Research Development Fund
Call now open
The WUN Research Development Fund (RDF) provides grants of up to £10,000 for one year, to foster research collaborations among academic staff at WUN member universities. Priority is given to well-defined proposals which aim to create new international research links or develop existing ones, and on which a diverse team of collaborating partners confers distinct advantage. Applications from Early Career Researchers are particularly welcome.
In line with the WUN Strategic Plan 2023-2026, proposals are encouraged that address problems in one or more of the following areas within the context of sustainable development:
- Social justice and human rights; inequality
- Sustainable world: cities and urbanization; energy transitions; water and food security
- Mental health; child and maternal health; ageing
- Responsible and ethical applications of Artificial Intelligence
Grants from the RDF are intended to help launch larger projects that will strengthen research partnerships across the network.
RDF 2024 submission timeline
Each member institution is limited to two submissions per call each year. Bristol researchers interested in applying should therefore follow the timeline below to allow for internal shortlisting.
- Tuesday 18 June: Bristol call opens. Complete the WUN RDF 2024 Internal Application Form (Office document, 937kB).
- Wednesday 4 September (12 pm BST): Deadline for submission of draft proposals to rd-international@bristol.ac.uk.
- Wednesday 18 September: Announcement of shortlisted RDF proposals. Invitations to develop full proposals.
- Friday 18 October (9 pm BST): Deadline for submission of full proposals to WUN via their application portal.
Please contact Jo Brooks, the WUN Coordinator for Bristol, if you are interested in applying.
Information on current and previous RDF projects can be found in WUN's research projects database.
Opportunities for collaboration on RDF projects being led by other WUN member universities
A number of project teams from other WUN member universities are looking for international collaborators. Below is a list of current opportunities. If you are interested in joining a collaboration please get in touch with the relevant lead academic. Please note that internal shortlisting timelines are not consistent across all member universities so do get in touch with teams as soon as possible.
Mental health in tertiary institutions: a quest for students' perceptions in public universities in Uganda
Dr Michael Kizito (Computer Science, Makerere University, Uganda)
- The study intends to carry out interviews to get the perceptions of students about mental health in tertiary institutions to inform the design of digital tools in promoting advocacy and how to seek for and provide help to those in need of relevant services. This project seeks to examine student perceptions of the notion of “mental health” using qualitative data collection techniques in public universities in Uganda.
- I am looking for a collaborator who is familiar with qualitative data collection as well as carrying out research in low resource settings.
A global comparative legal analysis of international human rights and use of human biospecimens in research
Prof Tim Dye (Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester, USA)
- The legal status of biospecimens integrally intersects with human rights (autonomy, privacy), society (beneficence, greater good), and research discovery. We are interested in exploring the implications of international human rights-related treaties (e.g., UN Charter, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, Universal Declaration), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, Political Covenant), International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), others) by analyzing these treaties, international judicial decisions, and other sources of international law surrounding rights, consent and control over one’s own biospecimens. We plan a partner meeting, comparative background analyses, and a foundational paper presenting an analysis and framework describing if/how sentinel international treaties and international law relates to human rights and control of one’s tissues.
- We are looking for legal analysts – specifically, collaborators with connections to law schools. Individuals with medical-legal backgrounds, interests in international law, and/or biomedical law expertise. Geographic representation from around the world.
Investigation of perovskite module commercialization and its environmental impact
Prof Hengkai Zhang (Physics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China)
- The project aims to investigate the development of solar cells in various regions and analyze the policy support for these developments. Specifically, we will focus on the pollution issues associated with perovskite solar cells and explore potential solutions within the framework of future industrialization. Research Questions: 1. How are solar cells being developed and supported by policies in different regions? 2. What are the primary pollution concerns related to perovskite solar cells? 3. What solutions can be implemented to mitigate the environmental impact of perovskite solar cells in the context of large-scale industrialization? To address these questions, we will conduct a comprehensive review of the current state of solar cell development and policy support across various regions. This will involve: - Organizing conferences, meetings, and workshops to gather insights from WUN partners, industry experts, policymakers, and researchers. - Conducting surveys to collect data on the implementation and impact of policies supporting solar cell development. - Analyzing case studies of successful implementations and identifying best practices for mitigating pollution from perovskite solar cells.
- The project aims to bring together experts in chemistry, optics, environmental science, engineering, policy analysis, and economics to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with solar cell development and policy support. The PI has expertise in perovskite optoelectronics and is looking for collaborators from across the world, particularly in countries/regions where solar energy has been highly invested and particularly those who have expertise in environmental science, policy analysis, and economics.
Building low/zero emissions vehicle fleets for the academic sector
Dr Karl Ropkins (Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds, UK)
- Whether we work in academia, government or the commercial sector, we all now face legally binding net-zero targets that will require unprecedented decarbonisation, and a rapid overhaul of our institutional infrastructures. Although many of the alternative technologies now being proposed are truly promising, none have ever been deployed at the scales required. Therefore, even without the financial issues of recent years, the next decade will be both a highly challenging and uncertain time. However, universities are uniquely placed to take a lead on such efforts and foster best practices. Firstly, we have a duty of care to support and develop our communities, both through our student-training and research, and in action with our partners both locally and internationally. But, perhaps more importantly, our infrastructures are typically diverse, reflecting both the scale of our operations and the interests of our collaborating partners, making us the ideal test-bed for the evaluation and up-scaling of almost any new-to-market emission reduction systems or services. Early evidence indicates that reducing transport-related emissions is likely to be one of the most challenging elements of our climate action plans. Here, one of the biggest issues is the diverse nature of transport emissions, ranging from the (Scope 1) emissions directly produced by a university’s own vehicle fleet to the indirect (Scope 3) emissions associated with activities like staff and student commuting, business travel and field work. Therefore, our proposal is to establish a working group to share updates and early findings on university fleet upgrades internationally. While we acknowledge that there may never be a ‘magic bullet’ for net zero for our vehicle fleets and that best options will most likely vary by, for example, location and sector, we do believe that such a forum for the sharing of skills and knowledge is critical if we want to identify ‘what works where’ and maximise our chances of everyone hitting their net zero targets. (For reference, University of Leeds, Climate Plan – Annual Progress Review) https://climate.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/UoL_Climate-Plan-Annual-Progress-Review-Report_Final-for-website.pdf)
- We are interested in collaborating with partners across the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) who are actively engaged in their University’s own vehicle fleet upgrade programme, research that could help to accelerate vehicle fleet transitions, and those interested in discussing similar work internationally and the scope to accelerate efforts through knowledge-sharing and collaboration.