Environment submissions database

Strathclyde has been significantly affected by COVID-19 disruption. However, we have focused on mitigation and re-planning research, while ensuring that we safeguard the wellbeing and health of our people. The pandemic significantly impacted on our ability to undertake research, our ability to publish and communicate our research and our ability to work with others in higher education, industry, government and the third sector. This was particularly disruptive during the lockdowns and transitions into them. The response of our staff and students to the pandemic and its challenges has been to quickly find new ways of working, to continue to pursue their outcomes and to contribute wherever possible to efforts to alleviate the pandemic and its effects. This has meant prioritising access to essential laboratories on campus, while adapting research to data, software and home-based activities where possible. The mitigations to the REF2021 process have been both needed and welcomed, given the additional pressure and stress that our colleagues are operating under. Strathclyde rapidly transitioned to a working from home model and were the first in the sector to introduce Friday Rest Days to support staff and students with their wellbeing and caring requirements. This was offered to staff for the first three months of the pandemic. Following this, we moved to “Meeting Free Friday” and the Principal’s widely communicated encouragement to reduce email traffic on a Friday. This was intended to allow space for our staff to focus on their key activities such as research and research administration, which otherwise might be hindered by pandemic working arrangements. As a result, we have few COVID impact statements, even for our impact cases. These became “Rest and Recuperation” days for the duration of the second lockdown. UKRI awarded the University an additional £707k of funding as a COVID-19 Grant Extension Allocation (CoA), to provide additional resources to ensure we could sustain our UKRI Research and Fellowship portfolio. In particular, this allowed us to extend researchers’ contracts. We formed a Governance Board to take strategic oversight of the management of the award, and through a thorough process considering health, caring and EDI factors alongside research impact the funds were disbursed. We made good use of the UKRI COVID-19 Phase 1 and Phase 2 Doctoral Extension Schemes. Our decision panels were Chaired by senior officers, and comprised of senior representatives from all Faculties of the University, as well as representatives from the Department of Access, Equality and Inclusion, and the University’s Disability and Wellbeing Services. As a result, 119 students were supported. In response to these UKRI extension funds, the University then replicated them for non-UKRI funded students, providing support for fee and stipend for up to 3 months. We have leveraged our research expertise to help tackle the pandemic, and have been awarded £3,953,526 for research to combat Covid-19 or understand its effects more. This has been from a range of funders including CSO, Horizon2020, HSE, Scottish Government, SFC and UKRI.