University of Reading Engagement and Impact Awards

From securing African farmers’ futures to building the confidence of Reading mums who’ve been out of the job market for a while, 12 research projects making a real-world impact have been shortlisted for the University of Reading’s Research Engagement and Impact Awards. The winners will be announced at an Awards ceremony on 25 June, and University colleagues, stakeholders and anyone with an interest in our research is warmly invited to attend.

Entries were whittled down to the top 12 by a panel including Professor Parveen Yaqoob, Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation. Judges were impressed by the quality and breadth of the applications.

Spanning climate science, education, law, design, global development and computer science, the shortlist represents a broad cross-section of Reading research benefiting people locally, nationally and globally.

One of the selected projects, ‘Marvellous mums’ supports local, less socially advantaged women, many of whom have been out of work for some time. The programme, led by Professor Carol Fuller, is boosting women’s confidence and self-esteem and empowering them to make changes that will help them develop more fulfilling lives for themselves and their families.

And on an international scale, millions of small-holder farmers across Africa can now look forward to a more secure future thanks to satellite-derived estimates of rainfall that are helping insurance companies provide effective cover against drought. That’s thanks to the TAMSAT project, led by Professor Emily Black, which allows farmers to get weather-index insurance that pays out if cumulative rainfall drops below a pre-agreed threshold, even if their farm is a long way from a rain gauge.

The full list of shortlisted projects is:

• Emily Black – Drought insurance using TAMSAT rainfall estimates
• Tony Capstick – Language for resilience in refugee settings
• Joanna Clark – Loddon Catchment Consultancy (GV2LCC)
• Rebecca Emerton and Andrea Ficchi – Real-time flood briefings for humanitarian emergency response to cyclones in Mozambique
• Federico Faloppa – Leading Amnesty International’s task force against hate speech in Italy
• James Ferryman – Biometrics Research Leads to Frictionless and More Secure Border Crossings
• Carol Fuller – Marvellous Mums/Marvellous Me
• Rosa Freedman – Safeguarding Children from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Conflict and Crisis Zones
• Hilary Geoghegan – Opening up science for all (OPENER)
• Christopher Newdick – Priority Setting in the NHS
• Natthapoj VincentTrakulphadetkrai – Maths through stories
• Sue Walker – Information design, architecture, pharmacy: getting the message across about AMR

At the Awards ceremony there will be an opportunity to learn more about the shortlisted projects through quickfire 2-minute presentations and posters from the shortlisted researchers and there will be an address from guest speaker Paul Manners, Director of the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement. The event will be hosted by Professor Parveen Yaqoob, Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation.

Register to attend

Watch a film of last year’s winners

Find out more about the Research Impact and Engagement Awards.