Professor Keith Gull FMedSci, FRS, Panel Chair announces the launch of the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Networking Grants – a scheme which gives researchers from the UK and developing countries the opportunity to hold networking events to forge new links and generate new research ideas to address global challenges.
“The GCRF Networking Grants scheme will add a fantastic new dimension to the international work already being done by the four Academies. The interdisciplinary networks formed will allow the best researchers to tackle some of the biggest global challenges we currently face, including threats to the sustainability of natural resources, population growth and rapid urbanisation and supporting health around the world”
With global health challenges becoming an increasingly important research focus, the Academy of Medical Sciences is working closely with its partners to offer a number of funding schemes to promote and drive international collaboration. To date, the Newton Advanced Fellowships, Newton International Fellowships and Daniel Turnberg Travel Fellowships have granted 262 awards in 11 countries.
To build on this work, the Academy of Medical Sciences, the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society submitted a successful bid to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) GCRF Fund in 2016. This fund was launched as part of the government’s UK Official Development Assistance (ODA), which promotes economic development and welfare in developing countries.
This funding has allowed the academies to work with partners from developing countries to develop a programme of courses policy workshops and large scale international grant schemes to address global health challenges. The programme has been designed to promote international collaboration and interdisciplinary working.
The launch of the GCRF Networking Grants is another key element in the delivery of this programme, and the scheme is aimed at researchers in countries on the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list of ODA recipients who are looking to forge new international links and harness the expertise of UK based researchers. The scheme offers 1-year awards of up to £25,000 towards consumables, travel and subsistence costs and administrative costs to support the delivery of networking events aimed at pump-priming collaborations and generating new research ideas for addressing global challenges. We hope that successful applicants will build on these newly established networks to apply for larger GCRF programmes funded by the RCUK, national academies and other programmes such as the Wellcome Trust and Gates funded initiatives.
One of the Academy’s objectives is to develop research talent through funding and careers support, and potential applicants should note that the mentoring and support elements of the scheme will be offered to all applicants, not just those who secure funding. We look forward to working with you.
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