science wire

Workers’ strikes and Facebook likes
Research on Egypt is looking at how to read revolution and grass roots opposition through social media.

Can you put a price on health?
As health services strive to improve quality and reduce costs, researchers study the benefits - and the pitfalls - of 'pay for performance' in hospitals.

‘State should expand policy on fuel poverty’

Good progress for integrated care pilot
A report evaluating a new scheme designed to deliver more integrated care to patients in North West London has been published today. The Inner North West London Integrated Care Pilot is a large-scale programme focused on developing new models of care planning and coordination for people with diabetes and those who are over 75 years of age.

Birmingham joins ’The Conversation’ as founding partner
The University of Birmingham has committed support to a new independent news and commentary website produced by academics and journalists, which launches in the UK today.

E.quinox secures funding to light up more homes in Rwanda this summer

Trust in the use of statistics remains low
In light of the UK Statistics Authority's criticism of the Department of Work and Pensions use of figures on welfare benefits, the misrepresentation of statistics is back in the spotlight.

Heritage Lottery award for local history project
Heritage Lottery award for local history project The past will come to life for communities on the doorstep of a new state-of-the-art historical resource centre - after it won Lottery funding for a local history project.

UCL shares in £50m of new funding to help stimulate UK’s economy

A better way to prevent child abuse
New research at The University of Nottingham is calling for changes to a government scheme which engages community nurses in the prevention of child abuse and neglect in the home as part of a maternal and child health care programme.

Cambo Chained: Coalition’s backbench MPs set for rebellion record
The latest study by The University of Nottingham into dissent by backbench MPs has found David Cameron remains on course to head the most rebellious Parliament of any Prime Minister since 1945.

Lewes Road works ahead of schedule

Italy’s new left-right government: not the ’normalisation’ of the country’s politics as yet
On 30 April, more than two months after the general election, a new government was finally able to start work in Italy following a pact between Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right Popolo della Libertà a

Fulbright Lecture 2013
Fulbright Lecture: International Relations in Science & Medicine Dr Harold E Varmus, Director of the US National Cancer Institute, spoke at King's last night about the US government's global programme to tackle the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

The high-tech future of healthcare: a digital health assistant in your home
The UK's healthcare system faces unprecedented challenges. Britain is the most obese nation in Europe and the country's ageing population is especially at risk from isolation, depression, strokes and fractures caused by falls in the home.

Durham secures world-leading status in latest QS Subject Rankings

Mission to measure world’s forest will launch in 2019
An earth observation mission to measure the world's forests from space which was the brain child of a University of Sheffield professor will be launched in 2019.

University partners with Sony to find cure for ’lazy eye’
The University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, have been working with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) to develop special 3-D glasses and games to help treat children suffering from Lazy Eye.

New antiviral treatment could significantly reduce global burden of hepatitis C
Around 150 million people globally are chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) - a major cause of liver disease and the fastest growing cause of liver transplantation and liver cancer. 1   New prevention strategies are urgently required as people are continuing to be infected with HCV.

Jade crowned Eureka Library challenge winner

Keeping our legs free from the pain of cellulitis
In the largest randomised trial of its kind, dermatologists from the UK have discovered that taking low dose penicillin twice a day for a year can reduce the number of repeat episodes of leg cellulitis.

Study allays out-of-hours admissions fears
Children admitted to UK intensive care units in out-of-hours emergencies are at no greater risk of dying than children arriving during normal working hours, according to new research.

Experts warn Latin America ’overwhelmed’ by challenge of cancer
Latin America is set for a full scale ‘cancer-crisis' unless urgent measures are taken to increase investment in public healthcare and extend access to remote populations outside affluent urban areas.

PMQs more ‘please and thank you’ than ‘Punch and Judy’
01 May 2013 The Punch and Judy politics image of Prime Minister's Questions is not an accurate one, according to a University of Manchester linguist.

£4m study of key social issues to help build better public services
Pressing issues such as crime rates, racial segregation, and social inequality are among concerns to be addressed by experts in a £4 million research initiative.

