The virtual “Achievements of GCRF START” grant close out meeting will be held on Monday 7th June 2021, 11:00 – 13:30 (BST) and chaired by one of our grant Co-Investigators Professor Sir Richard Catlow, the Foreign Secretary at The Royal Society and an eminent scientist developing and applying computer models to solid state and materials chemistry. This grant has ensured that over 80 researchers have collaborated across the continents and resulted in over 45 publications linked to the UN sustainable development goals.
During our meeting we will share with you some of our achievements, early career impacts and the importance of Diamond’s collaboration. Please see our agenda below:
11:00 – Welcome by Professor Sir Richard Catlow
11:10 – Energy Materials Achievements
11:50 – Structural Biology Achievements
12:40 – Overview from STFC funding
12:55 – Principal Investigator Overview
13:15 – Closing remarks by Professor Sir Richard Catlow
Here is a little more information about our grant:
GCRF START is a collaborative project supported by STFC that seeks to foster the development of Synchrotron Techniques for African Research and Technology (START). One of the cornerstones of the grant is to build partnerships between world leading scientists in Africa and the UK – working together on research using synchrotron science. Africa does not yet have a synchrotron light source, but researchers are keen to apply synchrotron techniques to their research problems. GCRF START funds research posts in Africa and the UK, focusing on two research areas, energy materials and structural biology for healthcare, both crucial to African development.
At the heart of GCRF START sits the community of co-investigators whose work in the relevant scientific disciplines is world-leading in their fields. They support a wider group of students and post-doctoral researchers whose contribution to GCRF START is vital to nurture future capacity and leadership in the African scientific research community. Working on experiments at the UK’s synchrotron, Diamond Light Source, START researchers and students are bringing insights to sustainable energy and improvement in health that will have long-lasting legacies across Africa.
The motivation for GCRF START comes from the societal challenges faced by African communities; for example, 600 million people (70%) in sub-Saharan Africa live without electricity, and a reliable electricity supply is one of the most powerful tools for lifting people out of poverty and ending their dependency on aid. GCRF START researchers are investigating energy materials, including solar cell structures, catalysts and batteries. Development of healthcare in Africa is hampered by a lack of fundamental understanding of the cause in diseases such as malaria or HIV. Structural biology gives unprecedented insight into the mechanisms behind such diseases.
Please feel free to read more on our website: https://start-project.org/
If you would like to join us, please make sure to register for the webinar by 11:00 (BST) on Monday, 7th June 2021.
We look forward to welcoming you to our event.
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