University of Liverpool

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-07

Women and nonbinary scientists are underrepresented in leadership positions in geoscience both in the UK and internationally. The Geological Society of London (GSL)- the UK’s professional geoscience accrediting body- has had only three female presidents in its 218 year history. Women and nonbinary scientists are underrepresented as top journal editors, as keynote presenters, session chairs,and prize winners across geoscience. Yet, in part due to initiatives like ‘Girls into Geoscience’ the women and nonbinary students account for nearly 50% of undergraduate geoscience students. Therefore the leaders in geoscience do not represent their community. We need to address the gender disparity in geoscience leadership roles through identifying key barriers, and establishing a trial training camp to empower the future female and nonbinary leaders of geoscience.  We will identify barriers to inclusions and leadership for female and non-binary geoscientists by surveying women in geoscience and reviewing existing literature on inclusion and leadership in geosciences. We will use this information to both critique current leadership expectations, that make these roles favour male geoscientists, but also to identify key skills we can train future leaders in, to empower them to take up leadership roles in the future. Then, we will empower a first cohort of female and nonbinary future leaders in geosciences through developing a novel field and leadership training experience for female and nonbinary masters and PhD students. Finally, we will learn from this immersive training camp to assess how approaches like this can  empower future leaders and how we can contribute learnings from this project to the wider community and those currently in leadership positions. To address this aim, we will undertake qualitative and reflective evaluation of the immersive training camp to establish the effectiveness of the programme in empowering the first cohort of future female and nonbinary geoscientists. As a result of this work, we will create a network of geoscientists, science communicators, leadership experts and EDI experts. This network will share the outcomes of this work with both the GSL, and with the wider geoscience community through conference presentations and collaboration with international organisations. Increasing the diversity of leaders within geosciences is not just the right thing to do to ensure that those in positions of power reflect the communities they represent, but it is also beneficial for society in general. The world is facing many challenges, with geoscience at the heart of many of these solutions. By increasing diversity in leadership of geosciences we will have access to greater innovation, facilitating the spread of novel ideas otherwise unavailable to us to address these societal challenges.  

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-07

Efforts to improve the effectiveness of existing interventions for antimicrobial resistant (AMR) infections include finding new ways to overcome resistance to licenced antibiotics using adjuvants, or by using antibiotics in new combinations. While antimicrobial chemotherapy targeting the cell wall (e.g. ß-lactams) and folate pathway (e.g. trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, TMP-SMX) remains a cornerstone of modern healthcare, resistance to these drugs presents an escalating clinical challenge. We recently reported that purine nucleosides are powerful antibiotic adjuvants that can resensitise methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to beta-lactams. New preliminary data have further identified that purine nucleosides act to downregulate thymidine levels in MRSA cells. Building on this novel mechanistic insight, we revealed that purines potentiate both TMP-SMX (folate is a co-factor for thymidine biosynthesis) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), which also disrupts pyrimidine metabolism. In this project we propose to comprehensively evaluate the therapeutic potential of TMP-SMX/purines or 5-FU/purines alone and in combination with ß-lactams against MRSA and other pathogens responsible for wound infections, device-related infections, osteomyelitis, endocarditis and lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis. Furthermore, we will uncover their underlying mechanisms of action and link these mechanisms to antibiotic resistance. This knowledge will help us to improve the effectiveness of licensed antimicrobial drugs, and overcome resistance to ß-lactam antibiotics and TMP-SMX.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-06

Context Excessive bleeding after childbirth (postpartum haemorrhage, PPH) causes many deaths worldwide, most of which are avoidable with proper treatment. PPH usually occurs because the womb (uterus) does not contract enough after birth to compress the bleeding uterine vessels. When medical methods fail, standard care has been to insert a balloon into the uterus and inflate it with saline. Although this inhibits uterine contractions, it obstructs the bleeding vessels. A recent development has been to replace this balloon with a suction catheter which stimulates a uterine contraction thus stopping the bleeding. There is increasing evidence that this is more effective and, in the USA, the FDA-approved Jada suction device has quickly become the mainstay of treatment for persistent PPH with 90% success rates. The challenge the project addresses The current cost of the disposable Jada device (available only in the USA at US$ 1200 each) puts it far out of reach of the low-income settings where most PPH deaths occur, leading to global inequity in care. We propose an affordable device with several functional advantages over the Jada device to expand access to this life-saving technology. Our proposed solution The ideal suction tube device should be easy to insert, minimally intrusive for the mother, and slimline so that it can be inserted during or after elective caesarean birth. We have shown in several clinical studies that this can be achieved with a simple ‘Levin’ tube, originally developed for stomach drainage. Although inexpensive, this approach may have advantages over the Jada device, which has a bulky, racquet-shaped suction section (limiting insertion after caesarean birth) and a balloon collar requiring inflation (Figure 1). We propose to use our longstanding experience with the Levin tube to develop a low-cost suction device specifically designed and registered for uterine tamponade. We will also develop a manual suction source to provide suction without need for electricity. For this application, we will contract Sinapi Biomedical (with South African and UK branches) to develop and produce a prototype device for initial proof of concept clinical testing. Sinapi currently manufactures the Ellavi balloon tamponade device and distributes medical devices in the UK and globally. The central tube of the Ellavi has been safely inserted into many thousands of uteri in clinical practice, and, with the balloon removed, provides the starting point for a suction tamponade tube (Figure 1). Aims and objectives Our aim is to improve access to suction tube uterine tamponade for the treatment of PPH globally. Our specific objectives of the current application are: To use existing manufacturing technology to develop and manufacture an inexpensive, effective suction tamponade device To demonstrate technical equivalence to previous methods through simulation testing To conduct ‘proof of concept’ clinical testing, replicating our prior published work with the improvised suction tube. To establish a clear pathway to future registration and distribution, including a funding plan. Potential benefits and applications An affordable device will address current global inequity in access to this life-saving technology Novel features of the device will make it uniquely suitable for widespread application including during or after elective caesarean birth, by midwives or ambulance personnel and in rural settings without access to electricity. Current clinical evidence suggests that a simple tube-like device may be simpler and less painful to insert than currently registered more complex technology.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-06

