UKRI Awards £32.4M to Breakthrough Interdisciplinary Research Projects

(IN BRIEF) UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced the first 36 projects to receive funding under its new cross-research council responsive mode (CRCRM) pilot scheme, distributing £32.4 million. These interdisciplinary projects address a variety of global challenges, including cancer treatment, pollution reduction, and children’s digital safety. The initiative encourages innovative research that crosses traditional academic boundaries. A second round of funding with an additional £32.5 million has also been launched.

(PRESS RELEASE) SWINDON, 3-Sep-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has unveiled the first 36 projects funded under its new cross-research council responsive mode (CRCRM) pilot scheme. A total of £32.4 million will be allocated to innovative interdisciplinary projects that tackle a wide range of pressing global issues, from cancer treatment and pollution reduction to marine ecosystem management and children’s digital safety.

Key projects include the development of a snake-like robot for bile duct cancer treatment, novel tools to help children understand their personal data, and new technologies to degrade persistent organic pollutants. This initiative is designed to encourage groundbreaking research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries, fostering collaboration and new methodologies.

The success of this first round has prompted the launch of a second round of funding, with an additional £32.5 million available for innovative interdisciplinary research.

Further information

Full list of projects

FisHistory: converting historical knowledge into sustainable ocean management

Led by Alec Moore, Bangor University.

Dynamic live cell imaging at sub-zero temperatures

Led by Melody Clark, British Antarctic Survey

A novel, real-time tuberculosis detector for animals and humans

Led by Adrian Porch, Cardiff University

Satellite-Aided Technologies for advancing resilience: Guarding energy services under climate hazards, risks, and disasters (SAT-Guard)

Led by Hongjian Sun, Durham University

Advancing the use of biochar in the building industry: a multi-stakeholder study

Led by Mehreen Gul, Heriot-Watt University

Longitudinal machine learning of molecular and phenotypic trajectories of pulmonary hypertension

Led by Dennis Wang, Imperial College London

Testing fundamental physics using arrays of ultracold molecules

Led by Michael Tarbutt, Imperial College London.

Developing a human-iPSC skeletal muscle model of glucose metabolism on responsive elastomer nanofibers

Led by Ivo Lieberam, King’s College London

Sonic intangibles: Northumbria and Newcastle universities sonification hub for innovation in sound and meaning

Led by Paul Vickers, Northumbria University

Protocol development and feasibility study for the Elevated Childhood Lead Interagency Prevalence Study (ECLIPS)

Led by Jane Entwistle, Northumbria University

BeefTwin: AI powered digital twin for sustainable beef farming

Led by Xiao Ma, Nottingham Trent University

LOCAST: enabling low-carbon structures by understanding human effects of motion

Led by Ian Walker, Swansea University

Feeling the untouchable: Haptic touch experiences for naturalistic learning

Led by Advaith Siddharthan, The Open University

ANIMATING MINDS: triangulating the age-appropriate impact of children’s media

Led by Tim Smith, University of the Arts London

ESCAPE: Engaging Science and the Creative Arts to Prepare for Eruptions

Led by Christopher Kilburn, University College London

CO-produced Mathematical Modelling of Epidemics Together (COMMET): methods and tools for integrating public voices into epidemic response modelling

Led by Elizabeth Fearon, University College London

Holistic optical biomarkers to transform dementia diagnosis (HOpE)

Led by Christopher Kipps, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust

FUSION FOREST: a holistic approach for the design of disease-suppressing treescapes

Led by Bruño Fraga, University of Birmingham

When memories come alive: an interdisciplinary study of the vividness of memory

Led by Jon Simons, University of Cambridge

Creating foundation systems for environmental planetary intelligence

Led by Anil Madhavapeddy, University of Cambridge

GRASPING DATA: co-creating physicalisations to empower young children to interact with, understand, and benefit from their personal data

Led by Andrew Manches, The University of Edinburgh

Pollinator pathmaker

Led by Christopher Kaiser-Bunbury, University of Exeter

High resolution molecular profiling platform to investigate the role of tumour microbiota in anti-tumour immunity

Led by Huabing Yin, University of Glasgow

LILACS (Looking Inside Living Algal Cell Walls: a soft matter approach)

Led by Anders Aufderhorst-Roberts, University of Liverpool

Interdisciplinary systematic review: mechanistic evidence and epistemic justice

Led by Jon Williamson, The University of Manchester

Realtime wireless monitoring of inflammation for improved healthcare outcomes

Led by Morgan Alexander, University of Nottingham

Combining snake-like robot with wireless electrical-molecular signalling to tackle cholangiocarcinoma

Led by Guruprasad Padur Aithal, University of Nottingham

Advanced Interdisciplinary Models of dEstructive lung Disease: AIMED

Led by Bindi Brook, University of Nottingham

CHAILD: Children’s Agency In the age of AI: Leveraging InterDisciplinarity

Led by Nigel Shadbolt, University of Oxford

Three-dimensional spatial patterning of tissue development dynamics using light-addressable small molecule morphogens

Led by Matthew Fuchter, University of Oxford

HIDDEN SAND: Holistic Investigation of the Distribution, Extraction, and Networks associated with SAND

Led by Julian Leyland, University of Southampton

Sensing On Urban Noise: Distributed Sensing For Collaborative And Sustainable Cityscapes And Living Environments (SOUNDSCALE)

Led by Rafael Mestre, University of Southampton

Ecological knowledge games

Led by Alexander Duthie, University of Stirling

JED-AIs: Justice, Energy, Demand flexibility and AI for sustainability

Led by Vladimir Stankovic, University of Strathclyde

Microbes that listen: sono-bio technology for persistent organic pollutants

Led by Madeleine Bussemaker, University of Surrey

CONTAIN: CONtact Tracing, Infection and Transmission: An INterdisciplinary approach

Led by Robin Goodwin, University of Warwick

Media Contacts:

Email: press@ukri.org
Phone: 01793 298 902

SOURCE: UKRI