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Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Delivery costs of International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) ODA activities
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Operational costs occurred at Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) associated with hosting and/or managing ODA International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) programmes
Rice Straw Biogas Hub
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Rice is the number 1 food crop globally: 91% of it is produced and consumed in Asia and it is the staple for more than half the world's population. However, for every kilogram of rice we eat, a kilo of straw is also produced. Not to be confused with husks, which cover the grains and are taken to a mill, the stems and leaves of the rice plant are left in the fields after harvest. Rice straw is difficult to remove from paddy fields, which are often flooded and in remote areas. It is high in silica, making it a poor fuel or animal feed. It is also not suitable to incorporate into flooded rice fields due to slow degradation and high greenhouse gas emissions, so burning is farmers' main option for clearing fields. Across Asia, a staggering 300 million tonnes of rice straw go up in smoke every year, releasing a lethal cocktail of gases and black carbon that triple risks of increased respiratory diseases and accelerate climate change. Rice is responsible for 48% of global crop emissions: more CO2e than the whole global aviation industry combined. A recent IFPRI study calculated the health costs of crop residue burning to be $30 billion annually in North India alone, rising to $190 billion in five years. To address this crisis a British SME, Straw Innovations Ltd, was started in 2016 as a spin-out from pioneering international research on the subject. The company's founder, Craig Jamieson, assembled consortia and secured Energy Catalyst co-funding to establish an industrial pilot plant in the Philippines, collecting rice straw and fermenting it to produce clean-burning methane gas. The whole system had to be specially designed since no existing technologies were suitable for the purpose. The plant is now operational, with many techno-economic breakthroughs. Local farmers strongly support it and are waiting for scale-up so they can benefit from its efficient, clean energy services. Rice is known as a "Poverty Crop" because farmers often struggle to afford energy-intensive equipment that could improve their yields add value to their crop. Therefore, this project will demonstrate a complete system of 500ha harvesting, straw removal, biogas-powered rice drying and storage plus efficient milling. The "Rice Straw Biogas Hub" will offer these as affordable, value-adding commercial services to the rice farmers, avoiding their need to buy and maintain expensive equipment, and enabling them to triple incomes whilst protecting the environment.
PyroPower Africa Stage 2
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
PyroPower is a containerised 100 kW waste to energy technology developed by PyroGenesys and ICMEA-UK in Energy Catalyst Round 6 (ECR6). The conversion of agricultural waste to renewable electricity, process heat and biofuels simultaneously, underpins PyroPower's novel multi-revenue ability to provide reliable, affordable, renewable electricity in off-grid communities. Project partner Mobinet will facilitate access to formal banking services, microfinance and credit using their SIMPAY mobile banking platform. Proactive engagement and facilitation of women farmers and women-owned and run businesses, and wider engagement with disadvantaged groups to ensure they are included and their specific priorities and needs are being met, will be prioritised by all partners. ATMANCorp owns a 700 hectare cassava farm and flour mill in Oyo State and will host the PyroPower pilot along with a Micro Enterprise Park (MEP) and guarantee the supply of agricultural waste. The pilot will provide biofuel to a 250kva genset used to generate power for the factory and MEP and supply culinary-grade steam used for sterilising food processing lines in the factory. Aston University will build on their biofuel work with PyroGenesys in ECR7, to develop a continuous liquid biofuels process for producing diesel and kerosene. Manufacturing methods required to scale up the process for commercial production, will be developed by ICMEA-UK. Introduction of these liquid biofuels to the Nigerian market, in the form of renewable alternatives to diesel and kerosene, will be managed by Ardova PLC, a major Nigerian hydrocarbon reseller that supplies petroleum products to around 500 filling stations across the country. Within 5 years of project start, lessons from the pilot will inform the rollout of 100 commercial PyroPower installations across Ardova's filling station network. Deploying Mobinet's SIMPAY payment platform will support cashless electricity purchases made using featureless mobile handsets with no internet access in communities selected by Ardova to host commercial PyoPower installations. The export of solid biofuels in the form of solid smokeless biochar briquettes as a renewable alternative to coal, will be managed by PyroGenesys ECR7 partner Coal Products Limited (CPL).
