University of Dundee

What University of Dundee does

The University of Dundee is an independent public research university in Scotland, operating as a Scottish registered charity (No. SC015096) and governed by University Court. Founded as University College Dundee in 1881 and incorporated by Royal Charter in 1967, it serves prospective undergraduate and postgraduate students across eight academic schools covering life sciences, medicine, computing, law, business, and art & design (including the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design), with three campuses in Dundee and Kirkcaldy. Revenue is generated primarily through tuition fees (domestic and international), core grants from the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), competitive research grants and contracts (UKRI, Innovate UK, charitable foundations), accommodation services (from £179.48/week with bills included), and commercialisation of research through technology licensing and spinout equity.

The university's technology base spans specialised research units including the MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit (MRC-PPU), Drug Discovery Unit, National Phenotypic Screening Centre (NPSC), Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation (CeTPD), and the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science. Notable commercialised technologies include laser speckle blood flow imaging co-developed with Moor Instruments Ltd (pre-clinical), world-first transatlantic remote robotic stroke surgery demonstrated with Sentante, and the MyWay Digital Health diabetes management platform (a university spinout with NHS England and Middle East deployments). The institution ranks Top 25 in the UK and 3rd in Scotland (Complete University Guide 2027), with 84% of research rated world-leading or internationally excellent in REF 2021, and was named the top UK university for spinout businesses by Gateways to Growth in 2023.

The go-to-market model is hybrid: direct sales-led recruitment for UK undergraduates via UCAS and open days, event-driven and partnership-led international recruitment through British Council GREAT Scholarships and a 100+ country agent network, and B2B partnership channels for industry-sponsored research, technology licensing, and spinout creation. The £40m Life Sciences Innovation Hub anchors the Tay Cities Biomedical Cluster strategy. Operationally, the university faces acute financial pressure, posting a £35m deficit in 2025 that required a £22m SFC support package comprising grants and low-cost loans to avoid insolvency.

Name

University of Dundee

Legal name

University of Dundee (Scottish Registered Charity, No. SC015096)

Website

https://dundee.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1881

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The University of Dundee is an independent Scottish public research university serving undergraduate and postgraduate students across life sciences, medicine, computing, law, business, and art & design, generating revenue from tuition, Scottish Funding Council grants, research contracts, accommodation, and spinout commercialisation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI), Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Postgraduate research degrees
• Academic research centres
• Student accommodation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Snodland

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: Revenue from domestic and international student tuition fees across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
2. Government Funding: Core funding from Scottish Funding Council, including £22m rescue package for financial recovery. Additional support from Scottish Government for specific initiatives.
3. Research Grants and Contracts: Funding from research councils (UKRI, Innovate UK), charitable foundations, and industry partnerships for research activities.
4. Accommodation Services: Student accommodation revenue from on-campus and affiliated housing, with weekly rates from £179.48.
5. Commercialisation and Licensing: Revenue from licensing technologies, spinout company equity, and industry consultancy services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The University of Dundee is a public research-intensive university delivering undergraduate, postgraduate taught, and postgraduate research degree programmes across eight academic schools covering disciplines from art and design through life sciences, medicine, and law. It operates student accommodation, conducts funded research through specialist centres such as the Drug Discovery Unit and MRC-PPU, and commercialises research outcomes via technology licensing and spinout companies such as MyWay Digital Health.

Product overview

The University of Dundee's primary offering is higher education services across undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels, organized through eight academic schools covering disciplines from art and design to medicine and life sciences. The university also commercializes research through spinout companies and industry partnerships. Notable products include the MyWay Digital Health diabetes management platform (a university spinout), laser speckle blood flow imaging technology developed with Moor Instruments Ltd, and remote robotic stroke surgery technology developed through international collaborations. The institution operates three campuses (City, Ninewells, and Kirkcaldy) and maintains research excellence in life sciences, medicine, computing, and forensic science.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD): The university's college of art and design, offering programs in architecture, art, design, and related fields.