UCL and NYU Wagner announce pioneering joint Global Executive MPA

’Mid-sized’ firms key to UK manufacturing
A new report suggests that global production shift to Asia may have "run its course" and points to "undervalued" mid-sized manufacturing firms as essential to UK economic regrowth It is imperat

Open Access
Introduction and background Open Access to research publications involves making them freely available online rather than charging readers to read and use them. Open Access to research data makes data more widely available for re-use by others to support research, innovation and wider public use.

New medical technologies go from bench to bedside
Six cutting edge medical technologies will be brought closer to the clinic thanks to new research funding at The University of Nottingham. The projects will be funded through the University's Confidence in Concept programme. Nottingham received £400,000 last summer from the Medical Research Council and the Technology Strategy Board's Biomedical Catalyst.

New alliance to develop programme of lung cancer trials
Leading research institutions and hospitals across London have announced plans to transform lung cancer care with a programme of clinical trials.

The future of malaria control is uncertain, according to world-leading academic
Steve Lindsay, Professor in the School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences , is a world-leading authority on the control of malaria.

£1.3m EPSRC grant enables large scale graphene production at Nottingham
£1.3m of funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) will be used to buy a new molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system for The University of Nottingham.

Think you’re an entrepreneur in the making? It’s not as easy as it looks on TV
TV programmes like Dragons' Den and The Apprentice depict entrepreneurial activity unrealistically and set budding entrepreneurs up for a fall, according to a new report published in the International Small Business Journal .

UK-China collaboration to establish new computational resources for metabolomics
A partnership between the University of Birmingham, BGI, the world's largest genomics organisation, and its open-access journal, GigaScience , has received funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to develop a software platform for the analysis of large-scale environmental metabolomics data.

European Commission must innovate to get value from €70 billion science funding programme
The European Commission needs to make some key innovations in its science funding programme if Europe is to enjoy the full benefits of the €70 billion to be spent on science research as part of the H

Leading the way in regenerative medicine
PA 115/13 The University of Nottingham has received a multimillion pound funding boost to its research into regenerative medicine. The University has received £4.6m from the first stage of the UK Regenerative Medicine Platform (UKRMP) to fund a research hub that brings together a team of scientists from the UK and internationally with skills and expertise in a range of areas to tackle the challenges in regenerative medicine.

Resurgence of endangered deer in Patagonian ’Eden’ highlights conservation success
New research shows that collaborative approaches to conservation can give hope to endangered species such as Chilean national icon the Huemul deer.

How have young people’s experiences of unemployment changed since the 1980s?
Research teams from the University of Glasgow and the University of Leicester aim to explore unemployment, insecurity and vulnerability among young people during two key periods of economic instability.

University secures Government funding to improve childbirth in Africa
15 Apr 2013 Manchester midwives are to lead a major research project to improve midwifery services for women and babies in six East African countries. The University of Manchester team will buddy practising midwifes in Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Tanzania to identify ways to improve maternal and child health according to the particular priorities in each area.

True cost of kinship care
A major study published today [15 April] by the University of Bristol  and leading children's grant-giving charity, Buttle UK provides the most comprehensive picture to date of informal kinship care

Fall of diversity in UK's financial services is 'damaging'
A fall in the diversity of the financial services sector is potentially both damaging the resilience of the financial system and reducing effective competition for consumers, according to an Oxford University study for the Building Societies Association.

Plymouth commits to becoming UK’s first dementia friendly university
Plymouth is set to become the country’s first dementia friendly university, furthering its commitment to improving the lives of those affected by the condition.

European fighters in Syrian conflict
Hundreds of Europeans have travelled to Syria since the start of the civil war to fight with rebels against the President, according to a new survey by experts at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) at King's College London.

Sussex to receive share of £84 million boost for doctoral training

Ralph Luck appointed as Real Estate Development Director
King's College London has appointed Ralph Luck OBE to the new post of Real Estate Development Director with effect from 15 April.

Warwick Medical School launches new four million pound Division of Microbiology and Infection
Warwick Medical School has this week established a new four million pound Division of Microbiology and Infection, a vibrant new research community of around twenty staff and post graduate students, headed up by Professor Mark Pallen.

Bill Gates sees how school meals scheme benefits Ghanaian farmers
Imperial's Partnership for Child Development connects schools and local farmers to provide home grown meals for children.

