Awards totalling £60,000 have been made in the Schools of Geographical and Earth Sciences to accelerate the impact of research. These grants were funded through the University’s NERC-funded Impact Acceleration Account (IAA).

The four awards, ranging from £9,000 to £19,000, will support diverse knowledge exchange and commercialisation activities over the next year.  Dr Joachim Gottsmann (of the School of Earth Sciences) and Dr Jaap Velthuis ( Particle Physics research group) were co-recipients in their award for ‘Muon radiography for volcano monitoring and nuclear applications’ with Fine Glass Finishers Ltd.

This is the second phase of a pilot funding scheme that the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has offered the University of Bristol. In phase one only business partners were eligible; in this second phase, public and charity sector partners were also eligible.

The primary objective is to strengthen interaction between NERC-funded science and the business, public and charity communities to advance the impact of NERC science.

Other NERC IAA phase two awards are:

Dr Liz Bagshaw, Professor Jemma Wadham and Dr Steve Burrow for ‘Wireless Sensors for the Water Industry (WISWI): technology transfer and development of roaming sensors’ with Wavelength Environmental, Westcountry Rivers Trust and the Environment Agency;

Dr Edward Hornibrook and Mr Paul Monaghan for ‘Prototype automated trace gas system for validation of carbon credits in Payment for Ecosystem Services schemes’ with South West Water Plc;

Dr Jeffrey Neal and Professor Paul Bates for ‘Accelerating LISFLOOD-FP impact’ with SSBN Flood Risk Solutions Ltd.