50 years of Structural Funds in Scotland

A new report from the University of Strathclyde reveals that Scotland received over £7.7 billion in EU Cohesion Policy funding over the past 50 years, helping to create 235,000 jobs.

The study, What has EU Cohesion Policy funding done for us?, produced by Strathclyde’s European Policies Research Centre (EPRC) for the Scottish Government, reviews the impact of more than 60 development programmes from 1975 to the final Scottish programmes’ closure this year.

According to the report, EU support was central to Scotland’s economic transition, generating new jobs, protecting a further 60,000 positions, aiding more than 260,000 businesses, and providing skills training to hundreds of thousands of people. Investment also upgraded roads, harbours, ferry services and digital infrastructure—particularly in the Highlands and Islands—and backed major projects such as the Glasgow Science Centre, the Falkirk Wheel, the University of the Highlands and Islands, and the Scalpay Bridge.

Professor John Bachtler, who led the study with colleagues Rona Michie and Rachel Maguire, said:

“Scotland benefited massively from EU funding over a long period. When the European Regional Development Fund was first set up in the mid-1970s, Scotland was the third largest recipient from the fund.”

The report notes that EU funding underpinned improvements to transport and digital links across the Highlands & Islands and supported universities and colleges throughout Scotland. It emphasises that the University of the Highlands and Islands likely would not exist without EU investment, and highlights Scotland’s early leadership in community development initiatives that strengthened local services, facilities and employment opportunities.

The study also describes Scotland’s strong involvement in EU territorial cooperation programmes, which enabled cross-border collaboration and knowledge exchange. Fellow author Rachel Maguire noted that working with other European regions brought fresh ideas that benefited Scottish organisations.

Key lessons identified for future regional development include the effectiveness of place-based approaches rooted in local needs, the importance of ongoing cooperation across different levels of government, and the need for stable long-term funding to support strategic growth and innovation.

The report’s findings were unveiled at Scotland House in Brussels on 19 November, in collaboration with the Scottish Government Brussels Office and Scotland Europa, in front of Scottish and EU stakeholders involved in administering these programmes over the past half century.

You can find the report here. A shorter version of the report was presented at the RSA Regional Futures Conference on 13 November.

Read the original press release here.