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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.
Screen4SpLDs - Development of an Automated Pre-Screening Tool for Specific Learning Disabilities in Children.
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Specific Learning Disabilities (SpLDs) is a common term in today's society, which manifests in different ways and can cause various difficulties in daily life. For one person it might be the lack of attention, for another, it might be struggling to read fluently or conduct basic mathematical calculations; these are different groups of Learning Disabilities. Early detection and treatment of SpLDs are crucial, as it enables the start of interventions that support the best outcomes for children living with SLDs. Not addressing SLDs at a young age has a major influence on development into adulthood and results in a high economic cost, exceeding the lifetime costs of asthma, intellectual disability, and diabetes have a huge shortage of special educators to conduct SLDs screening and subsequently providing treatment post diagnosis. There are nearly 90% of the world's children reside in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The challenge of early detection and early intervention of SpLDs is exacerbated by limited expertise, including limited screening, diagnostic and treatment resources in LMICs. For instance, in the Global South, the skilled human resource and tools to assess SpLDs are very limited. Thus, these children are undiagnosed and negatively reinforced by the community by stigmatizing and labelling them. These factors all lead to low self-esteem and behavior problems that further interfere with their ability to learn. In vulnerable communities, which are often already poverty stricken, this operates as a vicious cycle, simply because optimal education is the main method of breaking this vicious cycle. We aim to target these developmental issues by developing and piloting low-cost mobile app-based solution for the screening of SpLDs that will lead to early intervention. Specific learning disorder may affect handwriting in a way that can be visually distinguished. The purpose of the proposed research is to evaluate the ability of deep learning to distinguish between those who have SpLDs and those who do not, from their handwriting. The proposed solution requires no more than taking a photo of the handwritten image on a mobile phone and passing it to the prediction model and getting the prediction results. Based on the proposed solution, the SpLDs screening can be conducted at home, in a school study area without any additional special setting. The important factors of this app are simplicity, ease of use, less training requirement, the accuracy of the results, and reliability. This app can serve from individual to national level for screening SpLDs in children. This will reduce the burden of the shortage of special educators, and this will be a huge relief for LMICs. This will, in general, reduce the inequalities faced by vulnerable and marginalized children, by providing an opportunity to receive optimal health and educational services. This will lead to the improvement of quality education received by ALL which in turn will contribute to wider societal improvements. In addition to the direct impact on the child, the spillover effects on the family and community development are significant. Further, creating an opportunity to screen a larger population will increase societal awareness of SpLDs and reduce the stigma
Mitigating presentation attacks in remote identity proofing (MIMER): Pakistan in Focus
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The shift towards digital channels for financial transactions due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in fraudulent financial transactions in low-middle-income countries like Pakistan due to weak remote identity proofing (RIDP) processes. The existing methods of verifying a person's identity through electronic means, such as facial recognition, can be easily deceived by advancements in artificial intelligence, such as deep fakes. These deep fakes are much more successful in bypassing the verification process than traditional methods. As a result, there is a lack of trust among users, particularly in countries like Pakistan, where cash is still widely used, in adopting mobile technologies for accessing banking services. This hinders the government's efforts to increase financial and digital inclusion for millions of underbanked individuals. The goal of the MIMER project is to develop a robust authentication method that can protect remote identity verification systems from emerging identity spoofing attacks. The objective is to create a mechanism that is specifically tailored to the conditions in Pakistan by creating detection models that are adapted to local language and other specific characteristics. The project will also focus on developing a framework for detecting audio and visual forgeries, making it resistant to antiforensics and multi-spoofing attacks, and well-suited for real-world scenarios. The project is aligned with various sustainable development goals and addresses the needs of the partner country, particularly by developing a secure and reliable remote identity verification system. This will lead to the creation of robust digital and financial services and decrease the risk of identity theft crimes. The research will be carried out through a seamless collaboration between The University of Glasgow, the University of Engineering and Technology Taxila, Pakistan, and an industrial partner, stech.ai. The focus of the project is to establish sustainable partnerships, network with policymakers within the UK and Pakistan, and co-create knowledge to address the challenges related to developing a secure and reliable remote identity verification system while working towards a common strategic theme of "building a secure and resilient world."
