PROFESSOR WAYNE Powell, the Principal of Scotland’s Rural College has attended a special investiture at Buckingham Palace to receive SRUC’s Queen’s Anniversary Prize from Prince Charles.

Professor Powell led an SRUC delegation to London to officially receive the honour, which he said was recognition of the college’s “unique contribution to scientific excellence, impact and innovation”.

Although the prize is awarded to the institution as a whole, SRUC’s winning submission was built around the dairy genetics study based around its Langhill herd – the world’s longest running dairy study.

Prof Powell said: “It was a great honour to go to Buckingham Palace to receive the Queen’s Anniversary Prize from Prince Charles.

“One of SRUC’s core strengths is making scientific discoveries and translating them into meaningful improvements, not only for the rural communities of Scotland, but for the entire world. The Queen’s Anniversary Prize recognises the enormous impact and societal benefit of our world-leading research and it should be a source of great pride for everyone connected with SRUC.”

Part of the British honours system and awarded every two years by The Queen on the Prime Minister’s advice, Queen’s Anniversary Prizes recognise and celebrate outstanding innovative work within UK higher and further education institutions along with its beneficial and practical effect.