Our Conference

When? 18th and 19th September 2025
Where? Technology and Innovation Centre, University of Strathclyde

We’re delighted to welcome you to the Fraser of Allander’s 50th Anniversary Conference, hosted at The University of Strathclyde’s Technology and Innovation Centre.

Our inaugural conference aims to provide insight on the work the institute and its partners conduct, and the importance this has across Scotland.

However it will also provide an opportunity for economists, policy makers and those with an interest in economic and social policy to network.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided throughout the day. There will also be designated quiet spaces within the conference centre to allow you to work and take calls.

If you need any help during the conference, look for our team in red lanyards!

Read our conference brochure

Read more about our speakers

For information on the conference sessions, see our schedule below.

Thursday 18th September

8:30 – 8:55, Registration + Tea and Coffee

9:00 – 9:30, Welcome Address 

9:30 – 10:30, Consulting the Numbers: the value of partnership between academia and business

This session chaired by Mairi Spowage will provide perspective from key voices across the business community on the benefits of FAI research for industry. Panellists include Angela Mitchell – Deloitte Practice Senior Partner for Scotland and Northern Ireland, Jack Norquoy, Director of Public Affairs and Communications at Scottish Renewables; Marc Crothall, CEO at The Scottish Tourism Alliance; and Charandeep Singh, Deputy Chief Executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce.

10:30 – 10:55, Tea and Coffee

11:00 – 12:30, Themed Sessions A

  1. Let’s Get Critical (Friend): Constructive Scrutiny in Scottish Policy Debates

This session provides an overview of the Institute’s scrutiny work and the importance of good scrutiny in order to hold policymakers to account. The panel will share insight on what good scrutiny looks like, with an opportunity to provide suggestions on how it could be improved across different policy areas. This will include an audience participation exercise and an opportunity for Q&A. Emma Congreve will be joined by Mick Wilson from Scottish Government and Martin McLauchlan from Audit Scotland.

  1. To Evaluate or Not to Evaluate: That is the rubric

This session will explore the importance of evaluation in policy setting and programme development. Researchers from the FAI will be joined by Fraser Macdonald of the Data for Children Collaborative and Elaine Wilson of Corra Foundation to reflect on what robust evaluation looks like, why it is important, and the issues faced by third-sector organisations in evaluating their programmes.

  1. What works? Perspectives on the labour market and employability in Scotland

This panel session will hear from people working in roles across Scotland’s employment landscape, discussing opportunities for the employability sector and the labour market as a whole. Researchers from the FAI will be joined by Chris O’Hanlon, Head of Employability Policy and Strategy, Scottish Government; Elizabeth Taylor, CEO at Employment Related Services Organisation (ERSA); Cameron Smith, Development Worker, SCLD; and, Pegs Bailey, National Third Sector Employability Partnership Engagement Manager, TSI Network Scotland.

 12:30 – 13:25, Lunch

13:30 – 14:15, Driving Democratic Accountability: In conversation with Michael Marra MSP

Michael Marra MSP, Deputy Convener of the Finance and Public Administration Committee, is joined by Institute Director Mairi Spowage to discuss the role that parliamentary committees play in holding the Government to account, including the role that research and insight from a body like the FAI can play.

14:20 – 15:50, Themed Sessions B

  1. Making it happen: Addressing health inequality through better policy implementation

The Scottish Health Equity Research Unit (SHERU) is an independent research unit, funded by the Health Foundation to provide insight, analysis, and scrutiny on the socio-economic factors driving health inequalities in Scotland. This is a collaboration between the Fraser of Allander Institute and the Centre for Health Policy. This session explores SHERU’s work on policy implementation in Scotland and looks at local-level issues, featuring a panel discussion around what needs to happen to strength policy implementation in Scotland.

  1. What can we learn from long-term analysis of the UK’s fiscal history?

How have the UK Government’s tax and spending priorities changed over time, and how have we ended up with our current fiscal set-up? Joao Sousa, Deputy Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute is joined by Luke Lanskey, Senior Fiscal Analyst at the OBR, to discuss the long-term history of UK public finances and the historical contingencies that have led to the UK’s current approach to fiscal policy – including tax, spend and fiscal rules.

  1. Navigating a turbulent world: Taking the pulse of Scottish business

Over the past five years, Scottish Businesses have seen energy crises, global turmoil, supply chain crises, inflationary spikes, tax challenges and, of course, tariffs. Through it all, the FAI’s Scottish Business Monitor has been asking businesses in Scotland how they are coping through these challenges, gauging sentiment about the recent past and near future. Brodie Gillan from the Fraser of Allander Institute will present the insights from the Business Monitor over this period and will be joined by Michelle Ferguson from CBI Scotland and Colin Borland from the Federation of Small Businesses to discuss the results from different perspectives.

 16:00 – 17:30, Themed Sessions C

  1. Paying for poverty reduction: How can Scotland meet its 2030 child poverty targets?

Scotland has set child poverty targets to be met by 2030, but evidence shows that current measures are far from enough. How can Scotland meet the targets – and where should the money come from? FAI researchers will present recent work on policy options and current spending, followed by a panel discussion with Jack Evans (Joseph Rowntree Foundation), Russell Gunson (Robertson Trust), and Suzanne Fitzpatrick (I-SPHERE, Heriot-Watt University) on which policies should be prioritised and where funding can be reallocated or raised under devolved powers.

