Ollie Rudden
Deputy News Editor
The University of Glasgow is set to receive £2.2m for research projects through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). This money is part of a greater sum of £11.8m given to universities across Scotland.
GCRF is a £1.5b fund in the UK which is used to support ground-breaking research that aims to achieve new goals in helping countries in the developing world.
£11.8m has been given to the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), an increase of £2m from the 2017/18 academic year.
Since 2016, GCRF have funded as many as 400 projects, led by universities all over Scotland, which have involved collaborations with over 70 developing countries.
The University of Glasgow has led the way in projects such as eliminating human rabies in Kenya by optimising access to life-saving rabies post-exposure vaccines, and increasing social science capacity in non-communicable disease prevention in Tanzania. All four colleges of the University of Glasgow are entitled to take part in funded projects.
SFC Director of Research and Innovation, Dr Stuart Fancey, stated: “Our strategy to support Scotland’s world-leading research includes an ambition to increase the global reputation and standing of our universities, through international connections and collaborations.
“Scottish universities’ research is making a real difference to the lives of people in a number of developing nations. SFC is pleased to partner with BEIS and these universities to help GCRF funding support research that responds to needs and opportunities in those countries, contributing to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.”
Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, also commented on Scotland’s dedication to the Sustainable Development Goals stating: “The national and international dimensions to poverty and inequality are interlinked. Scotland cannot act with credibility overseas, if we are blind to inequality here at home. And our ambitions for a fairer Scotland are undermined, without global action to tackle poverty, promote prosperity and to tackle climate change.”