Academy of Medical Sciences - Global Policy Workshops - International Science Partnerships Fund
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
In accordance with the The Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, this scheme will seek to provide the UK with a strategic advantage, as it's intended that the networks/collaborations formed will be long-lasting, and will expedite the delivery of important research. The ODA funding, in particular, will facilitate the development of global science capability. However, it's hoped that all awards will contribute to tackling the global challenges, and within the scheme, there is a good chance of all priority themes being addressed. Opportunites such as this, which facilitate mobility, are powerful in terms of enhancing the UK's reputation, and contribute to the ambition for the UK to be a scientific superpower. The scheme has two funding streams: one for a selection of countries on the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list of Official Development Assistance (ODA) recipients, to include the Least Developed Countries. The grants will help to: Deliver important science that can only be fully realised by working internationally; tackle global challenges and develop future technologies; positioning UK researchers and innovators at the heart of global solutions; and strengthen the influence and connections of the UK Research and Development (R&D) community domestically and around the world. The awards would provide up to £25,000 over one year to support collaborations between priority ODA countries and/or Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the UK and to hold networking events aimed at addressing the priority themes identified for International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF). The scheme would be a vehicle for researchers from across the disciplines to forge new links and generate innovative transdisciplinary research ideas. It's envisaged that these new networks will then be better positioned to compete for more substantive grants offered by future funding initiatives. This programme will be working with the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society to offer Networking Grants funded through the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF). This will allow UK-based researchers and innovators to collaborate with international partners on multidisciplinary projects. Furthermore, it will help the UK and its partners to deliver bigger, better science than one country can do alone.
Academy of Medical Sciences - Networking Awards
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The awards would provide up to £25,000 over one year to support collaborations between priority ODA countries and/or LDCs and the UK and to hold networking events aimed at addressing the priority themes identified for ISPF. The scheme would be a vehicle for researchers from across the disciplines to forge new links and generate innovative transdisciplinary research ideas. It's envisaged that these new networks will then be better positioned to compete for more substantive grants offered by future funding initiatives.
Academy of Medical Sciences - International Career Development Programme -International Science Partnerships Fund
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This programme builds on the Academy's extensive experience of developing programmes to support UK researchers through mentoring, tailored training in leadership, entrepreneurship and research soft skills and cohort-building Drawing on our experience of the ODA capacity building workshops piloted in 2022 and on recommendations that will emerge from the clinical research capacity building project, the career development programme will focus on identifying and fostering global best practice in supporting and connecting emerging research leaders across the health sciences sector (clinical, non-clinical, industry). Topics discussed and resources will be developed around wider leadership and entrepreneurship training, building supportive cohorts and in the second year connecting our UK cohorts with international emerging leaders for to exchange knowledge, foster collaborations and extend networks within life sciences. This activity potentially stimulate additional research impact by supporting researchers to thrive in their careers through opportunities for training, mentorship and cohort building, and also influence practice in terms of developing ways to support research careers and sharing best practice between UK and other countries. In addition, strengthen research capacity in developing countries by raising awareness and helping with the implementation of career support programmes that are important for researchers to thrive and be supported in carrying out their research, and working in partnership with organisations in partner countries, sharing best practice and forming connections between researchers in the UK and partner countries will strengthen the perceptions of UK research leadership and as a leader in the area of career development support. As with the global policy workshops, the ODA regional workshops will be developed and hosted in the ODA-eligible partner country and all outputs will be targeted towards the ODA-eligible partner country or region.
Academy of Medical Sciences - Team Science Accelerator - International Science Partnerships Fund
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Currently termed ‘Team Science Accelerator Awards’, this funding will be available to previous recipients of the Academy's The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Networking scheme, who have a lead applicant based in one of the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) ODA-priority countries, or in a Least Developed Country. The awards will enable recipients to maintain their collaborative networks and to undertake related research projects – for which they may have obtained pilot data for during their initial GCRF Networking award. As the The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Networking scheme was ODA funded and designed to address the Global Challenges, the collaborations supported via Team Science Accelerator Awards shall also be ODA-eligible in nature.
Academy of Medical Sciences - Networking Awardees and Alumni - International Science Partnerships Fund
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This program aims to enhance global scientific collaboration by building and expanding a network of International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) awardees and alumni. By leveraging investments made under the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and Newton programs, this initiative will create valuable resources and tools on dedicated awardee and alumni portals, PILLAR and HIVE. We will facilitate online and hybrid meetings, along with in-person events, focusing on key thematic priorities such as 'Tomorrow's Talent' and 'Healthy Populations'. Through these activities, we will foster peer support, encourage new collaborations, and promote applications for further funding. Our approach is designed to align with Official Development Assistance (ODA) eligibility criteria by addressing global challenges, advancing scientific capabilities, and promoting sustainable development. By creating multi-lateral partnerships, we provide opportunities for scientific development and global issue resolution through interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary methods.