Development of a HIGH Capacity FLEXible Energy Storage System for Mini-Grid Application in Sub-Sahara Africa (High ESS)
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This collaborative project will develop and demonstrate a new technology (HIGHFLEX) that consists of a high-capacity flexible energy storage systems (HIGHFLEX ESS) integrated with innovative Battery Management System (BMS); Power Conditioning Unit (PCU) and intelligent monitoring and performance management system (Digital Twin) for mini grid applications in hot climates. The new technology is a portable and scalable system that facilitates: Quick development of mini grids in SSA. Storage of high-capacity energy generated from clean power sources during peak hours for off-peak utilisation. Delivering reliable and affordable power system through innovative solutions e.g., Digital twin, second life battery, real-time performance management and heat control system. The project's vision is to rapidly accelerate access to affordable off-grid electricity from clean energy sources in SSA. The project taps into the expanding global mini grid markets to offer affordable energy access for social mobility and inclusion in SSA communities not served by main power grids. HIGHFLEX will facilitate steady supply of electricity to rural and unserved areas and reduce energy access gaps between rural and urban communities in SSA where inaccessibility to affordable electricity is one of the main drivers of poverty to over 600 million people. This project has chosen Nigeria as a case for deployment of HIGHFLEX technology because of its over 200 million population and majority of its rural population (48% of its total population) do not have access to affordable and low carbon electricity. The project addresses barrier (access to electricity) to adoption of advancements in healthcare system; developing new technologies for agriculture, commerce, education; and entrepreneurship. HIGHFLEX makes it possible to deliver low carbon electricity to unlock sustainable economic development in SSA communities. This will empower women and children to lead more productive lives and have a better wellbeing. This will in turn encourage gender equality by learning digital and modern skills, which gives girls and women equal access to education, healthcare and enterprise. Furthermore, access to clean energy via mini grid will reduce crime and social unrest, since majority of the population would be productively engaged (Bloomberg 2020). This will lead to improved human security and cohesive communities and societies driven by mutual objective for sustainable development. HIGHFLEX will accelerate access to affordable and low carbon clean energy from bio-diesel, solar and wind (SDG 7), which lower environmental impacts from continued use of diesel-powered generators in Nigeria (world's leading generator consumer) to combat climate change effects (SDG 13).
REACT Mid-stage - Renewable Energy Access for the Conversion of Tuk-tuks
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Following the successful early-stage project, this project aims to further develop the innovative technologies and business models that together will improve energy access to hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankan three-wheel tuk-tuk drivers. Tuk-tuk-drivers -- male and female - rely on their vehicles as an important source of income but currently lack access to energy which is affordable, reliable and carbon free. The project will convert internal combustion engine tuk-tuks to electricity and power them with clean and renewable solar energy. Tuk-tuks are the main light transport method in Sri Lanka and other adjacent countries such as India, Thailand and Indonesia - there are over 1.2 million tuk-tuks in Sri Lanka which generate considerable air pollution. The vast majority of these vehicles are powered by out-of-date two or four stroke petrol engines. In addition, the recent fuel price rise and severe supply instability has affected the tuktuk drivers' community who are subsisting on low-incomes. Following the innovative concept of tuktuk conversion and battery subscription scheme developed from the early-stage project, we aim to mature the user-centred technology and business model in this mid-stage project and address several technical and business challenges, to pave the way for successful exploitation. The design of the conversion kit including mechanical, electric and electronic components, will be reiterated and improved towards final products; long-term strategic suppliers will be identified and the partnership will be developed; partnerships with local garages and fuel stations (charge stations) will be developed; data will be collected and new business opportunities will be identified; training courses will be developed to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the vehicles. A large trial will be conducted to prove the concept and collect valuable data. The team will also work with the local authorities to promote the technologies and businesses. The Technology lead for the project is an industrial firm, Alta Vison (Pvt) Ltd (AVL) who have a rich experience in renewable energy system installation and operation, and energy storage system development. Another business partner Large Minority who has valuable experience and connection with end-users will join the team. They are supported by two academic partners with sound track records and knowledge in mechanical and electric system design, electric and hybrid vehicle research and development. The team has both a strong technological and business background, as well as good understanding of the local market and the policy landscape in Sri Lanka.
