Jun 02 2014 | Posted by wun

2014 Research Development Fund

WUN is pleased to announce the launch of the 2014 Research Development Fund.

Now in its sixth year, the RDF offers grants to researchers in WUN universities to foster research collaboration across the network. Seed grants of up to a maximum of £15,000 (average award £10,000) are offered to support research projects in the four WUN Global Challenges.

“The WUN RDF facilitates innovative research and strengthens partnerships within the Network”, said John Hearn, Executive Director of WUN. “Catalytic funding ignites innovative approaches to the world’s greatest challenges to be developed by leading minds across the globe. Since 2009 the RDF has contributed to WUN’s mission of fostering high-quality, relevant and sustainable research.” 

Priority areas for 2014:

  • Responding to Climate Change: migration/resilience; Climate/health co-benefits in cities; and Over- and under-nutrition, food security, food systems.
  • Public Health: non-communicable disease (NCD) –health of family and migrants across the life course; the resilience of adolescents in different cultural contexts; and schools as a setting for reducing risk factors associated with NCDs.
  • Global Higher Education and Research: access and equity in higher education: economic and social outcomes of diversity and globalisation.
  • Understanding Cultures: Global Migration and Population; Generations in Global Context and Chinese Culture in the World.

In last year’s round, WUN dispensed £166,786 across 16 grants. The 2013 fund supported a diverse range of research projects spanning health literacy; reform of higher education; indigenous issues and food, water and energy security.

The RDF is open only to faculty at WUN member institutions and proposals must be endorsed by the local WUN Academic Advisory Group member. Applications close on Friday 31 October 2014.

For more information, contact your local institutional WUN Coordinator or Megan O’Callaghan