The University of Glasgow is set to receive over £2.2million for work through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) this year. 

The grants form part of a wider amount of £11.8m given to universities across Scotland.

The GCRF is a £1.5 billion UK fund to support cutting-edge research that addresses the challenges faced by developing countries.

This year £11.8m in GCRF funding has been allocated to SFC by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), up from £2m in 2017-18.

Since 2016-17 GCRF has supported more than 400 projects led by Scottish universities, involving over 70 developing countries.

For the University of Glasgow, these include a project aimed towards eliminating human rabies in Kenya by optimizing access to life-saving rabies post-exposure vaccines (Katie Hampson) and strengthening social science capacity in non-communicable disease prevention in Tanzania (Cindy Gray). The money is funding projects across all four colleges of the university.  

SFC Director of Research & Innovation Dr Stuart Fancey said: “Our strategy to support Scotland’s world-leading research includes an ambition to increase the global reputation and standing of our universities, through international connections and collaborations.

 “Scottish universities’ research is making a real difference to the lives of people in a number of developing nations. SFC is pleased to partner with BEIS and these universities to help GCRF funding support research that responds to needs and opportunities in those countries, contributing to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Scotland’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals: “The national and international dimensions to poverty and inequality are interlinked. Scotland cannot act with credibility overseas, if we are blind to inequality here at home. And our ambitions for a fairer Scotland are undermined, without global action to tackle poverty, promote prosperity and to tackle climate change."

Enquiries: media@glasgow.ac.u / 0141 330 3535

First published: 30 August 2019

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