Viking Energy’s Shetland Community Benefit Fund has awarded the University of Edinburgh’s Development Trust £15,000 in support of the Viking Genes Shetland Community Screening Project. Press ReleaseIssued: 5 January 2026 Viking Energy’s Shetland Community Benefit Fund has awarded the University of Edinburgh’s Development Trust £15,000 in support of the Viking Genes Shetland Community Screening Project.The initiative will provide 5,000 Shetlanders with the opportunity to take part in a free genetic screening programme, designed specifically for Shetland. The programme will identify individuals at higher genetic risk of developing life-threatening conditions, enabling volunteers to be notified of actionable findings and guided towards the appropriate NHS pathway of care.In addition to identifying those at risk, the project will highlight individuals who may not be directly affected but who carry an elevated risk of passing on certain genetic conditions to their children.A voluntary committee of Shetland community leaders has been constituted to help raise £1 million to enable widespread participation. The screening programme will test for up to 50 genetic variants found to be prevalent within the Shetland population.The project has already received strong community backing, praised at this year’s annual public meeting of NHS Shetland and supported by community councils across the isles.Professor Jim Flett Wilson, who leads the Viking Genes programme at the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute, commented:"On behalf of Viking Genes, I am delighted with the £15k funding from Viking Energy's Shetland Community Benefit Fund. I think our Shetland Community Screening Project – which this will support – is the very definition of a community benefit and I was happy to receive such widespread support for our project."The Shetland Community Benefit Fund is a unique initiative bringing together local communities to benefit from commercial renewable energy developments in the islands through community funding schemes. Additional informationAbout Viking Genes: https://viking.ed.ac.uk/Screening Project Information: https://viking.ed.ac.uk/screening-shetlandFundraising Information: https://viking.ed.ac.uk/support-viking-genesHigh Resolution Images: https://viking.ed.ac.uk/news-and-media/for-press/image-collectionsVolunteer Stories: https://viking.ed.ac.uk/about-us/volunteer-stories This article was published on 2026-01-06