Working in partnership, the COALESCE: reCOgnising and enAbLing divErse reSearCh in gEomorphology project aims to analyse the pathways, leaks, barriers, opportunities and lived-experiences across key pinch points through the broad geomorphological research-innovation ecosystem.  By doing this we will assess the potential to increase, support and sustain a diverse community considering a broader research and innovation ecosystem.   Diversity in the pool of those addressing the Earth’s environmental challenges is crucial to manage our planet sustainably, to provide different perspectives, knowledge bases, experiences and problem-solving approaches. Despite this, there is a lack of diversity in Earth and Environmental Sciences because of challenges that disproportionately affect certain groups of people both entering and progressing in environmental research; the well documented “leaky pipeline”. Within academia, work trying to understand and ‘fix’ the leaky pipeline has placed particular emphasis on people following a ‘typical’ academic pathway despite the growing recognition that addressing Earth’s environmental challenges requires an integrated research-innovation ecosystem of which academia is only one part. To truly open-up environmental science we must look beyond the academic pipeline to the broader group of people working to deliver on NERC’s remit, but based in Governmental and Non-Governmental Organisations, industry, and professional practice. In contrast to much of the work done to date, the COALESCE project seeks to better understand the challenges and barriers to mobility that cause leaks cross the environmental science research and innovation ecosystem. Crucially, COALESCE will address the interchange between academic and non-academic pathways and progression, and develop interventions that build on existing good practice to challenge identified problems and enable positive change. We have identified two important points where greater understanding of flows, leaks, barriers, opportunities and lived-experiences is needed to drive diversity and open the environmental science research-innovation ecosystem: (1) at the pinch-point where doctoral researchers are seeking employment inside or outside of academia upon completion of their PhD; and (2) at points in the careers of academic and non-academics when they are trying to move, in one direction or the other, between academic and other professional roles in the ecosystem. Our vision is to unlock new understanding of progression enablers in including those associated with academic/non-academic exchange, understand how these differ by gender, race/ethnicity, disability and other protected characteristics, and enable sharing of what we learn by developing resources and interventions that will help organisations address identified problems.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-06

The oceanic cycles of iron and carbon are tightly coupled. The supply of dissolved iron regulates ocean biology and biogeochemistry, and organic carbon species impact the solubility and biological availability of iron in seawater. As such, a full mechanistic understanding of the ocean iron cycle and its linkages with the pools and transformations of organic carbon are required to accurately model ocean biogeochemistry and biology, and to explore past, present, and future changes in ocean biogeochemistry and marine primary production. The proposed research aims to characterize these interactions by combining field data from contrasting ocean regimes in the subtropical and tropical North Atlantic with targeted experimental studies and numerical modeling experiments. Specifically, this project will examine the newly identified 'colloidal shunt' mechanism, whereby a portion of the dissolved iron pool in the colloidal size range is not stabilized by complexation with organic ligands but is instead subject to aggregation to form authigenic particulate iron that sinks out of the upper water column - a conceptual model inferred from a prior NSF- NERC collaborative award. In particular, the research will examine the role of dissolved organic carbon and iron-binding organic ligands in mediating the colloidal shunt, the association of organic matter with thus-formed authigenic particulate iron phases, and the dissolution of these phases in the ocean interior including the role of interior oxygen gradients. Potentially transformative implications of this research are that the colloidal shunt might vary in response to climate driven changes in ocean oxygenation, and that this process may provide a conduit for the vertical export of both particulate iron and organic carbon that augments the biological carbon pump in the subtropical and tropical oceans.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-05

Context The Southern Ocean plays a critical role in the Earth system. It hosts emblematic components of global biodiversity that motivate international conservation efforts. It is also the flywheel of the ocean circulation and climate system, where it plays a critical role in the carbon sequestration and supplies nutrients to lower latitudes where they support global productivity. These key ecosystem services are supported by the activity of photosynthetic phytoplankton and zooplankton that underpin food-webs and biogeochemical cycling. We need accurate climate-model projections to assess the response of Southern Ocean ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles to climate change. But our best models cannot even correctly reproduce the direction of ongoing change. This suggests fundamental problems with projections, undermining efforts to protect and conserve ecosystems and lowering confidence in our understanding of how carbon and nutrient cycling will respond, both in the future and in the geological past. Iron-Man will develop a new paradigm that integrates the processes regulating Southern Ocean productivity by addressing critical knowledge gaps. This is urgent given the rapid ongoing changes to the region and the timescales of policy action that require robust science. Challenge we address Over past decades, extensive research has focused on the role of the micronutrient iron (Fe) in the Southern Ocean. However, recent work, spanning observations, experiments and models (mostly led by our team), now shows that accounting for manganese (Mn) as a limiting nutrient and the associated unique ecophysiology of the resident phytoplankton community is also critical to the ecological-biogeochemical function of the Southern Ocean. Importantly, these issues are neglected by current models. Iron-Man is focused on unravelling how the supply and cycling of Fe and Mn affects the net primary productivity (NPP) and biomass of Southern Ocean ecosystems. In doing so, we will deliver 'fit for purpose' assessments of how future change will affect this critical system. Aims and objectives We have assembled a team of world leading scientists, operating across multiple disciplines, using state-of-the-art observational, experimental and modelling tools in an integrated and co-designed manner. Iron-Man must address three questions: 1. How the relative supply of Fe and Mn varies to set the resource limitation regime? 2. How phyto- and zoo-plankton in different regions respond to changes in Fe and Mn? 3. Whether integrating Mn and regional ecology alters future projections? These are mapped onto three objectives: 1. Quantify the relative supply and abiotic recycling and removal of Fe and Mn to the upper ocean varies in different regimes, using ship-based and autonomous platforms. 2. Assess biological cycling of Fe and Mn, alongside the adaptive and acclimatory responses via integrated measurements across natural gradients and manipulative experiments. 3. Produce improved model projections of NPP and ecological change in the Southern Ocean and test the importance of newly identified knowledge gaps. Potential applications and benefits International experts acting as partners will maximise our ability to upscale and engage stakeholders with our results. We focus specifically on key international initiatives (e.g. CCAMLR, CMIP7 etc) and science-to-society challenges, including co-financing of stakeholder facing events and outputs throughout the project duration. In this way, Iron-Man will make critical contributions to the scientific knowledge base around the response of the Southern Ocean in a changing climate, but also make a difference by translating science for the policy makers grappling with a rapidly changing system.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-05

