Athlete Focused Edinburgh Ltd has entered into a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Heriot-Watt University marking the beginning of an exciting collaborative partnership centred on sport and exercise science.

 

Built on shared values and complementary expertise, the partnership brings together Athlete Focused’s applied performance environments with Heriot-Watt’s academic research, facilities and student talent. Together, the organisations aim to elevate athlete development, enhance learning opportunities, and spark meaningful innovation across the sporting landscape.

 

The MOU outlines several key areas of collaboration, each shaped to unlock more opportunities for athletes, students and practitioners:

 

Student Opportunities

Heriot-Watt students will gain access to placements, coaching experience and real‑world applied learning inside Athlete Focused environments helping them build confidence, capability and a genuine understanding of performance sport.

 

Learning & Education

The partnership will support site visits, hands‑on learning and deeper exposure to applied practice across Athlete Focused hubs and partner clubs.

 

Professional Development & Collaboration

Both organisations will work together on CPD pathways, co-developed initiatives and shared expertise bringing academic insight and applied practice together in a meaningful way.

 

Performance Support

Athlete Focused will gain access to Heriot-Watt’s human performance labs, testing equipment and research-grade facilities strengthening the performance services available to athletes across the Edinburgh network.

 

Research & Innovation

Staff and students will collaborate on research projects that are grounded in real performance needs. This includes dissertation opportunities, applied studies, and innovation projects that directly support athletes and coaches.

 

Marketing & Impact

Together, Athlete Focused and Heriot-Watt will share the story and outcomes of the partnership highlighting how collaborative approaches can positively impact the wider sporting community.

 

Jonny Murray, Director at Athlete Focused Edinburgh shared,

“This partnership is about bringing the best of both worlds together. Heriot-Watt’s academic expertise and our applied performance environments create a powerful platform for athletes, students and practitioners to grow. We’re excited to build something that raises the standard of support we can offer athletes and students across Edinburgh.”

 

Chris Easton, Professor of Sport and Exercise Science at Heriot Watt added,

“This exciting partnership with Athlete Focused offers our students invaluable opportunities to apply the knowledge and skills developed throughout their degree programmes in supporting athletes across a variety of contexts. Athlete Focused has an outstanding reputation for helping individuals and athletes reach their full potential, and we are delighted that our students will benefit from working alongside their team of multidisciplinary performance specialists.”