The Seedcorn Fund is an annual open call, with around £30k of funding from generous gifts and donations to the Cabot Institute. Projects supported must demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach and reflect Cabot’s research focus on protecting our environment and identifying ways of living better with our changing planet. 

This year we are delighted to support the following six projects for 2023/24:

Voices of Amazonia: knowledge co-production to enhance environmental policy and practices

Investigators: Dr Filipe Machado França (School of Biological Sciences); Dr James Palmer (School of Geographical Sciences); Dr James Ferreira Moura Junior (School of Biological Sciences); Professor Sabina Ribeiro (Federal University of Acre, Brazil); Professor Fernando Schimidt (Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Goiás); Professor Leandro Juen (Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil); Professor Thaísa Michelan (Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil); Professor Juliana Schietti  (Federal University of Amazona, Brazil); Professor Fabrício Baccaro (Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Brazil); Dr Rafaella Maciel (Federal University of Lavras, Brazil); Dr Lis Stegmann (Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Brasil) 

Understanding urban neighbourhood microclimates in an era of global climate change 

Investigators: Dr James Duminy (School of Geographical Sciences); Dr Rodolfo Bezerra Nóbrega (School of Geographical Sciences); Dr Martin De Kauwe (School of Biological Sciences) 

A democratic listening circle for just transition in Bristol 

Investigators: Dr Emilia Melville (School of Computer Science); Dr Jack Nicholls (School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies) 

Structured porous breakwaters to protect UK coastlines from the effects of climate change 

Investigators: Dr Elias Arcondoulis (School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering); Professor Andrew Hogg (School of Mathematics); Professor Richard Porter (School of Mathematics); Dr Rory Bingham (School of Geographical Sciences) 

Sanitation and hygiene after the pandemic in China and India and their influences on antimicrobial resistance: a scoping review 

Investigators: Dr Tingting Zhang (Bristol Medical School); Dr Christie Cabral (Bristol Medical School); Professor Helen Lambert (Bristol Medical School); Dr Anisha Nijhawan (School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering) 

Harmonious coexistence: Enhancing plant pollination with micro-drone swarms while safeguarding insect populations 

Investigators: Alex McConville (School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology); Professor Chris Preist (School of Computer Science); Professor Jane Memmott (School of Biological Sciences); Dr Christoph Grueter S(chool of Biological Sciences); Hannah Romanowski (School of Biological Sciences); Professor Tom Richardson (School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering); Dr Sabine Hauert (School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology); Khulud Alharthi (School of Computer Science); Henry Hickson (School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology); Avgi Stavrou (School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology); Mickey Li (School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology); Georgios Tzoumas (School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology); Elliot Scott (School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology); Matimba Swana (School of Engineering Mathematics and Technolog)y; Daan Scheepens (University College London); Kirsten Syris (University of Reading)