In recent years the study of architecture has been transformed by the use of 3-D modelling and digital analysis, through which a growing corpus of 3-D data has been generated. Whilst such data is relatively easy to capture, existing methods of processing and analysis are labour-intensive and costly, limiting the capacity for exploiting the data. AI (artificial intelligence) has the potential to speed and scale up these developments. This project has three aims: (1) To investigate the potential of AI for tracing key elements of medieval vaults in 3-D data. The aim would be to automate workflows developed by the AHRC-funded ‘Tracing the Past’ (TTP) project to make data processing quicker and cheaper, enabling more sites to be incorporated into comparative models, making hypotheses more testable and conclusions more robust. No one has previously developed such a tool, although comparable tools exist in other contexts; its feasibility is likely but its potential is untested. If successful, the project could be extended to other architectural elements, e.g. domes or tracery. Objectives: (a) To investigate the potential of AI for tracing vault elements to create wireframe models and recording key data for analysis, i.e. impost level (height at which the rib deviates from the vertical, not necessarily at abacus level); apex (the height at which ribs would intersect - a notional point as the junction is usually masked by a boss); rib radius or radii (based on 'best fit' curves); location of centre of rib curvature in relation to impost (at impost level or distance above or below). (b) To test AI against human-processed data derived from TTP. (c) To develop a standardised and generally applicable approach to AI data processing. The benefit would be the enhanced capacity to develop links with other researchers to develop larger international comparative projects.   (2) To investigate the use of AI for analysing 2-D data to identify design methods. Objectives: (a) To use the wireframe models generated by (1) to create 2-D plans of the vaults, whose designs would be compared by AI against geometrical and proportional design models identified by TTP and those proposed by other researchers. (b) To use AI to identify other design parameters and shape grammars.   (3) To investigate the use of generative AI for reconstructing missing elements from scans of ruined vaults. This would enable the addition of hypothetical vaults to the growing dataset of 3-D scans of extant vaults and offer the potential to test human assumptions about their 3-D design. No one has previously developed such a tool; its feasibility is likely but its viability is unknown. Objectives: (a) To use the geometrical rules developed by TTP and any additional rules identified by (2) to propose hypothetical forms for unbuilt vaults (b) To assess these against expert opinion on likely forms If successful, this tool would provide proof-of-concept for future development of further tools for AI analysis, which would again test existing (human intelligence informed) models of design analysis and categorisation, potentially finding new patterns and invoking new hypotheses.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-04

Life opportunities and wellbeing in the UK are marred by inequality and social injustice. Research has identified many of the causes and resultant harms but often struggles to inspire and support meaningful change. Across the UK and wider world, inequalities and social injustice are deepening. As noted in the AHRC scoping review, ‘we can’t carry on tinkering at the edges.’ Doing something new requires moving beyond seeing social justice as a topic of academic investigation or aspiration. It requires a distinctive and comprehensive methodology – a new way of relating, acting, thinking and learning about social justice to achieve meaningful change. A new social justice research methodology must promote mutual trust and accountability through co-production and partnership. The mission of the Centre for People’s Justice is to bring Law and Social Justice research closer to people’s hopes, interests and needs for fairer, stronger and more inclusive societies. It will dynamically integrate Law, Arts and Humanities (Law, A&H) approaches to incubate a new social justice methodology to achieve that mission; one that enables creative, multi-sectoral, participative and place-based interactions. Our proposed Centre is both timely and ground-breaking as the first trauma-informed research centre, harnessing vulnerability as a route to empowerment. From across the four jurisdictions of the UK, we have drawn 7 universities together with 38 multi-sectoral partners from cultural/creative; legal/administrative; business/philanthropic; civic/NGO sectors. We will work collaboratively as a Foundational Alliance to share knowledge and resources; implement a comprehensive programme of education, training and research; and develop the first global network of university-based social justice law clinics. Civic organisations and NGOs from our Foundational Alliance will co-ordinate Community Steering Groups comprised of people with lived experience of the issues we are seeking to address, working with researchers to co-create research agendas and feed into research design and funding decisions. Objectives will be advanced through three research workstreams to exemplify how Law A&H can be creatively integrated and directed towards meaningful change: Crafting the Law (influencing how the law is made)   Performing the Law (improving how legal rights and processes are experienced in everyday life);   Literacies and Legacies (enhancing understanding of the law and its impacts: past, present and future).   Centre research projects will help to develop our social justice methodology. They will contribute to transforming research practice and produce meaningful change in people’s lives. Creative and cultural partners from our Foundational Alliance will work with HEI partners as creative co-convenors to provide mentoring and guidance to academic and community researchers delivering these projects. Our activities will democratise and diversify social justice research by creating strong leadership opportunities for early career and mid-career scholars, funding cross-sectoral fellowships, co-producing education and training with creative practitioners and by reserving PhD studentships for applicants from non-traditional backgrounds. Outputs will include: a new Social Justice Methodology; a comprehensive Social Justice Education Programme; distinctive Law, A&H methods training; the first Trauma-Informed Healing Hub and Research Toolkit; 20 funded research projects; a range of published outputs including monographs and edited collections; a new Open Access Journal on New Approaches to Social Justice; a People’s Justice Podcast series; and a global network of university-based Social Justice law clinics.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-04

Our aim is to discover how the mass administration of anthelminthic drugs to children in Southeast Asia is causing reductions in anthelminthic efficacy against soil-transmitted helminths (STHs), altering the population genetic structure of STHs, and selecting STH genomes for anthelminthic resistance. This work will leverage a “natural experiment” that is happening in Southeast Asia, comparing STHs where there is mass drug administration (Indonesia and the Philippines) with STHs where there is not (Malaysia).   STHs are one of the World Health Organization’s-defined 20 Neglected Tropical Diseases, infect 1.5 billion people globally, and cause more Years Lost Due to Disability than malaria, TB or HIV/AIDS. Because of the harm caused by STHs, many countries have national programmes of Mass Drug Administration (MDA) where children in high-risk populations are treated at least annually with anthelminthic drugs. These MDA programmes bring health and wider benefits to infected children and to their families.   The continued success of anti-STH MDAs depends on the sustained efficacy of anthelminthics, However, there is already evidence of reduced anthelminthic efficacy against STHs. The long-term and widespread use of anthelminthics is predicted to lead to STHs developing anthelminthic resistance. There is extensive evidence of widespread, anthelminthic resistance in nematodes infecting livestock to the same drug classes used to treat STHs, a portent of the future for human STHs. MDA programmes are at a major risk of failure if there are widespread reductions in anthelminthic efficacy. The nature and extent of anthelminthic efficacy in STHs in Southeast Asia is unknown and a major evidence gap that our work will fill, generating information which is directly relevant to stakeholders, policymakers and users.   Our central hypothesis is that the use of anthelminthics in MDA programmes is selecting STHs and driving the evolution of anthelminthic resistance. From this we predict that:   (1) Repeated use of anthelminthics will lead to lower anthelminthic efficacy. We will test this by measuring anthelminthic drug efficacy in areas with (Indonesia and the Philippines) and without (Malaysia) MDA programmes, our Work Package 1.   (2) Repeated anthelminthic use will change the STH population structure, by repeatedly bottlenecking their populations. We will investigate this by whole genome analysis of STH genetic diversity in MDA and non-MDA regions, our Work Package 2.   (3) STH genomes are being selected by the repeated use of anthelminthics. We will investigate this by doing genome scans for sites of selection, our Work Package 3.   The outputs and benefits of this work are: (a) ascertaining anthelminthic efficacy against STHs, which will feed into policy and practice in Southeast Asia; (b) determining the genetic effect of anthelminthic selection on STHs; (c) building a sustainable Southeast Asia–UK research network; (d) capacity strengthening a generation of researchers in state-of-the-art bioinformatics analyses of genomic data applied to improving human health and wellbeing.  

