The University of Stirling is to become Scotland's new national University for Sporting Excellence following a £1m investment by the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council (SFC).

SFC funding will go towards establishing the University of Stirling as a hub for a national training and support network for elite athletes studying at universities and colleges across Scotland, and will also be used to create a new sports scholarship scheme. Hockey, swimming and women's football will be the first sports to benefit from the Winning Students initiative, aimed at new and existing sports students who have the potential to win medals in national and international competitions.

Funding will initially be made available for two years, starting with the 2008-09 academic year, and will be directed through the University of Stirling to higher education institutions across Scotland to form the Winning Students network. Mark Batho, SFC chief executive, said: "In the same vein that Lottery funding has helped cycling become a very successful sport for Britain at the 2008 Olympics, we were keen to make this strategic investment to help make a difference to our student athletes who have a very strong change of excelling in their sport.

"This investment at the early stage of a student's education will ensure they have access to the dedicated facilities and support required to combine sport and education." Christine Hallett, principal of the University of Stirling, added: "We aim to develop a culture of winning by sharing world class sporting performance, education and research with Scotland's universities and colleges."

The second group of sports to be incorporated into the scheme will be decided by the Winning Students Advisory Board, while the full membership of the network is still to be determined.