Funding of 6m euros will help child health researchers to work across the globe
The University of Nottingham has secured €6m in funding from the EU to enable post-doctoral researchers in child health to take part in exchanges and collaborations across the globe.

Lottery funding for new sports pitch
Lottery funding for new sports pitch Durham University has successfully bid for £500,000 of National Lottery funding to install a new artificial grass pitch.

Going Public: Professor Stephen Curry on blogging as an academic
Structural biologist Stephen Curry reveals how plugging himself into the public domain has added new perspectives to his research and teaching.

Tagore Centre for Global Thought

Fusion IP: £20m earmarked for investment
 Fusion IP, the AIM-listed company which works with Cardiff as a partner to turn the University's world-class research into business has announced it has raised a further £20M through share issue.

Autism hub launched
A major challenge for researchers working in the field of autism is the capacity to ensure that research knowledge is impacting policy and practitioner communities. While research evidence needs to make more impact on practice and government policy, at the same time, issues central to practitioners and policy makers need to receive more research attention.

University of Glasgow trialling text-message voting system
Computer scientists from the University of Glasgow are holding the first public trial of a cheap, reliable text-message voting system which could allow local authorities to more easily gather feedback from the public.

Nottingham signs agreement with Fusion IP around £20 million spin-out fund
The University of Nottingham has signed an agreement with Fusion IP plc, which will allow the company to invest in the University's emergent spin-out companies.

Access to Russell Group universities ‘far from fair’, according to new research
Access to Russell Group universities is 'far from fair', according to a new study. The research by Dr Vikki Boliver, a lecturer in the School of Applied Social Sciences , shows that applicants from state schools and from black and Asian ethnic backgrounds are less likely to be admitted to Russell Group universities than their peers with the same A-level results from private schools and white ethnic backgrounds.

University of Sheffield joins The Conversation
The University of Sheffield is one of thirteen pioneering UK universities that have joined forces to found 'The Conversation UK' - a new approach to research in the media.

Inspiring Women: in conversation with Prof Dame Sally Davies
To celebrate International Women's Day, the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London invited Professor Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England and the Government's principal medical advisor, to talk about the challenges for women in science.

Technology transfer team receives BBSRC praise for its £12m impact
The University of Nottingham's Technology Transfer Office (TTO) has been nationally recognised by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) for its work in commercialising technologies arising from research into Clostridia.

Civic leadership in Bristol: what difference can a Directly Elected Mayor make?
The mayoral model of governance offers the opportunity to give a real boost to civic leadership in Bristol - according to the majority of respondents in an independent study of leadership in the city carried out just before the mayoral election last November.

Forecasting the future
Internationally recognised social and computer scientists at the Cardiff Online Social Media Observatory (COSMOS) at Cardiff University will analyse tweets to help predict offline social behaviour such as crime and disorder.

Thatcher Archive reveals deep divisions on the road to Falklands War
The Falklands War - the conflict that defined much of Margaret Thatcher's political career and legacy - dominates the release of her personal papers for 1982 at the Churchill Archives Centre from Monday (March 25).

Picturing China exhibition opens in Beijing
An exhibition of historical photographs of China, brought together by a University of Bristol project, was opened at the JW Marriott in Beijing today by the British Ambassador to China, Sebastian Wood CMG.

£1.2m HAT project to create a personal data repository of digital life and a home platform for future services and products
Research led by WMG at the University of Warwick is creating a physical personal digital repository that will record and hold data on both a person's digital footprint and the physical patterns of their daily home life.

You’re Hired! University Apprenticeships add £5m to regional economy
The apprentices will be recruited into a range of roles across the University and will be integral in ensuring the University continues to excel nationally and internationally.

New citizenship test is unfit for purpose, according to immigration expert
Thom Brooks, of Durham University, an expert on citizenship and immigration, said the new Life in the UK citizenship test needed urgent wholesale revision. The Government's latest test takes effect from March 25, 2013. It is based on the third edition of its handbook Life in the United Kingdom: A Guide for New Residents , which was published on January 28, 2013.

International child abductions
Research conducted by Cardiff Law School shows that the efficiency of the system dealing with international child abduction to England and Wales may be under threat. The 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction is an international agreement which aims to ensure the return of an abducted child to the country where he or she usually lives.