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-04

Insects have evolved from living on land to living in freshwater on more than 50 independent occasions. These habitat transitions facilitated a burst of biodiversity, such that insects now comprise 80% of all freshwater life and are crucial for proper functioning of freshwater ecosystems. Despite their incredible diversity and ecological importance, we know little about the genetic, developmental, and physiological innovations required for the terrestrial-aquatic transition, a fundamental repeated lifestyle change across insects. This knowledge gap exists because, until recently, genomic resources for aquatic insects were restricted to vector species (e.g. mosquitoes). The huge expansion of genomic data – associated principally with the Darwin Tree of Life project – now enables us to approach this question for the first time. Within the project, each UK and Irish eukaryote species is being sequenced to deliver high quality genomes. This project is developing a huge, but still largely untapped, resource for comparative genomics analysis and forms the basis of greater exploration of the link between molecular evolution and organism adaptation.   With these new data, I can now examine how genomes of aquatic and closely related terrestrial lineages differ. Further, because each habitat transition event will have required adaptations to overcome common environmental pressures (e.g. respiration, osmoregulation), the genetic signatures of convergent evolution – independent adaptive solutions to the same environmental problem – will reveal the basis of adaptation in freshwater lineages. Investigations into how aquatic insects have evolved are timely given that freshwater habitats, and the species that occupy them, are increasingly recognized as the most threatened on Earth.   The aim of this study is to determine and functionally examine the genetic elements which permitted terrestrial to aquatic habitat transitions across insect evolution.   To achieve this, I will combine field sampling with comparative genomics, transcriptomics, and functional genomics to delineate the genes involved in insect adaptation to a new environment. The three objectives are as follows:   (1) Determine shared signatures of adaptation associated with transition to aquatic environments across all insects. I will use large scale comparative genomics and bioinformatic methods to interrogate genomic data of terrestrial/freshwater pairs of genomes  for patterns of genome change common to freshwater lineages, relative to their terrestrial counterparts.   (2) Evaluate the contribution of gene expression changes associated with the transition to aquatic life. Here, I will construct a multi-species transcriptome dataset of larval and adult life stages of wild specimens from closely related terrestrial and aquatic species belonging to three insect orders (Diptera, Trichoptera, and Lepidoptera).   (3) Enable functional analysis through establishing a new, genetically tractable lab model.  I will develop the common dronefly, Eristalis tenax (family Syrphidae), which has aquatic larvae and terrestrial adults. A new model system of an aquatic insect will permit functional genetic testing of loci found in the previous objectives to be associated with adaptation to life in freshwater key for onward advances in this field.   This project will, for the first time, pinpoint the genes and patterns of molecular evolution underpinning adaptation to the freshwater environment. In addition to addressing a general and common change in life mode, this baseline understanding of the genetics underpinning adaptation of terrestrial taxa to life in freshwater will help us to determine how they may, or may not, adapt to future changing environmental conditions.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-04

Air-sea interactions in the tropical Pacific ocean give rise to the El Nino Southern Oscillation, which impacts climate and weather worldwide. State-of-the-art dynamic climate and operational models suffer from biases in this region, and are unable to exceed the prediction skill of statistical models six months ahead of time. Improvements to the dynamical models are needed to accurately simulate and predict the tropical Pacific. Recent advances in theory and observing technologies make these improvements feasible, given adequate observational guidance. This project supports the design and implementation of an intensive field campaign that measures processes relevant to air-sea coupling in the tropical Pacific: PUMACAT - Pacific Upwelling and Mixing Act to Couple Atmosphere to Thermocline. This campaign is an international effort to improve our understanding of the tropical Pacific and its variability from subseasonal to interannual time scales, with the goal to deliver data that helps improve climate models. The approach to the design of this campaign includes modelers as well as observationalists working together to a) identify processes that need observational guidance, and b) devising a strategy to gather the necessary observations. This fellowship will play a major role in using model output and available observations to design an optimal observing strategy that maximizes the positive outcomes for both physical process understanding and model improvement. The preparation of the campaign as well as the analysis of the data will yield scientific insight of spatiotemporal relationships between large scale circulation and small scale processes that contribute to tropical Pacific variability.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-03

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-03

Modern society is reliant on carbon-based products that are ultimately derived from fossil resources. The vast range of carbon products that we use daily - ranging from fuels to consumer goods, pharmaceuticals and packaging, are generated from a relatively small number of platform petrochemical products. Displacing the unsustainable model of production of these platform chemicals requires switching to alternative carbon sources. Carbon dioxide is widely considered to be a waste gas and despite efforts to minimise emissions the hard to decarbonise foundation industries (glass, cement, metals, ceramics, and chemicals) are going to continue to be major emitters for the foreseeable future. These industries are the UK’s biggest industrial emitters, producing 10% of carbon dioxide emissions and the need to reach net zero has led to a focus on employing carbon capture technologies. The question then arises – what do you do with the captured carbon dioxide? Carbon dioxide electrolysis provides a potential answer. Electrolysis can be used to convert the carbon dioxide into key platform chemicals such as carbon monoxide (syngas) and ethylene using renewable energy. This could provide a way to generate economic value from the captured carbon dioxide and provide a sustainable pathway that enables net-zero ambitions to vital carbon products. Ultimately, by coupling carbon dioxide electrolysis to direct air capture there is even potential to generate circular pathways for carbon fuels and carbon negative products. A challenge for the science and engineering community has been that carbon dioxide electrolysers typically have low carbon utilisation efficiencies (leading to low system level efficiencies) and they have low stabilities. The primary cause has been the belief that electrodes for carbon dioxide conversion need to operate under alkaline conditions. This leads to side reactions of the carbon dioxide and makes them unsuitable for use outside of the lab. Our teams work, supported by EPSRC, has demonstrated that it is possible to make electrodes that operate in acidic environments overcoming these barriers. This opens the use of alternative electrolyser designs that deliver a step-change in efficiency and stability. This project will accelerate the exploitation of the fundamental knowledge and ip we have generated on new electrodes, membranes and devices over the last 5 years. Working with stakeholders from the foundation industries, capture technology companies and end users of the carbon products we produce we will carry out proof-of-concept trials with real-world captured carbon dioxide and use the data to carry out multi-layer systematic assessments that measure the environmental and economic impact of deploying our carbon dioxide electrolyser. This is a critical step in the exploitation pathway.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-03

