We had such excellent outcomes from our UK-Canada Collaboration Development Awards (CDAs) in 2012 that we decided to run them again this year (here’s the announcement). We got 86 applications, and were able to fund 11 based on their ability to deliver mutually beneficial outcomes for Canada and the UK. It was a very strong field, but a few applications stood out with plans to develop new bilateral research collaborations, tackle priority areas of research and create new opportunities for industry:
M Baker, Newcastle University | J Norton, University of Saskatchewan
- Establish data sharing and diagnostic technology for motor neuron disease, ultimately leading to clinical trials.
B Blight, University of Kent | G Shimizu, University of Calgary
- Develop new materials for energy production and carbon dioxide capture based on metal-organic frameworks.
M Button, Royal Military College of Canada | M Watts, British Geological Survey
- Increase understanding of nutrient availability in soils through geochemsitry and microbial activity, with a view to restoring low-nutrient areas.
J Dent, McGill University | M Wigglesworth, AstraZeneca
- Establish a screening protocol for high-throughput screening of anti-helminthic drug lead compounds.
I Greig, University of Aberdeen | R Ross, University of Toronto
- Establish collaborations in cardiovascular pharmacology between the Kosterlitz Centre for Therapeutics and the Centre for Collaborative Drug Research.
D Howell, University of Toronto | J Corner, University of Southampton
- Develop research priorities and knowledge exchange in self-management for cancer survivors.
J Leitch, University of Oxford | R Ferber, University of Calgary
- Examine 3- versus 8-camera gait analysis systems and develop algorithms to detect gait events.
K McGhee, Bournemouth University | J Austin, University of British Columbia
- Create a new UK platform on psychiatric genetic counselling and its use in healthcare.
D Ryan, Natural Resources Canada | B Anthony, Cranfield University
- Identify the effects of carbon dioxide/impurities on rock/wellbore materials, and investigate the use of carbon dioxide for enhanced unconventional oil/gas recovery.
S Skone, University of Calgary | B Forte, University of Bath
- Advance models of the effect of adverse space weather conditions on global navigation satellite systems.
G Tranmer, University of Manitoba | I Baxendale, University of Durham
- Explore (through workshops and applicability to global health) flow chemistry techniques for pharmaceutical sciences.
We’ll aim to post updates on all of these projects when they take place. As always, keep an eye on this blog, Twitter and Tumblr for updates.