Academy of Medical Sciences - Clinical Research Pathways Policy - International Science Partnerships Fund
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This project would work with a cohort of partners across high-, middle-, and low-income countries, to understand the pipeline for clinical researchers in each country. This could also support the global mobility of UK clinical researchers and develop the most promising talent internationally for them to collaborate with. Scoping activities to inform the development of the clinical research pathways project. This will formulate final aims,objectives and structure of the project before evidence gathering and delivery. This project will explore clinical research pathways in ODA eligible countries to understand the pipeline for clinical researchers in each country; identify key stages in the development pathway to support clinical researchers; provide ideas for further improving and target key stages in the career pathway to ensure diverse researchers continue on and contribute to excellent clinical research. This project is broad in scope and so would meet all five of the strategic objectives of the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF). Specifically it would develop international research partnerships to influence policy, innovation and practice change through recommendations developed by this project. It would also recommend ways for all countries to develop pathways to support clinical researchers, thus helping to build research capacity in-country. To inform the direction and focus of the clinical research pathways project, engaging with global stakeholders (particularly in the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) priority countries) to identify gaps, challenges and areas for the project to take forwards.
Academy of Medical Sciences - ODA Delivery Costs - International Science Partnerships Fund
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
These are the operational costs required by the Academy of Medical Sciences to deliver International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF). It manages Grants, Policy and Programmes activities all aimed at supporting international researchers to establish and develop collaborative partnerships with UK researchers.
Academy of Medical Sciences - International Career Development Programme -International Science Partnerships Fund (FY25/26 onwards)
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This programme builds on the Academy's extensive experience of developing programmes to support UK researchers through mentoring, tailored training in leadership, entrepreneurship and research soft skills and cohort-building Drawing on our experience of the ODA capacity building workshops piloted in 2022 and on recommendations that will emerge from the clinical research capacity building project, the career development programme will focus on identifying and fostering global best practice in supporting and connecting emerging research leaders across the health sciences sector (clinical, non-clinical, industry). Topics discussed and resources will be developed around wider leadership and entrepreneurship training, building supportive cohorts and in the second year connecting our UK cohorts with international emerging leaders for to exchange knowledge, foster collaborations and extend networks within life sciences. This activity potentially stimulate additional research impact by supporting researchers to thrive in their careers through opportunities for training, mentorship and cohort building, and also influence practice in terms of developing ways to support research careers and sharing best practice between UK and other countries. In addition, strengthen research capacity in developing countries by raising awareness and helping with the implementation of career support programmes that are important for researchers to thrive and be supported in carrying out their research, and working in partnership with organisations in partner countries, sharing best practice and forming connections between researchers in the UK and partner countries will strengthen the perceptions of UK research leadership and as a leader in the area of career development support. As with the global policy workshops, the ODA regional workshops will be developed and hosted in the ODA-eligible partner country and all outputs will be targeted towards the ODA-eligible partner country or region.
British Academy Newton Fund Delivery Costs
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Programme delivery and administrative costs for British Academy ODA programmes under the Newton Fund.
British Academy - ODA International Interdisciplinary Research Projects -International Science Partnerships Fund
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This funding initiative aims to foster international collaborations between early career researchers in the UK and their counterparts in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam, and Least Developed Countries. By focusing on interdisciplinary research in the humanities and social sciences that is ODA-eligible, the program seeks to address global challenges through problem-focused, creatively innovative, and exploratory research. Projects should leverage diverse disciplinary perspectives for maximum impact, aligning with the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) thematic priorities. This activity, led by the British Academy with significant financial contributions from the Israel Science Foundation and the University of Virginia, and potential support from the Volkswagen Foundation, aims to support award-level partnerships across multiple countries. The Academy's goal is to enable equitable research partnerships that deliver excellence in understanding key global challenges. The flexible and scalable nature of the funding ensures it can support a wide range of partnerships, emphasizing the inclusion of at least one ISPF priority country in each project. This approach ensures that the research not only advances academic knowledge but also addresses the broader goals of international development and cooperation, fulfilling the primary objective of ODA to promote the economic development and welfare of developing countries.