Wetlands are integral aquatic ecosystems at the intersection of groundwater, surface water and terrestrial surfaces. Peatlands are terrestrial wetlands that stand out in their significance to provide valuable aquatic ecosystem services, benefiting both society and nature. Climate, hydrogeology, hydrological and topographical positioning within the landscape and human use of peatlands together shaped a diverse range of peatland types and functioning within Europe. Consequently, there exists a distinct diversity in the ecosystem services these peatlands provide, including improved water quality for drinking water purposes. Despite these differences, common to all peatland types is that these ecosystem services are closely linked to the dynamics and spatial patterns of groundwater, i.e. water table depth (WTD), and thereby the degree of water saturation within these peatlands. Climate change is considered a major threat to peatlands' functioning and ecosystem service provisioning where temperature increases and WTD extremes weaken ecosystem resilience. ECO-WADE will focus on three key aquatic ecosystem services of peatlands: 1) Water purification: Peatlands' geochemical processes contribute significantly to water purification by reducing excessive amounts of reactive carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous, thus mitigating eutrophication from agricultural inputs, benefiting downstream aquatic ecosystems and improving water quality for drinking water purposes. Drained peatlands, by contrast, have a persistent negative effect on water quality and nutrient exports. 2) Water regulation: Peatlands store and release water, which plays a pivotal role in enhancing resilience during periods of drought, sustaining environmental flows and safeguarding human drinking water supplies. Additionally, flood risks are mitigated by peatlands' capability to retain water. 3) Climate regulation: Peatlands capture, store and preserve carbon, making them a central element in national to global climate change mitigation strategies. Emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG, CO2, CH4 and N2O) are closely tied to WTD.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-03

This Knowledge Synthesis Grant Project brings together archaeologists with scholars who study contemporary governance and policy. One of archaeology's major contributions to knowledge is its long-term perspective based on material evidence. In the late 19th and early-20th centuries, archaeological information was used to generate significant bodies of theory. As scholarly fields became more specialized, such cross-fertilization of knowledge became more difficult with non-archaeologists having less access to up-date archaeological information. Recently, scholars like Graeber and Wengrow have argued that the long-term perspective of archaeology can make a significant contribution to how we structure contemporary society. This project will seek to bring archaeology back into the conversation, contributing to the Challenge Theme of Past and Future Models of Governance. By emphasizing two significant case studies of past governance, one from Alberta and one from the Middle East, this project will offer historical perspectives on the sub-theme of "how has governance innovation progressed in the past, and what are pitfalls to avoid as we move forward." The proposed project will involve two workshops followed by the publication of the results in an open-access monograph, aimed at both archaeological specialists and non-specialists. One workshop will be held in Alberta and one in the United Kingdom, and emphasis will be placed on governance issues of relevance to both polities: governance resilience in the face of change (such as climate and technology) and governance flexibility in relation to changing social structures and the repurposing of infrastructure and resources. The workshops will provide historical evidence on what alternative governance models have been successful and, in conversation with scholars of the contemporary world, debate whether or not these can be applied in Canadian, British, or global contexts today. Both workshops will include scholars who are archaeological/historical specialists on the Great Plains or Jordan (the subjects of the case studies), scholars working on contemporary policy, knowledge users working in the heritage industry, Jordanian NGO workers, and Indigenous Elders. The two case studies offer different perspectives on the issues of governance innovation. The Alberta workshop will use Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump UNESCO World Heritage Site (HSIBJ) as the centrepiece for a conversation on Indigenous governance models on the Great Plains. HSIBJ functioned as a keystone institution for at least 6,000 years and possibly 10,000 years (based on our recent SSHRC-funded excavations). It offers lessons on how heterarchical management facilitates stability in the face of climatic and technological changes. This workshop will also allow us to bring Blackfoot Elders into the conversation, offering their insight into the problem as well as commentary on future governance directions. The second workshop will focus on the states and empires of the Middle East, using our excavations at Dhiban, Jordan and our SSHRC funded work at Busayra, Jordan for discussions on how governance and infrastructure reuse, as well as social flexibility, has facilitated community stability at the local level in the face of climatic and political change from the Iron Age to Ottoman times, integrating archaeological data with 20 years of experience working with local heritage NGOs. This project will help transfer knowledge that has been produced from archaeological work in the Great Plains and Jordan to other stakeholders. It will facilitate the incorporation of insight from Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers. The workshops will also be of interest to archaeologists studying historical governance issues.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-03

