scottish context.
This research project started in April 2026 and is being managed by Jonny Casey.
Fellowship: Developing an approach for evaluating the Scottish Government’s contribution to delivery of a just transition for Scotland
This work extends the 2025/2026 Fellowship work on monitoring and evaluating a just transition. It will build on the earlier outputs to develop an approach to evaluation of just transition, providing insights on how and why a just transition is or is not being delivered.
This research project started in June 2026 and is being managed by Colin Seditas.
A review of the Scottish Landfill Tax
This project will assess whether Scottish Landfill Tax remains fit for purpose in supporting Scottish Government’s environmental objectives, including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. It will include consideration of the case for changes to the current tax structure (including the tax rates) to ensure SLfT continues to drive sustainable resource management and circular economy goals.
This research project started in June 2026 and is being managed by Colin Seditas.
Net zero at home
This research will set out Scotland’s household emissions and the associated actions that could support progress towards net zero. The project will provide Scotland-specific framing of household emissions in the context of the wider national picture, and will aim to identify changes that will deliver net zero and how they will change over time.
This research project started in June 2026 and is being managed by Nicola Dunn.
The emissions impacts of anaerobic digestion across whisky production in Scotland
This project will model the potential maximum use of anaerobic digestion by the whisky industry, the economic viability of anaerobic digestion byproducts, and assess the evidence on the lifecycle carbon impact of those byproducts. The research will specifically draw lessons from the anaerobic digestion market in Denmark.
This research project started in June 2026 and is being managed by Emma Dore.
Capital funding for climate action in Scottish agriculture
This project will identify specific targeted capital investment activities that are required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve business climate resilience across Scotland’s farming communities.
This research project started in June 2026 and is being managed by Sarah Govan.
Comparative analysis for farming practices for climate change outcomes
This project will deliver a focused, policy-ready comparison of three agricultural approaches: precision farming, maximum sustainable output, and organic farming. It will assess their financial performance, greenhouse gas emissions, and applicability across key Scottish farming systems to generate clear, comparable evidence to support implementation of Scotland’s Climate Change Plan and Agricultural Reform Programme.
This research project started in July 2026 and is being managed by Sarah Govan.
Just resilience: Understanding the experiences of low-income households facing increasing climate disruption
This research will explore how low-income households experience increasing climate disruption. Climate impacts such as flooding, extreme heat and cold, storms and wildfires do not affect all people equally; instead, exposure, vulnerability and adaptive capacity vary significantly depending on social and economic circumstances. This project will build on CXC’s previous scoping review on the impacts of climate change on population groups.
This research project started in July 2026 and is being managed by Jonny Casey.
The feasibility of nature-based solutions for flood risk for the NHS Scotland estate
The NHS Estate in Scotland is diverse in scale, purpose and location – from large urban hospital complexes to small island healthcare properties. This project will generate evidence on where and how nature-based solutions may be practically integrated to help address flood risk within NHS Scotland’s estate. The aim is to understand the potential to improve resilience and support greener healthcare environments aligned with biodiversity as well as place-based climate objectives.
This research project started in July 2026 and is being managed by Jonny Casey.
Hydrogen deployment model refinement
CXC recently published a low-carbon hydrogen deployment model for Scotland. It was part of wider work to update the evidence base on Scotland’s hydrogen potential in light of significant policy, market, and technological developments since the 2020 Scottish Hydrogen Assessment (SHA). This follow-up project will refine elements of the deployment model to improve the robustness and policy relevance of the model as part of a refreshed Hydrogen Strategy in September.
This research project started in July 2026 and is being managed by Colin Seditas.
Monitoring catchment-scale restoration outcomes for climate adaptation and biodiversity
There is a growing need to collate better evidence to quantify the wide range of benefits delivered by using nature-based solutions at catchment scale. This scoping study will involve a desk-based assessment of the monitoring in existing catchment scale projects, examine evidence gaps and explore options to fill these gaps.
This research project started in July 2026 and is being managed by Sarah Govan.
How to assess impacts of climate policy on health outcomes
There is a need to develop a better understanding of how to evaluate the positive and negative health outcomes of climate policies.This project will investigate how to design an effective approach to monitoring and evaluation of climate policy delivery against improved health and reduced health inequalities using Scottish Government’s Warmer Homes Scotland Scheme as an exemplar. The designed approach will then be used develop lessons for extending the framework to other policy areas in future.
This research project started in August 2026 and is being managed by Nicola Dunn.
Farm carbon audits and regenerative farming practicies in Scotland
Scotland aims to be a world leader in regenerative farming and carbon audits are important to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the agriculture and land use sectors. This reserach aims to better understand the assumptions, modelling approaches and data gaps in the current carbon audit system. And to identify steps to enhance their ability to account for the diversity of all farmering and crofting practices and systems in Scotland.
This research project started in August 2026 and is being managed by Sarah Govan.
Fellowship: Accelerating the use of behavioural science in climate policy making
This project will build on momentum from the CXC-convened roundtables, in September 2025 and Febraury 2026, on how Scottish Government can accelrate the use of behavoural science in climate policymaking. The research fellow will support the Scottish Government to enhance the use of behavioural science across cliamte policy and public enagement.
This research project will start in September 2026 and is being managed by Colin Seditas.
Scottish ports’ offshore wind capabilities and capacity
Optimising port use and infrastructure is key to driving economic growth and job opportunities. This research will inform the Scottish Government’s understanding of Scottish ports’ current capacity, capability and readiness to support the offshore wind pipeline and support its strategic approach to offshore wind port infrastructure development and planning..
This research project began in January 2026 and is being managed by Nicola Dunn.
Related links
Tips to increase the impact of your research
Tips for writing research proposals