Islanded Wave Powered Microgrid Pilot for Remote Islands in Thailand
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This project is a building on and adding to our successful Energy Catalyst R8 early-stage project, demonstrating good feasibility of the proposed concepts in enhancing the efficiency of onshore wave energy converters (WECs) and developing advanced wave-powered microgrids (WPMG) in the selected remote islands of Thailand with limited or no grid access which currently use expensive, polluting diesel generators (DEGs) as the main supply. The unit cost of the electricity generated by WPMGs can be significantly reduced by advanced predictive optimal control strategies to improve the wave power output of the WECs in a range of sea states with state-of-the-art power electronic components and novel microgrid energy management systems (EMS). The EMS can significantly reduce the power conversion/distribution losses and use deep-learning-based algorithms to forecast the stochastic loads in varying weather and wave conditions. Moreover, the microgrid provides a reliable and secure source of electricity using distributed and remote EMS services. In this mid-stage project, we aim to systematically demonstrate the efficacies of the whole concept to pave the way for sea-trial testing validation at the final stage. The consortia will integrate all the key components into one hybrid system-level wave-to-wire (W2W) WPMG simulator to validate the functionalities of the microgrid efficiently and economically in various scenarios close to real sea conditions. The wave prediction will be enabled by the latest Radar-based technology to provide shutdown signals for detrimental waves and to increase the survivability of the WECs. We aim to increase the technology readiness level (TRL) of the proposed WPMG technologies to build up a stand-alone microgrid in the final stage. Overall, the project aims to provide inclusive community-based renewable energy (sensitive to gender equality and social inclusiveness) that addresses the lack of energy access in Thailand's remote and isolated islands and eventually in other SE Asia countries like the Philippines and Indonesia. The project consortia include key industrial players, including Aquatera, Hitachi Energy, Toshiba, EcoWavePower, and major universities QMUL, Manchester & Exeter, for successfully delivering the project objectives. Following our successful workshops in the early-stage project, we will hold further technical and training workshops for the technology transfer in the SE Asia region, especially for female professionals, to promote gender equality in the renewable energy sector.
ISPF Fund for Global Health Impact and Capacity Building
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Research Development Fellowship Programme to provide opportunities for talented health researchers based in Africa, so that they can lead research that is responsive to its African settings and can contribute to reducing the burden of disease. It aims to develop emerging African scientists through developing their skills, experience, confidence and research outputs.
Medical Research Council (MRC) Delivery costs of International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) ODA activities
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Operational costs occurred at Medical Research Council (MRC) associated with hosting and/or managing ODA International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) programmes.
UKRI South East Asia OHPP Networking Events
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
We are delivering networking events as a central component of the UKRI Southeast Asia programme on infectious diseases with epidemic and AMR potential. All networking events will be delivered in partnership with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the British Embassies.The networking events are a direct response to requests from funding partners in SEA, who emphasised the need to convene researchers from countries involved physically to increase connectivity, foster collaborations and maximise the impact of the activity. In addition to the added value for the funding opportunity, the networking event unlocks value in terms of strengthening relationships with funding partners, emphasising commitment to working on ODA and with partners in SEA.
Climate Science for Service Partnership (CSSP) Brazil - Calls- tender-UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Collaborative climate science research programme between Brazil and UK to improve understanding of recent climate changes and Brazil’s role in mitigation activities to inform international negotiations; to enhance projections of future weather and climate extremes and impacts to inform decision making and contribute to disaster risk reduction in Brazil. Research hydrological cycle responses to land-use change and climate change over Brazil
Climate Science for Service Partnership (WCSSP) South Africa - Calls- tender-UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Collaborative project between meteorological services in South Africa and UK focusing on capacity building for improved weather and climate services, enabling mitigation of risk from extreme weather events. Research into improving representation of Climate Variability and change over Africa by using Machine Learning as a tool for Data Rescue.
Weather and Climate Science for Service Partnership (WCSSP) India - Calls- tender-SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FACILITIES COUNCIL (STFC)
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
To undertake research on natural hazards in South Asian Monsoon system (both summer and winter); Improve capability of global coupled, regional convective scale (km) coupled and sub-km city-scale (300m) modelling frameworks to predict priority natural hazards over India. This is for 100TBAs storage on the JASMIN system to support scientists storing and sharing their outputs in order to carry out research for the weather and climate science to service partnership (WCSSP).
Weather and Climate Science for Service Partnership S E Asia (WCSSP) - Calls - tender - SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FACILITIES COUNCIL (STFC)
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Strengthened partnership between meteorological services in UK, Philippines, Malaysia Vietnam, and Indonesia. This is for 100TBAs storage on the JASMIN system to support scientists storing and sharing their outputs in order to carry out research for the weather and climate science to service partnership (WCSSP).