  1. Who gains from trade? Trade and tariffs in a turbulent world

International turmoil over recent US trade policy decisions, and the impact on the growth of economies in all regions of the world, has highlighted the importance of trade for the health of the overall global economy. This session explores FAI research as part of the Centre for Inclusive Trade Policy (CITP), which highlights the importance of trade for the prospects of workers in different sectors and regions of the UK, and will be chaired by Ingo Borchert, from University of Sussex. James Black from the FAI and Pinar Gunes from the University of Sussex will present insights on the nature of trade-related employment, trade and gender, and the impact of AI.

  1. Data that delivers: Building a stronger evidence base for policy impact

High-quality data is the backbone of effective policy—but too often, gaps, inconsistencies, or blind spots limit our ability to design interventions that truly reflect lived realities. Darren Morgan, Engagement Director at the Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE) and Sharada Davidson, Lecturer at the University of Strathclyde, join FAI researcher David Jack to explore the enablers of meaningful data improvement: from better data design and infrastructure to stronger collaboration between analysts, policymakers, and communities.

 17:30 – 19:30, Poster Session and Networking Event

Our poster session will offer the opportunity to see more of the research carried out by the Fraser of Allander Institute and network with other attendees. There will also be drinks and canapes.

We will also be joined by several exhibiting organisations including the Economic Statistical Centre of Excellence, Economic Futures, Centre for Inclusive Trade Policy, Scottish Centre for Employment Research, Scottish Health Equity Research Unit, Applied Economics MSc at the University of Strathclyde, The Strathclyde Institute for Sustainable Communities, and The Stephen Young Institute.

Friday 19th September

8:45 – 9:10, Registration + Tea and Coffee

9:15 – 9:20: Welcome Address

9:20 – 9:45, Keynote Address: Special Guest 

We will be joined by a special guest to kick off the second day of the conference – watch this space!

9:45 – 10:50, Scottish Health Equity Research Unit Annual Report Launch with Stephen Boyle

The Scottish Health Equity Research Unit (SHERU) will launch their annual report for 2025 at our conference. The report provides an update on health and socioeconomic inequality in Scotland featuring a deep dive into prevention and death from drugs, alcohol and suicide among young adult men, and will be presented by Emma Congreve and Kat Smith, co-Directors of SHERU. The launch of the report will be followed by insight from the Auditor General for Scotland, Stephen Boyle.

There will be a panel session, chaired by Chris Creegan from the Health Foundation, featuring Emma, Kat, Stephen and David Finch from the Health Foundation, to explore questions from the audience.  

11:00 – 12:30, Themed Sessions D

  1. How far away is the UK from fiscal sustainability?

This session will present some new FAI analysis on the long-term sustainability of the public finances, showing the critical role of long-term productivity growth and fiscal drag in determining the scale of the challenge facing the UK’s public finances. Joao Sousa and Mairi Spowage will lead a discussion with the audience on the new modelling, to explore the reality of the fiscal challenge we face.

  1. Scotland’s invisible people: Addressing evidence gaps and supporting better futures for underrepresented groups

People with learning disabilities continue to face significant barriers in accessing paid employment, inclusive services, and opportunities to thrive. At the same time, there are critical gaps in the evidence needed to inform policies and practices that truly support this underrepresented group. This session will explore how we can build a stronger understanding of what works—particularly in helping people with learning disabilities find and sustain meaningful work. We’ll also consider how research can drive real-world change that promotes genuine inclusion. FAI researchers David Jack and Chirsty McFadyen are joined by Jo Davidson and Jo Hughes from Down Syndrome Scotland and Ruth Callander and Matthew Muirhead from the Scotland Commission for people with Learning Disabilities.

12:30 – 13:25, Lunch

13:30 – 14:30, Jargon meets journalism: making economic research easy to understand for the general public

This session, chaired by journalist and political commentator Peter MacMahon, will provide insight on the value of timely and clear economic research for journalists. Panellists will reflect on the interactions they have with the FAI, when they have been most helpful, and what we could do more of to support the interaction of the media and therefore the public with the issues of the day. Peter will be joined by Douglas Fraser, Business and Economic Editor at BBC Scotland; Chris Musson, Associate Editor at The Scottish Sun; and Gina Davidson, Scotland Political Editor with LBC.

14:30 – 15:30, Looking ahead to the Holyrood election in 2026: Professor Sir John Curtice

Professor Sir John Curtice provides a look ahead to the 2026 Scottish election including discussion of the latest polling results. There will also be an opportunity for John to take questions.

15:30 – 15:45, Closing Remarks

Institute Director Mairi Spowage will close the conference with some reflections on the past two days of chat, networking and discussion.

 

We look forward to celebrating 50 years of the FAI with you in September!

If you have any questions about the conference, please get in touch at fraser50@strath.ac.uk