Following a very successful first round of application and peer review, we can now announce the SCAF Pump-Priming Awards Round 1 recipients!


Out of ten applications, six projects have been selected - all reflect SCAF's commitment to collaborative, interdisciplinary research addressing issues at the intersection of food, health, equity, and sustainability.

The projects supported include

  • CALUM: Controlled Agriculture Lab Using Mine Water led by Dr Neil Burnside (University of Strathclyde) with colleagues Dr Laura Hepburn and Prof Adrian Boyce at SUERC
  • Food System Resilience - Public Sector Local Food Procurement led by Dr Ifeyinwa Kanu (IntelliDigest) with Prof Mary Brennan (University of Edinburgh)
  • Full of Beans Campaign led by Riikka Gonzales (Glasgow Food Policy Partnership (GFPP) c/o Glasgow Community Food Network) with Dr Ada Garcia, Dr Esther Papies and Dr Helen Traill (University of Glasgow)
  • Acceptance of Plant-based 'Cheese from Peas' among Omnivorous Consumers led by Dr Oonagh Markey (Loughborough University) with Prof Lisa Methven (University of Reading), Dr Esther Papies (University of Glasgow) and Michael Spurr (the Good Pulse Co)
  • Co-constructing a Suitability Map for Upscaling Small-scale Horticulture in Scotland led by Dr Ana Pena del Valle (James Hutton Institute), with Dr Katrin Prager (University of Aberdeen) and Clementine Sandison (The Landworker Alliance)
  • Traditional Japanese Cuisine for Planetary Health led by Dr Saeko Yazaki (University of Glasgow) with Dr Ada Garcia (University of Glasgow)

These six projects bring together 18 researchers and practitioners from various institutions and sectors, fostering a broad range of perspectives and expertise, from hydrogeology and environmental impact assessment, food systems management, public health nutrition, food marketing and religious and cultural studies.

We extend our gratitude to the Scottish Funding Council for supporting SCAF members and these awards, and we look forward to hearing about the progress and new insights from the research teams at the upcoming SCAF annual meeting in late summer.

Congratulations to all the awardees.

First published: 12 April 2024

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