Errors are reducing the effectiveness of anti-D injections in pregnant women
Too many clinical errors are occurring with the requesting and administration of anti-D prophylaxis to prevent Rhesus Haemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn (Rh HDFN) in pregnant women, according to a Manchester academic.

UCL Open Access Guidelines and Publications Guide
UCL guidelines on open access and a publications guide are available to UCL researchers. The  RCUK Policy on Open Access  introduces, with effect from 1 April 2013, new open access requirements for research papers funded by the Research Councils.

Huge funding boost for graphene Institute
This is the largest sum of funding awarded this year by the North West European programme, managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government , and allows the University to build the world's leading centre of graphene research.

New app for dementia assessment
A new app to help clinicians assess patients with possible dementia will be unveiled at the Healthcare Innovation Expo 2013 in London tomorrow (Wednesday 13 March 2013).

BEAT-ing Depression in adults with learning disability
A team at the University of Glasgow and collaborators at Bangor University and the University of Lancaster have received £1,207,488 funding from National Institute for Health Research to test the effectiveness of a new treatment for depression for people with a learning disability. Even though depression is the most common type of mental health problem experienced by adults there is a lack of evidence about psychological treatments for people with learning disability.

UCL Spin-out Synthace awarded £500,000 Synthetic Biology Grant
Synthace, a UCL spin-out, has been awarded funding from the Technology Strategy Board for a collaborative project with UCL and the University of Manchester.

Impact of magma input rate on magma chamber growth - granite intrusion or volcanic eruption?
A computational approach which links processes deep below a volcano to potential eruptions is described by researchers at the University of Bristol in a paper published today in the Journal of Geophysical Research. The research could ultimately help scientists to understand magma chamber processes and volcanic eruption timing.

£1m funding boost for ultrasonic needle research
A University of Glasgow-led project which is developing a new form of surgical needle is one of 15 engineering projects to share in £12.2m of new funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Creating jobs
The University's world-leading medical research has helped created 500 new full-time posts and brought some £220M of external funding into the Welsh economy, an audit has uncovered.

Aviation firm funds $1.6m Sussex projects to improve aircraft engines
Aviation firm funds $1.6m Sussex projects to improve aircraft engines One of the world's largest aviation technology companies is funding research at Sussex worth $1.6 million (just over £1 million) to make aircraft engines safer and more efficient.

CMO Dame Sally Davies to see medical innovation on her visit to Nottingham
PA 66/13 Dame Sally C Davies, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Health, will be in Nottingham on Thursday March 7 to see how government funding is supporting biomedical research in the city.

Fall in heroin and crack use as drugs lose appeal, particularly for the young
The latest estimates support the continuing shift away from the most harmful drugs, particularly among younger people.

New Master of Pembroke College appointed

Global burden of disease study shows mixed picture for UK health
These data are revealed by a special analysis of the high profile Global Burden of Disease Study 2010, published in The Lancet today (Tuesday).

New funding to unlock the mysteries of how babies’ brains develop
A new project to discover how brains develop during the last third of pregnancy has received €15 million from the European Research Council (ERC) as one of only 11 new prestigious Synergy grants throughout Europe.

Scientists to support the manufacture of future electronics
Scientists are being backed by government to put the UK at the forefront of a growing global high-tech electronics industry.

Setting the European agenda on healthy ageing
UCL has reflected on the European research agenda relating to healthy ageing and independent living.  A workshop jointly organised by UCL and Imperial College London resulted in the League of European Research Universities (LERU) Declaration on Active and Healthy Ageing.

Training scheme to prevent infections in Rwanda

Scientists awarded grant to determine UK’s greenhouse gas emissions
Researchers in the University of Bristol's Atmospheric Chemistry Research Group (ACRG), in collaboration with scientists around the country, have been awarded funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to provide an independent 'top-down' check on the UK's greenhouse gas emissions estimates.

University awarded funding to work with cultural organisations

Pupils in Tanzania receive boost to learning thanks to anonymous donor

Researcher’s six recommendations for ending Colombia’s civil war
The Sussex Centre for Conflict and Security Research (SCSR) has released a policy brief entitled ‘Ending Colombia's Internal Conflict: Prospects for Peace with the FARC and Beyond' .

