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British Academy Agile Response to Emergencies - Researchers at Risk Fellowships
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The Researchers at Risk Fellowships Programme is being delivered by the British Academy on behalf of UK National Academies and in partnership with the Council for At-Risk Academics (Cara). The Fellowships will support researchers at risk to continue their research in the UK for up to two years. The programme is receiving £3 million of funding from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), plus £8.88m from transition funding as the Global Challenges Research Fund closes and the new BEIS fund starts. The Nuffield Foundation, an independent charitable trust, is contributing £0.5 million towards the scheme.
GLOBALSEAWEED PROTECT: conserve, improve, innovate, manage and empower for a resilient seaweed aquaculture industry
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The global seaweed industry is the fastest growing aquaculture sector contributing half of global marine production. Southeast Asia, notably Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, is the largest producer of red seaweeds that produce carrageenan, a hydrocolloid used in foods, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, worth c. US$14.7 billion and supporting over 1 million livelihoods there. Seaweeds, a low trophic crop, are of huge benefit to Southeast Asia, and unlike finfish/shrimp aquaculture, contribute to enhancing biodiversity. Demand for carrageenan is surging, but seaweed production systems in this region are massively challenged by the lack of genetic diversity, making them vulnerable to pests and diseases. This is compounded by climate change, which is also devastating wild seaweeds and habitats, the source of new cultivars on which the seaweed industry depends. These challenges threatening crop health, the wider environment and the livelihoods of the communities that rely on this industry for income. GLOBALSEAWEED-PROTECT aims to achieve a productive seaweed industry in Southeast Asia by taking a One Health approach. This will ensure that production systems are resilient to climate change, crops are healthy by preventing the introduction and spread of pests and disease, wild seaweed biodiversity and the wider environment are protected and enhanced, improving the long-term livelihoods of farmers and their communities, and providing a model for the rest of the world. The objectives, developed with our partners in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, are to build capability and capacity in and between countries in i) research innovation, ii) development of resilient crops, (iii) implementation of biosecurity management strategies and tool kits for improving seaweed health, and (iv) engagement with local communities, researchers, governments, industry and NGOs through ‘Sharing Best Practice’ workshops. These objective will be realised through four Work Packages: WP1: Sustain resilient and viable seaweed production systems. WP2: Improve resilience of cultivars to climate change and pest and diseases. WP3: Adapt and build seaweed aquaculture systems that reduce losses of production due to disease, while also improving the health of the commercial crop and the wider aquatic environment. WP4: Empower local solutions to ensure viable and resilient seaweed production systems. The outcomes of new methodologies and knowledge generated from developing climate-resilient seaweed cultivars and how these temperature-resilient cultivars adapt to climate change will have far-reaching applications and benefits for seaweed farming throughout Southeast Asia and beyond. Understanding wild and farmed biodiversity and how seaweed farming and help seaweed-habitat restoration and the wider environment will strengthen production systems and, therefore, be of value to seaweed farmers. Implementing a Global Seaweed Protection Strategy will optimise seaweed health, the ecosystems supporting them, communities reliant on these crops and of value to policy makers. Introducing a Progressive Management Pathway for Improving Aquaculture Biosecurity (PMP/AB), trialling innovative early warning pests and diseases detection methodologies, and working with local communities to achieve a more reliable economy through e.g., crop diversification, will also improve production system health and thus livelihoods. This project will also contribute to the UK Government’s International Development Strategy to re-energise the UN Sustainable Development Goals, notably No Poverty, No Hunger, Gender Equality, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Reduced Inequality, Climate Action, and Life Below Water. Through our collaborations and further development of research networks our proposal will, therefore, have a legacy of cooperation well beyond the lifetime of the funding.
Cumulative costs of the delivery of ODA-eligible activities developed and realised for Global Challenges Research Fund
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The activities developed for the Global Challenges Research Fund and approved as promoting the overall ODA commitment of HMG, have been delivered by the appropriate BBSRC teams (including the Research and Innovation Funding Delivery Team sitting within the Capability & Innovation Domain). During the delivery stage, the plan set out in the commissioning stage is implemented, subject to any changes required as part of the commissioning process. The responsible teams support our external communications, call documentation, peer review/panel processes, and funding decisions cross a broad range of strategic and responsive funding mechanisms, and have been instrumental for the success of the Global Challenges Research Fund activities.