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programmes Full-time undergraduate degree programmes (BSc, LLB, BA and equivalent Honours degrees) across disciplines including business management, computer science, law, mathematics, psychology, life sciences, medicine, and art & design, delivered across City, Ninewells, and Kirkcaldy campuses. Applications processed through the UCAS system for UK students and direct channels for international applicants.
• Postgraduate Taught Programmes Master's-level taught postgraduate programmes including MSc Accounting & Finance, MSc Business Analytics, MSc Computer Science, LLM Law (General), and MSc Psychology (Conversion). Targeted at graduates seeking specialised expertise and career advancement, with options for on-campus, online, and distance learning modes of delivery.
• Postgraduate Research (PhD) Programmes Research degrees including PhDs, Master's by Research, and professional doctorates, conducted within specialist research centres such as MRC-PPU, the Drug Discovery Unit, NPSC, CeTPD, and the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science. Funded through UKRI, charitable foundations, and industry partnerships.
• Student Accommodation Services On-campus and affiliated student housing offered on weekly contracts from £179.48 with bills included (superfast wired ethernet and wifi). Locations include City campus, Seabraes (5-minute walk), and West Park. Flexible 39-51 week contracts available, featuring private single occupancy bedrooms with double beds and en-suite shower rooms.
• MyWay Digital Health Platform A spinout from the University of Dundee, MyWay Digital Health operates a remote monitoring app for diabetes management that tracks blood sugar levels, blood pressure, weight, and other health metrics, with automated alerts to patients and healthcare professionals. The platform originated from Scotland's national diabetes database and is deployed commercially in NHS England with expansion into the Middle East.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 91% of graduates in work or further study within 15 months of graduating
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• ValiRx PLCminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026ValiRx PLC concluded evaluation agreement with University of Dundee's Drug Discovery Unit without exercising licensing option. Research examined mechanism of action of technology, funded by £50,000 grant from Queen Mary University London's Impact Fund. IP reverted to Drug Discovery Unit.
• Queen Mary University LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026Research collaboration with Professor Cleo Bishop's group at Queen Mary University London for technology evaluation. Funded by £50,000 grant from Queen Mary University London's Impact Fund. In-silico modeling support provided by Inaphaea Biolabs Ltd.
• UCLA, Cedars-Sinai, University of MünstercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2026University of Dundee participates in $9 million, three-year research project led by UCLA studying links between pesticides, air pollution, and Parkinson's disease risk. Funded by Aligning Science Across Parkinson's and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
• Abertay University, 4J Studios, UK Games Talent and Finance, CodeBasecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2026Partnership for £20m Tay Cities Region creative tech growth programme. Abertay University leads delivery with industry players supporting gaming, immersive VR, and collaborative R&D projects. Dundee generated £353m turnover from creative sector in 2022.
• Chemveda Life SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 March 2026Indian life sciences contract research organization chose University of Dundee's Life Sciences Innovation Hub for its first European site. Operations began early April 2026. Chemveda employs 600 people globally across Hyderabad, San Diego, and Boston. Expected to create up to 50 high-value jobs in Dundee. Received £270,000 grant from Scottish Enterprise.
• SentanteflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2025Lithuanian medtech robotics company Sentante and University of Dundee achieved world-first transatlantic robotic stroke surgery. Surgeons operated remotely across continents demonstrating haptic endovascular robotics system capability for stroke treatment.
• MyWay Digital HealthflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2025Company spun out from University of Dundee. Developed remote monitoring app for diabetes management tracking blood sugar, blood pressure, weight with alerts. Platform originated from Scotland's national diabetes database. Commercial deployments in NHS England, expanding to Middle East. Funded by Innovate UK, NIHR, and Scottish Enterprise.
• Moor Instruments LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 August 2023University of Dundee partnered with Moor Instruments Ltd to develop blood flow assessment technology using laser speckle imaging for surgical applications. Project funded by Innovate UK's Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. Technology aims to replace dye-based imaging methods during surgery.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• University of Edinburgh: Scotland's flagship research-intensive university with overlapping strengths in life sciences, medicine, and computer science. Most directly comparable public research university in the same geography and similar comprehensive discipline mix.
• University of Glasgow: Major Scottish public research university with comparable scale and breadth across life sciences, medicine, and humanities. Directly competes for the same domestic applicant pool and research council funding.
• University of Aberdeen: Scottish public research university of similar size and research intensity, with parallel strengths in medical sciences and life sciences. Closest peer by scale, geography, and funding model.
• University of St Andrews: Historic Scottish public research university from which Dundee was spun out in 1967. Comparable on geography, public research mission, and student-recruitment competition in the Scottish market.

Regional players

• Heriot-Watt University: Scottish public research university with a strong industry-applied research profile and notable international student intake. Comparable on size, funding model, and emphasis on translational research.
• University of Strathclyde: Scottish research-intensive university focused on technology, business, and applied sciences. Comparable in scale and funding structure, with overlapping recruitment markets.

Broad incumbents

• Durham University: Established UK research university with similar league-table positioning and broad discipline coverage. Competes with Dundee for international postgraduate applicants and research talent.
• University of Exeter: UK research university of comparable scale and Russell Group standing with overlapping life sciences and medical research strengths. Comparable on rankings trajectory and research output quality.
• Newcastle University: Major UK research-intensive university with parallel strengths in medicine, life sciences, and translational research. Comparable on Russell Group profile and biomedical cluster strategy.
• University of Leicester: Mid-sized UK research university with similar profile in life sciences and medical research. Comparable on institutional scale and public funding model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dundeeuni
• YouTubeyoutube.com/universityofdundee
• Facebookfacebook.com/UniversityofDundee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/university-of-dundee
• Instagraminstagram.com/dundeeuni
• TikToktiktok.com/@dundeeuni

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about University of Dundee