Warm British welcome for Jews fleeing Nazis a ‘myth’
Bill Williams, from the University's Centre for Jewish Studies, has cast new light on the way Britons responded to the desperate plight of Jews fleeing Germany after the Nazis came to power.

Independent investigation reveals communities’ thoughts on Government’s Green Deal
Implications and challenges surrounding the Governments energy-efficiency flagship programme the Green Deal have been raised by University of Sheffield researchers following an investigation into what low income communities in the Yorkshire and Humberside region think of the scheme.

On the hunt for the best new graphene ideas

How the Industrial Revolution is part of Manchester’s new revolution
Cellars from rows of 1830s terraced houses and the remnants of the Albert Club have been unearthed by archaeologists beginning work at the new £61m Institute at The University of Manchester – the home of graphene.

IP Group signs flagship agreement with The University of Manchester
The University of Manchester, a member of the Russell Group, is one of the country's major research universities.

Scientists awarded £1M to advance cell imaging techniques
Researchers at the University of Liverpool have been awarded £1 million to advance imaging techniques in improving understanding of the processes that occur inside living cells.

UCL European Institute - second call for proposals
The UCL European Institute has funding available for projects that lead to or support collaborative research-based projects on Europe or the European Union.

Widespread badger cull will not prevent TB in cattle, concludes new Durham University research
A widespread badger cull will not solve the problem of tuberculosis in cattle, according to new research by Durham University. But the study says that it may play a part in controlling infection levels in problem hotspots in the UK. It has been claimed that controlling badger numbers would reduce the spread of TB in cattle and a cull is due to begin this summer.

Nuclear engineer appointed to top Government role

New hall of residence purchased in W3

Retribution and restoration: Bosnia on trial
In the current social reality, perpetrators enjoy many more benefits offered by the judicial system than the victims." —Representative from the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.

Schools Liaison Officer Diary: Selwyn in Scotland 2013

Improving patient care is the focus of a new project at Imperial
Bringing data from GPs and hospitals together to improve healthcare is the focus of a new £2million project by researchers from Imperial College London in conjunction with the Peter Sowerby Foundation. There is a wealth of data in the NHS but it is often held in separate, isolated, pockets at hospitals and in GP surgeries.

Vince Cable visits Oxford University
The Rt Hon Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, visited Oxford University on 13 February to hear more about how world-class Oxford research gets translated into commercial applications with benefits for the economy, health and the environment.

Hospitals under pressure from rise in admissions of kids with infections
The number of children admitted to hospital as emergencies has steadily increased every year since 2003, with the largest rises seen among the under 5s, an Oxford University study has found.

Dame Nancy in Woman’s Hour power list
A panel of judges compiled a list of the country's 100 most influential females for Radio 4's Woman's Hour.

Out of the ashes of Empire
—Dr Barak Kushner Barack Obama's resolution to kick off foreign policy for his second term with a tour of the Asia-Pacific region, at the end of 2012, was testimony not only to that area's growing economic importance, but also to the  increasing significance of its politics.

Renewable energy targets unachievable in an independent Scotland experts warn
The Scottish government's ambitious targets for renewable energy would become “politically unachievable” in an independent Scotland, experts have warned.

Global economic institute creates partnership with Cambridge economists
The support which went into the setting up of the institute is recognition of the quality and importance of our research." —Sanjeev Goyal Economists at the University of Cambridg

Pembroke College Summer Programme: Writers and Spies and the New City
In summer as in term time, Pembroke will provide the elegant and serene context for exceptional and exhilarating conversations." The summers of 2013 and 2014 will see three exciting additions to Pembroke College's already impressive portfolio of summer programmes.

Identity of mystery marine pollutant
Scientists at Plymouth University appear to have identified the ‘mystery’ waxy oil-like substance which has been polluting seabirds along the south coast of the UK.

Government funds projects to reduce cost of Carbon Capture technology
Three projects based on Imperial research will share almost half of £20 million new funding from the UK Government to reduce the cost of low carbon energy.