BBSRC ISPF delivery costs of ODA eligible activities
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Operational costs occured at BBSRC associated with hosting and/or managing ODA ISPF programmes
Delivery costs of ODA eligible activities
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Delivery costs of ODA eligible activities funded (4%) through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF)
Lost Souls, White Bowls: Documenting Vietnamese femicide through research, film and participatory ceramic art
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This project will show how social scientists, documentary filmmakers, artists and activists can collaborate to address intimate partner femicide in Vietnam. Together the project will produce world-class research, documentary film and interactive installation art (employing traditional Vietnamese ceramics). Project aims are to improve intimate partner femicide reporting and inspire Vietnamese audiences to reflect on gender-based violence and act to end it. Vietnam will directly benefit from this proposal, as it has a strong commitment to gender equity and against violence of women, in line with its socialist ideology. Vietnam has signed relevant UN treaties and resolutions on gender equity and gender-based violence (GBV) and recognises GBV as an ideological and economic concern.
Using arts-based approaches to tackle gender-based and racialised violence in the context of crises and extractivism in Esmeraldas, Ecuador
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This project brings together researchers from Northumbria University (UK), Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador), and the Mujeres de Asfalto Collective (a Black feminist community arts organisation based in Esmeraldas), alongside project partners from across Esmeraldas who are committed to tackling GBV (Union Nacional de Mujeres del Ecuador; Miradas Negras; AMATIF; GAD Timbire; Manglar), and Roots and Wings non-profit design agency (UK). Working with an existing cohort of Black/Afro women peer researchers, the project will develop nuanced understandings of GBV from a Black feminist perspective, using participatory mapping, body mapping, and photovoice. Eliminating GBV is essential for enhancing the life chances of Black/Afro women and girls, and for equitable economic development in Esmeraldas. The proposed research represents an urgent contribution to women's empowerment and anti-racism initiatives, supporting Ecuador's efforts towards achieving the SDGs.
Hitting the ground: an international arts-led transdisciplinary partnership to address GBV in food systems through a body/story/environment approach
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
"This project will facilitate a new policy, research and practice agenda to address GBV and contribute to building food systems that are safe, dignifying and empowering. The project focuses on women workers who occupy precarious positions within the food system, particularly, but not limited to, the Global South. They will establish an arts-led international and transdisciplinary research partnership to co-create an innovative new methodology - ‘body/story/environment’ - to increase understanding and prevention of GBV in food systems from women’s intersectional and embodied perspectives. The countries Colombia and Nigeria will directly benefit from this proposal and are the countries on the 2023 DAC list, which is a list valid for 3 years and thus confirming ODA eligibility for the duration of the research. The proposal is directly and primarily relevant to the development challenges of both countries. While explicit evidence linked GBV to food systems is lacking globally, the team’s contextual knowledge supports the importance of addressing violence in these areas.
Decentering ableism in gender based violence (GBV) research using co-creative arts-based approaches
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This project will research GBV against PWD in KwaZulu Natal (KZN) in South Africa (SA) using survivor and disabilities-centred methods. SA was selected as it has one of the highest levels of GBV outside war zones, and KZN-province is where this violence is most endemic. GBV affecting PWD in SA is particularly acute due to racial injustice, deepened inequality, and marginalisation, all exacerbated by COVID-19.
Infertility and Assisted Reproduction as violent experiences for Women in Bangladesh: Arts-based Intervention to Address GBV (Arts for I-ARTs)
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This project aims to redefine the understanding of what constitutes violence in the cultural context of Bangladesh and frame it within the domain of reproductive justice. Given the deep social and cultural silence around this topic, the project is timely and needed. It proposes evidence-based, culturally sensitive art interventions co-developed with women who have experienced infertility and undergone ART treatment. The interventions will include art therapy, theatre performances, documentary films, and art exhibitions utilizing the products of art therapy and media narratives of ARTs to capture the (un)intentional GBV perpetuation. Bangladesh is in the DAC list of ODA Recipients document as a ‘least developed country’ and will directly benefit through our research. The main development challenges for Bangladesh are sustaining positive economic growth and accelerating poverty reduction.
Migrants, Queenmothers, and Gender-Based Violence in Ghana
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
"This project is on the prevention of and responses to GBV within migrant communities in Ghana. They will employ narrative methodology to study the help- and justice-seeking behaviours of female Nigerian immigrants in response to two forms of GBV – intimate partner violence (IPV) and non-partner perpetrated sexual violence. The team will then use applied theatre and educational illustrated stories (comics) to raise awareness of how survivors can access services and justice and how their host community and female traditional leaders – ‘queenmothers’ – can assist them. Ghana and Nigeria will be primary beneficiaries of the outcomes of this project. These interventions are expected to contribute to behavioural change and the strengthening of the capacity of informal institutions in dealing with GBV, and consequently reduce its prevalence. The outcome will also promote poverty reduction (SDG goal 1), good health and well-being (SDG goal 3), gender equality (SDG goal 5), reduced inequalities (SDG goal 10), and finally, promote peaceful societies for sustainable development (SDG goal 16).