The gut microbiome mediates animal and human health via bidirectional communication with other organ systems throughout the body. The interplay between the gut and the liver, termed the gut-liver axis, mediates the progression of liver diseases in people and hepatic inflammatory disorders associated with diet in ruminants. However, the effect of parasite infections in the liver on the homeostasis of the gut-liver axis are largely unexplored in ruminants. The liver fluke parasite, Fasciola hepatica, is an economically important parasite of sheep and cattle. It significantly impacts global livestock productivity, causing major economic losses (UK: £300 million; globally: $3 billion) and predisposition to other infectious and metabolic diseases. Liver fluke prevalence has been exacerbated by climatic conditions favourable to the parasite, and escalating resistance to several drug compounds, leading to uncontrolled liver fluke infections that represent a significant threat to animal welfare and production. The development of novel methods, such as vaccines, for the sustainable long-term control of liver fluke is of paramount importance. Critical to this goal is understanding the factors during liver fluke infection that contribute to poor animal growth and food energy conversion, and the animal parameters that can be used to assess disease severity and vaccine efficacy. There is increasing evidence that the gut microbiome plays a key role in parasitic infections of ruminants, influencing disease progression and animal tolerance/resistance to infection. Following ingestion, F. hepatica follows a migratory path through the liver to the bile ducts, causing extensive damage leading to fibrosis and cholangitis. While the liver fluke parasite does not reside in the small intestine for long, it has the potential to impact gut-liver homeostasis that may direct disease progression and severity, and overall animal health. This project aligns with BBSRC remit and priorities relating to sustainable agriculture, food security and animal health, and addresses key research questions related to the role of the microbiome in maintaining animal health. It aims to elucidate host-F. hepatica interactions along the gut-liver axis in sheep and determine whether gut bacteria and liver health status contribute to disease progression and animal tolerance to liver fluke infection. The interactions within the ovine gastrointestinal (GI) tract will focus on the small intestine, where bile is introduced for normal digestive processes and where the parasite begins its migratory path through the host, and the corresponding changes in the large intestine represented by faecal samples. The objectives of the project are to: (1) assess gut health during F. hepatica infection by (i) microbiome analysis, using metatranscriptomic tools to profile microbial function and diversity, and (ii) analysis of GI tract integrity by histology and molecular tools; (2) evaluate the parasite effects on hepatic and biliary homeostasis by profiling bile composition and transcriptional changes elicited by liver damage; and (3) elucidate what role F. hepatica plays in driving the effects on gut-liver homeostasis. This project will deliver a better understanding of the role of the gut-liver axis during parasite infections in ruminants, and the host traits that promote resilience/tolerance to liver fluke infection that can be incorporated into parasite control strategies critically needed by farmers. The data will enhance our understanding of the complex nature and predisposition of F. hepatica-pathogen co-infections in ruminants that is driven by the regulation of systemic immune responses and has implications for other gut-organ axes affecting animal health.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-02

Volcanic mudflows, or lahars, are one of the most dangerous, damaging and deadly volcanic hazards. These fast-moving flows of water-sediment mixtures are generated when unconsolidated volcanic deposits are mobilised by rain or other sources of surface water. They are unpredictable and energetic, have long runouts, and can mobilize large volumes of solid material and boulders. The largest events can be catastrophic, but even small and frequently recurring events have an adverse impact on communities, hampering their development and exacerbating social challenges. In many settings around the world, lahars are a frequent occurrence. Volcanic activity refreshes the supply of material that can be mobilized and seasonal rainfalls triggers these flows. Communities are forced to live while exposed to lahar hazards; simple avoidance is not feasible, so practical mitigations based on early detection and early warnings are essential to disaster risk reduction. In LAHAR-MM we plan to translate new scientific knowledge gained during the project into operational tools that will be integrated into existing lahar detection platforms, and thus, contribute to the next generation of lahar Early Warning Systems. Our understanding of the physical processes that control lahar dynamics remains limited. The two core scientific aims of this project are: 1) to understand the dynamics of rainfall-triggered lahars, from initiation to impact and emplacement; 2) to decipher the causative links between flow properties and flow regimes, and the seismic, deformation and acoustic fingerprints of lahars. This knowledge will underpin the delivery of a multi-disciplinary framework for real-time tracking and forecasting of lahar inundation. In short, our work will allow characterization of flow regimes and ahar properties based on their seismic (ground-shaking), deformation (ground tilt), and acoustic (low-frequency sound) signals. This will enable selection of previously calculated model scenarios of lahar propagation leading to near real-time predictions of flow arrival time, runout, and potential to cause damage. By creating new observational capabilities, coupled to development of novel physical models, we will generate new scientific understanding of lahar motion with immediate application in disaster risk reduction. Our deliverables will better inform hazard managers with relevant, scientifically robust, and observationally derived lahar predictions. We will collaborate with research partners in Guatemala, a country with high exposure to lahar hazards, but all outcomes, deliverables and new knowledge created and shared during this project will be readily transferrable to other lahar-prone regions worldwide. In Guatemala, we will integrate our results into an existing lahar detection system in partnership with local government agencies; with them we will co-design the framework for the integration of observations, predictive models, and hazard mapping to ensure immediate access to our research advances. This project will strengthen the resilience of communities vulnerable to lahar hazards by supporting evidence-based decision making and influencing the implementation of practical risk mitigation policies.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-02

Tens of millions of people in countries surrounding the Lower Mekong Basin are infected with a liver fluke, that can cause serious liver disease and develop into bile duct cancer. In spite of education/screening/treatment programmes, cases of bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) remain very high in this region, with >25,000 cases reported in Thailand alone in 2022, impacting some of the poorest communities. The disease is often diagnosed at a late stage and there are few effective treatment options. The high morbidity and mortality from liver disease following liver fluke infection thus hampers economic development in these regions and has severe social impacts on these communities. New approaches to prevent the development of bile duct cancer are urgently needed. Our recent research has shown that liver disease can persist or even worsen after effective clearance of the liver fluke by use of anti-helminth drugs.  Importantly, these individuals test positive for a bacterium (Helicobacter pylori) that is recognised to induce gastric (stomach) inflammation that can develop into stomach cancers.  Our research also shows that the liver fluke itself is infected with this bacterium, and hence it is carried to the liver (by the liver fluke), where it promotes inflammation to trigger liver disease, that if unchecked can progress to bile duct cancer. When people are treated with anti-helminth drugs to eliminate the liver fluke, the cancer-inducing bacterium remains in the liver causing persistent inflammation and worsening liver disease. We propose that prevention of bile duct cancer following liver fluke infection requires treatment with both an anti-helminth drug and antibiotics to eliminate the cancer-inducing bacterium. Importantly, there are well-established, cheap and effective ways to treat people for infections with this bacterium. The aim of this project is to demonstrate that we can break this cycle of persistent liver inflammation and liver disease, and we will use standard antibiotics, that are currently used to treat stomach infections with this bacterium, re-purposed to eliminate it from the liver. As part of our follow up studies, we have already identified a cohort of individuals who were originally infected with liver fluke (but now are liver fluke-free after anti-helminth treatment) but who have persistent liver disease and test positive for the cancer-inducing bacterium. We will measure their liver disease, markers of inflammation, and levels of the cancer-inducing bacterium and liver fluke at baseline and 18-months after antibiotic treatment. We have assembled a team of world experts of scientists and clinicians who have the interdisciplinary skills and experience to deliver this project to successful outcomes. This project has great potential to provide a step change in lowering the incidence of this devasting disease that has had serious socio-economic impacts in this region of the world for many years.  Throughout this project we will engage policy makers (Ministries of Public Health) and other stakeholders (clinicians, affected communities and community leaders) to maximise engagement, and to enable a rapid roll out of a large-scale, international clinical trial of this dual treatment for those who test positive for the liver form of this bacterium after liver fluke infection. We have developed new tools that can distinguish between the stomach and liver forms of this bacterium to aid this large scale roll out of dual therapy.  

