Environment submissions database

ARU has responded proactively to the effects of COVID-19 on our research environment. Since March 2020 we have worked tirelessly and at pace to support each other, our research collaborators and funders to re-design and re-prioritise our work so that it could continue during the pandemic, as well as supporting the wider community. When the pandemic began, we moved all research off-campus. We formed the ARU COVID-19 research group with oversight of our COVID-19 research and launched a webpage specifically to describe our contribution (https://aru.ac.uk/coronavirus/our-research). Our medical research includes the development of rapid PCR-based diagnostic tests for COVID-19; discovery of new drugs for treatment of COVID-related fibrosis and the effect of COVID-19 on eye health. A population survey launched on the eve of national lockdown in March 2020 produced unique insights into how self-isolation has affected the health, behaviour and wellbeing of UK citizens. With Perdana University, Malaysia, we have shown that spending time outdoors under lockdown has a beneficial impact on psychological wellbeing, helps maintain social relationships with others, and results in engagement in physical activity. The experience of frontline Healthcare Professionals struggling through the unfolding pandemic has been vividly captured in StoryLab’s global project “The Frontline”. We have supported our researchers to continue their research and innovation activities off-campus, through providing IT infrastructure, equipment, and office furniture. Support for the increased costs associated with greater home internet usage is available and access to online resources, conferences and development events has been increased. Our long-standing Undergraduate Research Internship Scheme has continued, with projects reworked to take place remotely. Where research continued on campus, specific health & safety and risk assessment processes are in place to keep our researchers safe. Support for our PGR community has been overseen by a dedicated leadership team, established by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research & Innovation) and the Dean of the Doctoral School at the time of the first national lockdown, with representatives from the PGR community. This team has provided peri-pandemic leadership, planning, support and oversight of PGR progress. PGR community-building events have been arranged. Training, development and assessment have moved online with 36 successful viva completions between 1 March and 31 July 2020 and our Research Student Conference in June 2020. To assist the wider community ARU has donated personal protective equipment, ventilators and Polymerase Chain Reaction machines to the NHS. Our staff and research students have volunteered to work in NHS facilities. We put in place a support scheme for business including 8-week internships and/or £5,000 innovation vouchers, and providing research-related support for business recovery (leading to six students obtaining permanent jobs). A multimillion-pound UK Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government contract delivers a European Regional Development Fund programme to provide SMEs with innovation support. Our Global Sustainability Institute is assisting companies conduct a “Green Skills Audit” so that they can work in a “greener” way after the pandemic, while our Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences leads on COVID-19 support for organisations and individuals in the creative industries.