Youth wellbeing, healthy relationships and GBV prevention in Tanzania
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This participatory action research project will work with young people aged 18-25 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to explore the links between emotional wellbeing, relationship quality and perpetration and experience of gender-based violence (GBV). Recent data demonstrates that rates of GBV in Tanzania remain high, including among young people. GBV takes place in the home, in schools, universities, workplaces and the streets, and increasingly online. This research is therefore directly relevant to the challenges faced by Tanzania and the priorities of the current Tanzanian government, as well as the UK’s support to Tanzania. The project will engage directly with young people and practitioners that work with youth and on mental health and GBV, with a view to better understanding the links between these social issues and then designing an intervention to address them.
Developing an Art-Based Public Engagement and Advocacy Model for Transforming Social Norms on Gender-Based Violence in the Andean Region (ARTS-CHANGE)
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
ARTS-CHANGE reviews the existing evidence on gender based violence (GBV), learns from the experiences of the victims across the gender spectrum, co-develops new research, and co-creates art-based interventions to curb GVB and capacitate care and advocacy. By addressing empowerment, social norms, social cohesion, and transforming the lives of local communities and vulnerable populations the project aims to support these four countries in combating GBV not only in the post-COVID-19 and beyond. The project aligns directly with the UNs SDG 3 (ensuring health and well-being for all) and SDG 16 (promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development). Research is focused on four countries - Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia- that are connected via Andean mountains and form the Andean group of countries.
INIFIRES: Challenging Intimate Partner Violence Among Young People in Formal and Informal Relationships in Uganda
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
"The project will conduct participatory research with key community stakeholders and young people to inform the development of a co-created game-based intervention to tackle IPV among young people in Uganda. This will be achieved by: Determining the prevalence of IPV among young people in formal and informal relationships in conflict-affected and peaceful regions. Examining the potential risk factors for, drivers and facilitators of IPV among young people and ascertaining whether these differ based on the conflict status of the region or the formal/informal status of the relationship. Exploring the impacts of IPV on victims in the different Ugandan contexts . Co-creating, with young people, community partners and IPV researchers, a prosocial gaming intervention for young people and associated media presence, to address and prevent IPV and to encourage help-seeking for those affected. INIFIRES is ODA compliant because it focuses on the empowerment and transformation of the lives of young people in Uganda.
Developing innovative arts-based approaches to prevent gender-based violence through feminist activism among youth in the favelas of Brazil
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
"This project develops an innovative translational arts-based approach to prevent GBV in Brazil and creates engagement and policy pathways that can be scaled-up transnationally. Drawing on established successful international collaborations, it will be conducted in the favelas of Maré in Rio de Janeiro with Redes da Maré (Redes) (a community-based human rights NGO), together with People’s Palace Projects (an arts centre using creativity for transformation - PPP) and Women of the World Foundation (a global movement creating a gender equal world – WOW). Through exploring ways to address and prevent GBV in Brazil, one of the main factors undermining sustainable development is addressed illustrating that this project is directly and primarily relevant to the addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Brazil. More specifically, SDG 5 on achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls is at the core of this project. It directly addresses target 5.1 ‘End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere’ and Target 5.2 ‘Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres’. The project also addresses SDG 11 on making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, especially in relation to the importance of making public spaces safe for everyone (Indicator 11.7.2)
Envisioning Vulnerability and Safety Otherwise: Artivist knowledge on gender-based violence in Mexico
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
"This project uses participatory, arts-based research methods to build knowledge in collaboration with a diverse collection of artivists working against GBV. We do this in pursuit of two specific but interlocking aims. First, we will produce new insights into the diversity of experiences of GBV, and into everyday resistance strategies. This will include recognition of the specific vulnerabilities that anti-GBV activists experience in Mexico, where their work often puts them at risk of violence. Second, explore artivism’s power to break the mould of dominant ways of thinking about GBV, and to imagine new possibilities for understanding and generating safety outside of the limiting criminal justice frameworks provided by the state. By addressing the limitations of the current state-focused approach in Mexico, this project aims to create new ways of addressing GBV that can be implemented in multiple contexts, and therefore contribute to sustainable development in Mexico.