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-02

Doctoral Training Partnerships: a range of postgraduate training is funded by the Research Councils. For information on current funding routes, see the common terminology at https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/how-we-fund-studentships/. Training grants may be to one organisation or to a consortia of research organisations. This portal will show the lead organisation only.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-02

Pharmacogenomics is the study of how variation in the human genome affects the efficacy and safety of medicines. For efficacy, 90% of drugs only work in 30-50% of patients. Considering safety, adverse drug reactions (AD Rs) account for 6.5% of all hospital admissions, rising to about 15% in the elderly with multimorbidity, at a cost to the NHS in England of £2.2 billion/year. Our recent study published in the Lancet (PMID: 36739136) showed that using a 12-gene panel to guide prescribing reduced ADRs by 30%. There is an increasing drive towards clinical implementation of pharmacogenomics. However, most implementation programmes are in the US. In the EU, implementation is progressing in the Netherlands, and recently in Spain. The UK must catch up to receive the many benefits of pharmacogenomics, including enhancing growth in the UK economy, increasing innovation by mainstreaming genomic medicine, moving us towards a preventive approach, upskilling our workforce and increasing productivity. However, there are many barriers and challenges, which hamper the uptake and diffusion of pharmacogenomic innovation into the NHS. The UK has a complex regulatory ecosystem for pharmacogenomics. In the discovery phase, we liaised with the MHRA, NICE, the NHS, industry (pharmaceutical, genomics, digital health) and academia to map the most important modifiable issues which currently hamper innovation and uptake. In our proposed Centre for Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation in Pharmacogenomics (CERSI-PGx), we have identified key areas to focus on over the next year: guidance, pharmacogenomic testing, education and training, and health economics. Working collaboratively with the regulators and other important stakeholders, our aim will be to foster proportionate regulatory decision making across pharmacogenomic development and implementation pathways. The four CERSI-PGx work-packages will be supported by a fifth cross-cutting work-package which will focus on patient and public involvement. We have brought together a diverse and skilled team of experts spanning various sectors. We will work across all four nations, collaboratively between academia, healthcare and industry, to achieve our aim to catalyse innovative strategies for incorporating pharmacogenomics into the regulatory pathways in the UK. Our ultimate goal is to position the UK at the forefront of pioneering pharmacogenomic advancements, encompassing both current and emerging medications. This transformative endeavour will yield substantial benefits across the regulatory landscape, the NHS, industry, patients, and the broader UK economy.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-02

