UCL projects awarded funding in support of UN SDGs

9 February 2022

Five projects addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals themes have received nearly £40,000 funding through UCL's Pathways to Achievement scheme

Led by UCL Global Engagement, UCL Grand Challenges and the UCL SDGs Initiative (SDGI), the Pathways to Achievement grants support researchers whose activities will hasten progress towards achieving the SDGs.

While achievement of the SDGs depends on implementation of international agreements, progress in discussions towards such agreements is dependent on findings from high-quality, peer-reviewed research. The UCL grants support cross-disciplinary and cross-boundary projects that generate societal impacts leading to published reports.

Successful projects will explore solutions to global, national and local problems, helping raise awareness of the SDGs among UCL students and ensuring UCL’s own policies and operations actively contribute to attaining the Goals.

UCL's Pro-Vice-Provost International, Professor Deenan Pillay, said: "UCL researchers and their international partners have an opportunity to collaboratively contribute solutions to the critical challenges posed by the SDGs. We hope this funding will support staff to transform their emerging collaborations into something capable of delivering benefit to people around the world."

Simon Knowles, Head of Coordination (SDGs), added: “We received a high-quality selection of applications for this call, and I am pleased we could recognise the diverse activities at UCL helping to address the SDGs. The projects span UCL’s faculties and breadth of research, from work aiming to unravel socio-economic inequalities to promoting healthcare innovation. Congratulations to all.”

Congratulations to all the UN SDGs: Pathways to Achievement 2021/22 funding recipients:

Lead UCL applicants and collaborators	Project
Professor Federico M. Federici, Centre for Translation Studies, CMII, SELCS (Arts & Humanities) and Mr Jason Symons, LEAR Global	Leaving No One Behind, Whatever Language they Speak: The Language Data Initiative
Dr Francesco Salustri, Institute for Global Health (Population Health Sciences) and Dr Paolo Candio, University of Birmingham	Unravelling the socio-economic inequalities in grassroots physical activity in England.
Professor Richard Taylor, Geography (Social & Historical Sciences) and Dr Mohammad Shamsudduha, UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction (Mathematical & Physical Sciences)	Advancing and sustaining progress towards UN SDGs in African drylands – crossing disciplinary and international boundaries
Professor Jane Holder, Laws (Laws) and Mr John Dubber, Students' Union (Laws)	Digging for SDGs: Laying Foundations for Sustainability in the Higher Education Sector
Professor Mark Miodownik and Dr Ana Rita Pinho, both Mechanical Engineering (Engineering Sciences)	Promoting healthcare innovation with a “Dragon’s Den”-style competition through a virtual innovation platform.

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