NeuReader: Eye Tracking Enabled Explainable-AI for Empowering Resource Scarce Neurological Healthcare in Pakistan
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Neurological disorders place a significant burden on the healthcare system of Pakistan where only a handful of trained neurologists are available to serve a population of 231 million people. More than 60% of Pakistan's population resides in rural areas where healthcare is provided via basic health units (BHU) and rural health centres (RHC) which are run by junior doctors or nursing staff. These facilities do not have the manpower or resources to provide any neurological care. The aim of project NeuReader is to develop a system that helps improve the provision of neurological care to patients in Pakistan. Neurological health will be monitored using electroencephalograms (EEG) which measure the brain's electrical activity via electrodes placed on the scalp. NeuReader will leverage Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing to read EEG data, diagnose neurological disorders, and provide a report explaining the problem. Simple diagnostic decisions with no explanation are not very helpful as junior medical staff administering the tests at BHUs or RHCs would also need help to increase patient awareness about their health condition. A better understanding of the diagnosis will also allow patients and their families make informed decisions about travelling to hospitals in urban areas to seek further assistance since that entails substantial travel and lodging expenses. The explainability features of NeuReader will also help neurologists (connected remotely to the system) prioritise patients based on the gravity of their conditions. Building such a system requires overcoming several technical challenges. The performance of AI systems is highly dependent on the amount and quality of data available for training them. Two types of data will be used for training: (1) EEG recordings with doctor's reports summarising them in words (2) Locations of abnormalities spotted within an EEG recording. Doctor reports will be written by neurologists during data collection. Labelling of locations of abnormalities within EEG recordings is time consuming and laborious. An EEG recording may consist of several minutes/ hours of data with abnormalities lasting only a few seconds and spread out across different locations within the recording. To avoid investing hundreds of hours labelling EEG records, eye tracking will be used to record locations of neurologist gaze patterns on a computer screen as they examine EEG data in their routine practice. These eye gaze patterns will then be used to promptly generate labels of events saving hours of highly valuable neurologist time. The recorded labels will be used to train AI algorithms that can automatically spot events of interest which can then be used to generate a text report that can be used by junior doctors and nursing staff at BHUs or RHCs to assist patients suspected of suffering from neurological disorders. A significant time will be dedicated to field studies designed to assess the needs of patients and doctors who will be the end users of this systems. The learn outcomes of these field studies will be incorporated into the final design to maximise on ground impact.
A Socio-technical Study of Electricity Demand, Efficiency and Flexibility in the Urban Housing Sector of Burkina Faso
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Universal access to a secure electricity supply is essential for the economic development and welfare of the population of Burkina Faso. Rapid urbanisation and an increased use of air conditioning (AC) has led to an 8.4% annual increase in the country's electricity demand since 2010. The nation's generation capacity is unable to keep up, resulting in frequent power outages, and a 45% dependence on energy imports creating high and volatile costs for consumers. An uninterrupted and affordable electricity supply would increase household incomes; improve education of children; save time and money collecting alternative fuels, particularly for women; improve the productivity of businesses; and accelerate the installation of new electricity connections. These direct benefits would reduce current rates of social and economic poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and emigration in the country. Upgrading the country's electricity generation and supply system is a long-term challenge, but in the short-term, our project partners, the Government of Burkina Faso and national electricity utility, SONABEL, believe the implementation of demand side management (DSM) programmes (electricity efficiency and flexibility) in the housing sector (which accounts for 33% of national electricity use) would better balance supply and demand and unlock these beneficial development outcomes. The Government has also committed to reduce electricity demand and improve energy efficiency in homes to cut Green House Gas emissions and help mitigate the effects of climate change, a phenomenon that disproportionately effects the Sahel region where Burkina Faso is located and is itself further exacerbating electricity demand as households are increasingly using AC to stay cool. However, at present, there is almost no data on household electricity demand, efficiency or flexibility in Burkina Faso for a successful, evidence based implementation of DSM. The aims and objectives of this research and partnership building project will address this substantial gap in knowledge. The project has been developed collaboratively with the Government of Burkina Faso and SONABEL to ensure the research delivers the data and evidence they need. For the direct research, a socio-technical residential electricity study will be undertaken with 100 households in Ouagadougou. Field measurements of electricity demands and internal temperatures of homes will provide empirical insights into households' electricity load profiles, use of AC, time-of-use and peak loads. An efficiency and flexibility survey will be completed to understand households' current practices and opportunities for improving energy efficiency at home, as well as identifying load shifting and curtailment actions that households would be willing to implement to prevent power outages. Diversity in responses due to the socio-technical characteristics of the households and dwellings will be studied. Simultaneously a range of partnership building activities (e.g. research visits, project meetings, workshops, mini conference) will be undertaken. These are tailored to the stage of the project programme to either inform the delivery of the direct research or form a platform for discussion, dissemination and impact generation of the research findings. An international network of 6 Universities will be created where future research on energy and development challenges in Burkina Faso and other African countries will stem. The network will also act as a platform for ongoing mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and skills. To deliver development impact within the project's life time, workshops with the Government and SONABEL will turn the research findings into evidence based recommendations to inform future policy and DSM programmes. Project partner GGGI will use their extensive network, to engage wider stakeholders and beneficiaries, so a range of routes to impact are achieved.