Transforming Liverpool City Region (LCR) into a Global Leader in Music Innovation Music is a universal language and cultural necessity delivering multigenerational societal benefits. It is a unique source of national pride, creating unforgettable moments and uniting people across diverse backgrounds and interests. The music sectors delivering these experiences are currently exposed to tectonic technological and socio-economic change. Over the next five years, MusicFutures will seize this transformative moment to establish Liverpool as the UK’s creative cluster for music and music business innovation. The cluster will drive artistic, technological and intellectual property (IP) breakthroughs that will diversify and strengthen the UK’s position at the forefront of the global music industry. As England’s only UNESCO City of Music, Liverpool is uniquely positioned to leverage its cultural heritage, strong industry infrastructure, and creative energy to become a sustainable, inclusive, and world-leading Music RD&I ecosystem. Industry Context The UK music industry contributes £6.7 billion to the economy, provides 210,000 jobs, and generates £4 billion in exports. However, this success masks systemic challenges that hinder musicians and freelancers from building sustainable careers. Government reports highlight a decline in grassroots venues and touring, which are crucial for nurturing new talent and community engagement. Inequities in copyright and contracts, and a lack of transparency in rights management and royalty distribution, create additional barriers for music makers. The precarity of working across “gig economies” worsens these issues, making it particularly challenging for artists, small businesses, and marginalised communities to achieve success. The result is strained talent pipelines and the inability of new voices to break through. In this challenging environment, disruptive technologies like AI, XR, and blockchain present a pivotal and urgent opportunity to revolutionise music creation, distribution, and monetisation. By harnessing these technologies, artists can engage with their audiences in unprecedented ways, and retain more control over their creative output and resulting financial success. However, the potential of these technologies can only be realised if the industry and policymakers actively work to ensure equitable access and develop frameworks that support a diverse and inclusive music ecosystem. The UK music sector operates within broader global industry trends where domestically produced music earns an ever-increasing share of national charts, and cities/regions within nations promote bespoke musical identities and industry credentials. Given these dynamics, a key R&D question emerges: How can regional music innovation ecosystems incubate and enable cutting-edge artistic and technical practices that drive business growth and elevate the UK’s leadership in the global music industry? Regional Opportunity Liverpool has continuously pioneered and shaped global pop culture. Boasting the most UK number-one records and more than 1,400 music businesses, Liverpool’s music sector and global brand is ideally positioned for MusicFutures to catalyse innovation and growth within and beyond the region, and bridge sectoral gaps in the Creative Cluster/CoSTAR network, creating essential musical pathways into other creative sectors such as gaming, film, and XR. What We Will Do MusicFutures will launch a waterfront hub, fostering collaboration with 27 partners to generate sector insights and career pathways for artists and future music professionals. This environment will empower SMEs and entrepreneurs to innovate, attract investment, scale up, and adopt sustainable practices. Through diverse cross-sector programmes, we will fuel growth, drive environmental innovation, and champion inclusivity. MusicFutures will elevate both the region's and the UK's competitiveness in the global music market.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Dementia is a major burden on global healthcare systems. Currently, there are ~50 million people with dementia worldwide which is projected to increase to 152 million by 2050. The total cost of dementia care in the UK is projected to increase from £34.7 billion (2019) to £94.1 billion (2040). Proposed diagnostic criteria focuses on the prodromal disease stage, namely mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (or early dementia) which occurs prior to functional disability and overt Alzheimer's dementia (AD). Timely diagnosis of MCI is crucial for effective treatment and the prevention of progression. Due to the subtle onset of symptoms and gradual cognitive decline, diagnosis remains challenging. Unfortunately, existing clinical tests for AD are either slow, costly, invasive, or detect the disease at an advanced stage. The cornea is the most densely innervated tissue in the human body and can be directly visualised with specialist equipment. Our team and others globally have demonstrated nerve loss and additional pathological features in the cornea in neurodegenerative diseases, thus demonstrating its role as a biomarker in MCI/AD. The current method to visualise corneal nerve is by corneal confocal microscopy (CCM). However, CCM is technical, requiring specialist skills and direct contact with the cornea with topical anaesthesia, which limits its ubiquitous acceptance. Multiple studies including our published data have demonstrated that artificial intelligence (AI) greatly improves the diagnostic utility of CCM (corneal) images for the diagnosis of diseases including MCI and AD with high sensitivity and specificity (>0.8-0.9). An objective, non-invasive, non-contact, rapid and readily accessible method to detect MCI and predict AD is required to improve the management and clinical outcomes of patients. Our interdisciplinary team of engineers, scientists and clinicians are exceptionally well placed to develop a game-changing integrated diagnostic imaging solution tailored to the needs of people with MCI/AD. Our objectives for this project are: To develop a novel robust optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging device for the detection of MCI and prediction of dementia. OCT is widely available but there is no commercial system capable of imaging the corneal nerves. Built on our recent prototype achieved by an MRC Confidence in Concept Award, this new device will be rapid (~2 seconds), non-invasive, and able to image the corneal nerves over a large field of view and depth of field whilst being tailored to nuances of patients with MCI/AD e.g. inattention, slower saccadic eye movements. To develop new automated AI algorithms to diagnose MCI, and to predict dementia from MCI by analysing corneal nerve images. We aim to enhance our recent patented AI algorithms and produce a microservice capable of differentiating between patients with MCI and without MCI, and predicting the progression of MCI to AD at the time and place of patient care. To validate the new technologies in a clinical study to ensure optimal diagnostic performance. Our integrated imaging and diagnostic solution will be externally validated in 154 people living with MCI and age-related cognitive decline (n=77 each cohort) with the MCI cohort followed-up over 18 months for AD. The diagnostic/predictive accuracy of the solution will be determined. Detection and timely treatment of MCI prevents disability, benefiting both UK and global society. A robust commercialisation plan will be developed to accelerate the translation of this innovative solution for the benefit of patients, the NHS and the UK economy.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is the prime analytical technique across most chemical research. An effective, leading NMR capability is essential for chemistry research. The requested equipment for NMR provision is an investment to save activity ­– manufacturer support for most of the School of Physical Sciences (SPS) NMR spectrometers has ceased or will cease shortly and instruments have begun to fail. Without upgrade there is a risk that this key underpinning core capability at the University of Liverpool (UoL) will become unavailable. The related technique of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is also increasingly an essential tool for physical sciences research.  For the MRI scanner in the Centre for Pre-clinical Imaging (CPI), an upgrade of the hardware is necessary to enable higher-resolution and higher-sensitivity MR spectroscopic methods which are currently beyond the system’s capabilities. This will enable EPSRC projects for example by MR imaging of materials (e.g. polymers and gels) and of drug formulations in living tissue. The proposed equipment underpins UoL activities in the EPSRC themes of Physical Sciences, Energy, Healthcare Technologies, and Manufacturing the Future. The proposed investment not only will allow existing research to continue (80% of Chemistry research groups use NMR facilities with 45 SPS groups being regular users) and will futureproof the NMR facilities and substantially extend the capability and lifespan of the MRI scanner enabling new research directions to be pursued. The equipment will be included in structures that enable multi-user access, in particular, facilitating the work of early career researchers, empowering them to make groundbreaking discoveries that have the potential to benefit society: from the development of next-generation materials to the optimisation of clean energy technologies and the creation of life-saving drugs. Supported by the SPS with strong record on delivering NMR as a shared facility, we propose to acquire the following transformative technologies revitalising the NMR facilities and upgrading the MRI hardware to underpin UoL’s world-leading research: i) a state-of-the-art 400 MHz NMR system reusing an existing magnet that is in good condition enabling multichannel acquisition and equipped with an automation system to streamline sample handling giving significant gains in efficiency and capacity, ii) upgrade of an existing NMR system with a modern broadband probe and low temperature setup to allow multinuclear variable-temperature acquisition, thus providing new, open access capabilities, and iii) a high-power removable imaging gradient insert and microimaging coil for the existing 9.4 T MR scanner designed for high resolution, high sensitivity imaging of smaller samples (~1-12 mm) to dramatically improve achievable spatial resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, and scanning speed. This proposal meets all objectives of the call, viz. underpinning multi-user equipment, investing to save,and support early career researchers and doctoral training activities and will futureproof core analytical capability essential to the research community supporting the wide range of EPSRC-funded research programmes in the SPS and University-wide. The proposed upgrade to SPS NMR and CPI MRI facilities will not only solidify our position at the forefront of EPSRC-funded research but also empower researchers to make groundbreaking discoveries that have the potential to benefit society: from the development of next-generation materials to the optimisation of clean energy technologies and the creation of life-saving drugs, this strategic investment in the core facilities will support our collective research ambitions.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-01

To achieve these, the project will: Test and develop machine learning tools for scraping the web to produce thoroughgoing - human verified - datasets covering live music ecologies. The automated element of this process will be a step-change from prior, resource intensive, data gathering models that have sought to map these ecologies. Combine the venue datasets with publicly available data (e.g. house prices, rateable value, licensing, planning) and commercial data (e.g. ticket prices, attendance), each provided by public and private research partners (local authorities, LIVE, Night-Time Industry Association), and collate these outputs into a reusable, widely applicable, data-driven 'switchboard' that displays economic and social indicators for use by commerce and policymakers alike. Work with partners to explore stakeholder perspectives and establish protocols on the appropriate levels of data aggregation and visualisation on the maps/dashboards to develop transparent and trusted sector agreed baseline data frameworks. Aligning public and commercial datasets, longitudinally and comparatively between cities, will offer new capabilities for informed policymaking beyond the silos of specific departmental concerns, and greatly enhance analytic capacity for industry organisations and academic researchers in promoting civically sustainable cultural development. In pioneering an interoperable digitised/automated approach to mapping live music sectors, to the best of our knowledge, Live Music Mapping Project 2.0 is a world first. With potential for regional, national and international application and impact, developing these systems will enable academics and industry bodies to unlock longitudinal collaborative potential within venue operations and their urban contexts, allowing for critical assessments of metropolitan policies that demonstrate where musical activity adds socio-cultural and economic value, locate regulatory pinch-points that constrain cultural growth, and identify clear markers of success and challenges for night-time economies.