A UNIVERSITY campaign backed by author JK Rowling to raise £350 million has reached its target.
Edinburgh University has achieved its goal of raising the massive sum with what has been described as one of the biggest fundraising drives in Scotland's history, taking six years in total.
The money has been used to help pay for research, maintain buildings and provide financial help for students.
Harry Potter author Rowling donated £10 million to the fund. That money is being used to establish a new multiple sclerosis research clinic.
The facility, named after Rowling's mother Anne and due to open next year, will develop treatments for MS and other degenerative neurological conditions.
The university's fundraising drive attracted support from former students, funding councils, major trusts and foundations, corporations, government and research charities.
Among the projects that will benefit are the Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research. The centre was set up by Mr MacDonald , an investment banker and former student, in 2007, after he was diagnosed with the disease.
Money has also been provided to the McKern Fellowship, which funds research into the treatment of pain and distress during pregnancy and labour.
The campaign has helped the university to maintain its bursary programme and conserve buildings such as the Main Library, Old College and Teviot Row House.
Kirsty MacDonald, the university's director of development and alumni engagement, said: "What is significant, and what the university is most proud of, is that the campaign has funded projects that have the potential to change people's lives for the better.
"Fundraising has become an integral part of the university and we will continue to work with supporters to ensure that all areas of the university can flourish."
Other key projects which have benefited include the Centre for Regenerative Medicine, the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, the Alwaleed Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World, and the Scottish Centre for Diaspora Studies.
The fundraising initiative has also create a new hub for student life and helped recruit and retain high-calibre academic staff. Senior vice-principal Mary Bownes said: "We are delighted to have succeeded in reaching our target and to have helped so many parts of the university.
"We have innovative staff and outstanding students, and the generous support of our funders has ensured that many students who otherwise could not afford to come to the university are educated here and our staff and students can work on cutting-edge research and scholarship, which positively impacts on communities here and around the world."
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