Building Disaster Resilience to Seismic Hazards in Uganda
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Uganda is situated between the Eastern and Western branches of the East African Rift system and is prone to moderate level seismicity causing several destructive events in the past. Currently, seismic risk in Uganda is increasing at a fast pace due to high population growth, rapid urbanisation and vulnerable building stock caused by lack of building regulations and expertise for designing and constructing earthquake resistant structures. Therefore, there is an urgent need (i) to characterise seismic hazard (including earthquake induces landslides) using new methods, (ii) to categorise structural systems of residential building stock, (iii) to determine the location and distribution of different building categories realistically at national level, (iv) to assess their expected performances, (v) to determine seismic risk, and (vi) to develop risk reduction and management strategies. However, assessment and management of seismic risks in Uganda is a big challenge due to limited data availability, lack of expertise and insufficient resources. This project brings together a partnership of researchers from the University of Sheffield in the UK, and Makerere and Kyambogo Universities in Uganda, for the first time, to address the challenge faced by Uganda. The assembled research team will work towards the achievement of ambitious objectives of the project in close collaboration to reduce future earthquake related loses and develop more resilient communities in Uganda against seismic events. The project team will actively engage with governmental and non-governmental agencies in Uganda (such as National Bureau of Standards, National Building Review Board, Engineers Registration Board, Institution of Professional Engineers) to understand needs within the country, disseminate project outputs widely and maximise impact. Meetings with key policy makers will be held to examine potential areas for future development of the Seismic Design Code and risk management tools, to discuss barriers to change, and to develop proposals for change. Presentations to local communities will also be carried out to understand their current awareness of seismic risk and mitigation measures and to gather feedback on the accessibility and acceptability of the proposed changes and developed tools. The project will also train next generation of researchers, academics, practitioners, engineers, PhD and MSc students in Uganda by organising free online courses to equip them with necessary knowledge and skills in the fields of seismic design, vulnerability, risk and resilience.
SMART-H: SMART-Health-care facilities towards resilient, green, and sustainable medical systems.
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
SMART-H is the first step towards establishing SMART (e.g., resilient, sustainable, and green) Health-care facilities in Malawi and ensure continuity of operations of critical services before, during and after disasters and health crises to promote better community health and provide better services for patients and staff. A novel roadmap for stakeholders will be implemented to assess the adequacy of existing healthcare facilities and establish the selection criteria to identify those facilities eligible for mitigation strategies. It will provide an informed pathway on how government, business and society should intervene to prepare medical facilities to meet global standards and respond to disruptive events. The novel concept of this research consists of creating an integrated analysis framework to i) assess multi-hazards by probabilistic analyses, ii) identify medical baselines (e.g., health-care building types with similar structural and architectural features) on a variety of parameters collected through field investigations, iii) develop dynamic structural and thermal models to assess the physical and energy performance, and estimate direct and indirect losses and health and wellbeing of people associated with disasters driven by climate change for prioritising vulnerable baselines, iv) recommend mitigation strategies and optimize them using life-cycle approaches to reduce CO2 and improve energy efficiency, and v) produce cost-benefit analyses to plan mitigation investments for reducing future impact from multi-hazard-risks and health crises. This work will deliver a dataset, which will encourage stakeholders to take risk-informed and inclusive decisions at local, regional, and national level and promote medical facility renovations. The results will demonstrate that multi-disciplinary research is crucial to prioritise the extent and nature of repair of medical facilities. Depending on the policymakers' primary concerns different pathways should be considered to improve multi-hazard preparedness and response to health emergencies and disasters. To maximise the impact of the proposed research, a workshop in Malawi will be delivered to illustrate the potential of the proposed strategies amongst policy makers and industries operating in health emergency planning and response. This will create additional drive across sectors for financial initiatives and alternatives for inclusive healthcare. Dissemination of the research will be through publications in high profile journals and key conferences in this field.
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