British Academy - International Writing Workshops - International Science Partnerships Fund
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This activity brings together researchers from the priority countries, LDCs and the UK, journal editors and early career researchers in LDCs and priority countries in order to: support the development of early career academics with promise; promote uptake of Global South research in journals; and increase scholarly interaction between UK and researchers in LDCs and the priority countries. In advancing their careers, early career researchers from LDCs and priority countries are encouraged, supported and mentored in: developing competitive research publications in the humanities and social sciences; drafting grant applications; and building networks and connections with and beyond the UK. This also helps to develop mentoring and support networks that live long after the awards themselves. The call will require applicants to focus their awards on and with partners in LDCs and/or ODA ISPF priority countries.
British Academy - Global Innovation Fellowships (ODA) -International Science Partnerships Fund
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The objective of the fellowships is to embed early- and mid-career researchers to develop their skills, networks and careers in the creative and cultural, public, private and policy sectors in ISPF’s priority countries and LDCs to address challenges that require innovative approaches and solutions. This will help create new and deeper links beyond academia, so enabling knowledge mobilisation and translation, as well as individual skills development. The aim is to have a beneficial partnership between the award holder and the selected organisation in South Africa, Brazil, Egypt, Jakarta, Ethiopia, Dominican Republic of Congo, Türkiye, Nepal, Kenya, Lesotho, Indonesia, Yemen, Zambia, Jordan, and Uganda, with each able to take advantage of fresh perspectives and expand their networks and reach. Only research that has a primary objective which is directly and primarily relevant to the problems of developing countries may be counted as ODA. Applicants are required to demonstrate that the proposal is ODA eligible. ODA eligibility is an essential criterion –projects will only be deemed eligible for funding if they can demonstrate that they satisfy ODA eligibility criteria.
British Academy - Challenge-oriented Research Grants -International Science Partnerships Fund
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This program serves as a dynamic platform for researchers in the humanities and social sciences to establish equitable partnerships, empowering them to initiate projects that pursue research excellence and significant development impact. Aligned with the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF)'s thematic priorities, the program adopts a problem-focused approach to foster creativity, innovation, and interdisciplinary exploration for maximum influence. To meet the primary goal of Official Development Assistance (ODA) purposes, the program mandates that applications include collaborations with researchers from least developed countries (LDCs) and/or ODA priority countries. By leveraging the Academy's existing ODA programs and prior learnings, the initiative ensures that funded projects address essential local, national, or regional challenges, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The program champions equitable partnerships, co-creation, and co-production of research, engaging researchers, policymakers, and communities throughout the research design, process, and outcomes. This collaborative approach ensures that the knowledge generated delivers socio-economic benefits to the primary focus countries, which include Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam, and/or LDCs. By supporting proposals in critical areas such as antimicrobial resistance, climate action, pandemic preparedness, responsible technologies, and social determinants of health, the program aims to foster impactful research that addresses pressing global challenges and drives sustainable development.
British Academy - Knowledge Systems Strengthening & Equitable Partnerships -International Science Partnerships Fund
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The British Academy's programme delivery activities for Knowledge Systems Strengthening and Equitable Partnerships adopt a comprehensive approach to enhancing research capacities in International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) priority countries and least developed countries (LDCs). This initiative aligns with the primary goals of Official Development Assistance (ODA) by fostering sustainable development and reducing poverty through knowledge enhancement and equitable collaboration. A cornerstone of this programme is the Equitable Partnerships Charter & Programme, which strives to operationalize the Africa Charter on Transformative Research Collaborations. By turning the Charter's principles into actionable steps, the initiative promotes fair and effective research partnerships via workshops and collaborations with UK partner organizations. The Knowledge Systems Strengthening component of the programme focuses on empowering institutions, community networks, and individual researchers through targeted funding. This support addresses organizational barriers to research, enhancing institutional capacity and fostering resilient research ecosystems. To further bridge the gap between research and policy, the Evidence Use in Policymaking Skills Development Grants equip researchers and institutions with the skills to effectively influence policymaking. These grants improve their understanding of policy processes and strategies for presenting evidence, thereby amplifying their impact on policy decisions. Lastly, the Research Office Skills Development & Collaboration Grants aim to fortify the research management capabilities of institutions in ISPF priority countries and LDCs. By encouraging partnerships with UK-based organizations, these grants foster sustainable research environments, ensuring long-term benefits and advancements in research capacity. Through these multifaceted efforts, the programme significantly contributes to the ODA objectives of promoting sustainable development and reducing poverty by building robust, equitable, and impactful research systems in developing regions.
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