Meeting the next generation of leading scientists, Ivan McKee, MSP, Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation calls in to the Botanics’ labs to chat with international PhD students.  During the visit Simon Milne MBE, Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh discussed with Mr McKee the Botanics significant achievements in developing Scotland’s international links from China to Chile and Nepal to the Congo,  and tackling the global biodiversity crisis and climate emergency.  The Botanic’s education and skills programme reaches over 50 countries, and includes  a vibrant and diverse international PhD community whose research topics range from taxonomy, conservation science, ecology, evolution, and genomics, to cultural history. Its PhD programme is delivered in partnership with a number of universities, in Edinburgh and around the world. Mr McKee also heard how the Scottish Government’s Grant-in-aid to the Botanics provides the leverage to achieve 6 times more it’s worth nationally, and 12 times globally