Cambridge University to host free teachers conference this April

Nottingham and Birmingham projects to strengthen UK-Brazil research links
PA 33/13 The Universities of Nottingham and Birmingham have strengthened their collaborations with Brazilian institutions after securing funding for a number of country-specific research projects. Academics from both universities have won funding from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) to undertake research into priority areas spanning the sciences, social sciences and humanities.

Birmingham and Nottingham projects to strengthen UK-Brazil research links
The Universities of Birmingham and Nottingham have strengthened their collaborations with Brazilian institutions after securing funding for a number of country-specific research projects.

Class act: University pays tribute to Labour’s first Education Secretary

Inspiring the researchers of the future
Manchester is one of 12 universities to have been awarded funding by Research Councils UK (RCUK) through its new national School-University Partnerships Initiative (SUPI).

ERC Advanced Grants fund exceptional research at UCL
Funding totalling £12.9 million has been awarded to researchers at UCL by the European Research Council (ERC) under the Advanced Grants programme, which supports research leaders to develop ground-breaking projects and support pioneering research with far-reaching impact.

Vultures foraging far and wide face a poisonous future
African vultures face an increasing risk of fatal poisoning, according to Durham University research.

Young researcher receives grant to make gas turbines greener
For the next five years, Aimee Morgans (Aeronautics) will receive funding for her research into lower emissions for gas turbine combustors following a successful grant application to the European Research Council (ERC).

New research centre will investigate copyright in a digital world
A new centre dedicated to examining the changing nature of copyright and the need for new business models in the digital age is being launched today (Thursday 31 January) at the University of Glasgow.

Boost for Wales’ innovation culture
A new initiative to transfer more of Wales' cutting-edge university research into business to support the Welsh economy and build an 'innovation culture' has received a funding boost from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW).

Partnership brings new Health Services to Devonport
Devonport residents are set to get access to new health services, thanks to a new partnership agreement between Plymouth University and Plymouth Community Healthcare.

A new chapter opens in the study of the Assyrian empire
There is a huge amount to be learnt about the Assyrian civilisation from investigation of the thousands of Assyrian sites in north east Iraq, which was the hub of the empire." —Dr John

Endangered species project receives vital funding
The University's Danau Girang Field Centre in Borneo has received over £300,000 of funding from the Sime Darby Foundation.

New guidelines to curb waste on infrastructure
A new approach to procuring and managing large infrastructure projects based on work by University of Leeds academics promises to cut wasteful spending.

Europe pledges one billion euros on graphene as platform for emerging technologies
The integration of these new materials could bring a new dimension to future technologies, creating faster, thinner, stronger, more flexible broadband devices." —Andrea Ferrari T

Devolution is driving force behind UK renewable energy agenda
A new study concludes that devolution has played a significant role in the expansion of renewable energy deployment in the UK, with Scotland leading the way on renewable energy delivery ahead of Northern Ireland and Wales.

More imaginative approach should be adopted by Government to rescue Remote Care

Double Success for University spin-outs
Fusion IP, the university IP commercialisation company that turns world class research into business has announced key achievements from two Cardiff spin-outs, Asalus and Diurnal.  Asalus, a spin-out company founded on the innovative research work of Neil Warren, from the School of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education has successfully completed a 'first-in-man' trial of its lead product Ultravision TM , a revolutionary electrosurgical smoke clearing system for use in laparoscopic surgery.

Attendance up at annual Postgraduate Open Day

South West research intensive universities join forces for new collaboration
The Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter today announced a formal collaboration, bringing together a high concentration of research expertise and capability in the South West of England and Wales.

Cambridge Enterprise announces 2012 results
The amount of follow-on funding raised demonstrates the market's confidence in our portfolio companies, and also shows the importance of the early-stage support and funding which Cambridge Enterprise provides." —Tony Raven Cambridge Enterprise works with University inventors and entrepreneurs to get young, high-risk companies to the stage where they can attract outside investment, through mentoring, planning advice and seed funding.

From conservation of rare species to murder cases: NERC-funded research at Bristol is making an impact
A recent look at how research at the University of Bristol has had an impact beyond academia has illustrated the diversity and global reach of Bristol's research portfolio.

Welsh Crucible in Europe
Promising research leaders from across Wales are visiting Brussels this week to showcase the benefits of their personal, professional and leadership programme to the European Parliament.