Weather and Climate Science for Service Partnership S E Asia (WCSSP) - Calls - tender - UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Strengthened partnership between meteorological services in UK, Philippines, Malaysia Vietnam, and Indonesia - research on understanding and evaluating convective processes over SE Asia.
Energy Makers Academy: A mobile learning platform for universities to train rural energy innovators
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The number of people without access to electricity in Africa dropped from almost 860 million in 2018 to 770 million in 2019 (IEA et al., 2021). However, without more sustained efforts, it is predicted that 650 million people will still live without access to electricity in 2030, despite universal access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable electricity by 2030 being a key Sustainable Development Goal (United Nations, 2015).
OpEx Delivery Costs
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Delivery costs in completing relavant GCRF/ODA activities
Climate Science for Service Partnership (CSSP) Brazil - Calls- tender-UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Collaborative climate science research programme between Brazilian and UK to improve understanding of recent climate changes and Brazil’s role in mitigation activities to inform international negotiations; to enhance projections of future weather and climate extremes and impacts to inform decision making and contribute to disaster risk reduction in Brazil. Research on Moisture Transport and Deforestation.
Climate Science for Service Partnership (CSSP) Brazil - Calls- tender-UNIVERSITY OF READING
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Collaborative climate science research programme between Brazil and UK to improve understanding of recent climate changes and Brazil’s role in mitigation activities to inform international negotiations; to enhance projections of future weather and climate extremes and impacts to inform decision making and contribute to disaster risk reduction in Brazil. Research into Sub-seasonal and seasonal predictions for advancing climate services in Brazil. Specifically this grant will support the development of communication materials to support partner uptake of programme outputs.
AI for Climate - calls - tender - UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Kilometre-Scale Simulations for Al Training - High-impact weather (HIW) events, such as heavy rain and consequent flooding and landslides, or drought, can be devastating to the livelihoods of local people and the economy of many countries in the tropics. The societal and economic impacts of HIW include loss of human life, damage to property, destruction of crops, loss of livestock, poor health, displacement of populations, loss of infrastructure, severe disruption to transportation from heavy rainfall, and the suspension of many economic activities (UNDRR, 2019, 2020a, 2020b, 2020c). Almost all HIW is expected to increase across the tropics and sub-tropics with ongoing climate change, affecting the poorest and most vulnerable. Improved projections of climate change in HIW aid adaptation, and motivate mitigation. However, in many tropical regions it is unclear whether regions will become wetter or drier (IPCC), limiting adaptation. UPSCALE will focus on the tropics, where moist convection dominates rainfall and is a primary source of heating to the tropical atmosphere, and where we can use the full model hierarchy including the cyclic-tropical-channel. The UPSCALE project will conduct research into (1) the evaluation of the newly developed Met Office Convection-Permitting Models (CPM) hierarchy of simulations, and (2) the development and application of novel process-based diagnostics and propose sensitivity experiments to understand the mechanisms of up and down scale interactions in the CPMs vs. current simulations with parametrised convection, focusing on the value of large pan-tropical domains. These activities will benefit weather forecasting and climate prediction, especially for the tropics/sub-tropics, including the development of machine learning-based predictions. The K-Scale simulations work package would exploit UK and international research in K-scale modelling with both developed (Australia, U.S.) and developing countries (India, S. Africa) to derive additional value from these high-resolution simulations as training data for AI data driven prediction systems that could then be exploited by partners. The resource would accelerate development and evaluation of the K-scale predictions and work with dataset curators/developers to ensure efficient workflows for ML applications. Initially the work will be on using research we are currently collaborating with partners on and deployment with in-country partners in subsequent years.
Climate Science for Service Partnership (CSSP) Brazil - Calls- tender-UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS WP3
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Constraining future projections of wildfire and air quality in Brazil This project will bring together and analyse data on fire, climate, air pollution and human health to improve our understanding of the climate and human drivers of wildfire and poor air quality across Brazil. We will use new understanding gained from analysis of historical fires to help constrain future model projections of wildfire and air quality in Brazil. We will provide new evidence of how fire and land management alongside other mitigations could reduce exposure to poor air quality. We will work to develop UK-Brazil collaborations on wildfire and air quality and ensure outputs from the research inform policy and decision making in Brazil.
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