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New SDGs funding announced for UCL staff and students

22 July 2022

The UCL SDGs Initiative has launched a new funding scheme to stimulate SDGs-related activity across UCL, in collaboration with UCL Grand Challenges and UCL Global Engagement.

Drone photograph of UCL Portico building

The SDGs: Pathways to Achievement scheme is offering grants of up to £10,000 to UCL staff (academic and professional services) and students to undertake activities that help to achieve the UN SDGs.

In addition to facilitating cross-disciplinary and cross-border research collaborations, for the first time, this year’s scheme is also actively seeking applications that address the SDGs though collaborations between ‘types’ of activity at 911.

“We believe there’s huge untapped potential of bringing together our staff and students from different areas of UCL to address the SDGs,” explained Simon Knowles, Head of Coordination (SDGs). “For example, could our research community help UCL operate more sustainably? Could our students and staff collaborate to develop new co-curricular activities?”

This year, the scheme is also explicitly welcoming applications from Professional Services staff as well as academic staff, and students.

“Achieving a more sustainable planet is important to our staff and student communities, so we wanted to give them all the opportunity to work together to address the SDGs,” Simon added. “In particular, many of our student community are already addressing the SDGs through their UCL society, volunteering. We’d encourage them to apply to bring more of their ideas to fruition.”

Activities funded by the last year include:

  • a collaborative analysis by Professor Jane Holder (UCL Laws) and John Dubber (Students' Union UCL) of UCL students’ sustainability awareness and behaviours to help lay foundations for embedding student participation in the formation and implementation of sustainability policies;
  • a “Dragon’s Den”-style competition by UCL Mechanical Engineering to promote healthcare innovation; and
  • research by UCL Geography and UCL Institute for Risk & Disaster Reduction to advance and sustain progress towards SDGs in African drylands.

The SDGs: Pathways to achievement is one of several funding schemes launched by The Office of the UCL Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement) on 22 July 2022 to maximise UCL's positive research and innovation impact on the world through maximising income, optimising professional support for research, innovation and impact, creating cutting-edge institutional infrastructures and enabling a positive research and innovation culture.

The deadline for applications to the RIGE schemes is Monday 3 October, 9am.

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