£2.4 million to connect communities in key decision making
A research programme that aims to develop new ways of engaging communities in decision making with businesses and policy makers will begin thanks to funding of £2.4 million from the Economic and Socia

How is influenza transmitted between people?
PA 18/13 A major new study will further uncover how the influenza virus is transmitted between people. The Evaluating Modes of Influenza Transmission (EMIT) study will see researchers administer flu virus to people in a quarantined setting, enabling them to further examine how influenza is transmitted from person to person, potentially impacting on how the spread of illness is prevented in the future.

Professor Rod Kedward
An academic at Sussex from its earliest days, Rod Kedward, who is made a Doctor of Letters on Thursday (24 January 2013 retired as Emeritus Professor of History in 2002 after 40 years of teaching and research.

UCL well represented in the New Years Honours list

Algeria’s long and complex battle against the Islamists, and its relationship with Mali, by Dr Berny Sèbe
The hostage crisis on a BP oil base at Tiguentourine in Southern Algeria brings the issue of Islamist groups back to Algeria, where they developed in the early 1990s before the Algerian army routed t

Geo-energy technologies boost
Welsh Government Deputy Minister for European Programmes, Alun Davies, has announced a £1M EU boost for a project to further develop groundbreaking geo-energy technologies and pioneer research in a bid to cut fuel costs and greenhouse emissions.

Business Secretary Vince Cable praises Sussex Innovation Centre

€6 million for research in to fetal growth restriction
UCL researchers in a successful academic-industrial collaboration have been awarded an EU Framework Programme 7 Grant of almost €6 million to develop a therapy for fetal growth restriction.

Lord Williams of Oystermouth admitted as Master of Magdalene College

Entries encouraged for Peterhouse Essay Prizes

Early HIV treatment may slow disease progression
A 48-week course of antiretroviral medication taken in the early stages of HIV infection slows the damage to the immune system and delays the need for long term treatment, according to research published today in the New England Journal of Medicine . However, the delay was only marginally longer than the time already spent on treatment.

Austerity Britain: it’s déjà vu all over again
The size of the current task most closely resembles that of 1931, when the cuts fell principally on the unemployed." —Duncan Needham, Centre for Financial History In May 2010, Br

First look at world-leading graphene Institute
The stunning, glass-fronted National Graphene Institute (NGI) will be the UK's home of research into the world's thinnest, strongest and most conductive material, providing the opportunity for researchers and industry to work together on a huge variety of potential applications.

New collaboration receives funding to merge books, print and technology
A University of Bristol project is one of eight new collaborations exploring books and print as historical, contemporary and future phenomena to receive funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

Applications open for Homerton College 2013 Summer Schools

Scientists receive grants of over €25m from European Research Council

More ethnically diverse populations for UK local areas
In 40 years' time the UK will be a more diverse but more integrated society, according to research at the University of Leeds.

New PVC for Research joins Sussex
The University's new Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) took up his post this week. Michael Davies has come from Auckland, where he was Dean of Engineering and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University's innovation campus, to join Sussex.

New Year recognition for Cambridge people

New Year Honours 2013
Five Oxford University academics have been recognised in the New Year Honours, announced on 29 December.

Can your phone double up as your life-coach?
If the ubiquitous phone in your pocket can also assist with better living in general it's a win/win situation." —Dirk Trossen On January 1 st , millions of people will wake up with their sore heads full of New Year resolutions to achieve more fulfilling, less stressful lives.

Having a Polar Christmas
Looking back at accounts of Christmas celebrations, the diaries of explorers are full of salacious details about the food and drink served on Christmas Day, focusing especially on the quality of

Graves to be home of Sheffield 2012 Olympic legacy centre
The Sheffield headquarters of the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine developed with the University of Sheffield will be based at Graves Tennis and Leisure Centre.

Pairing scheme sees return visit
Andrew Miller, Labour MP for Ellesmere Port & Neston has made his return visit to the University of Liverpool, as part of the Royal Society Pairing Scheme.

£6M funding for XMaS facility
The University of Liverpool's world-leading x-ray magnetic scattering (XMaS) facility has been awarded £6million funding to continue its study of the microscopic and atomic structure of matter.