Environment submissions database

Strategy: The Way Forward 2018-2023 ambitions underwent rapid review, consultation, and reprioritisation in summer 2020. A new version, The Way Forward: COVID Recast (2020), pivots on five critical success factors: 1. The health and wellbeing of our staff and students 2. Financial sustainability 3. Student satisfaction and experience 4. Research grants and contracts 5. Civic mission and our contribution to rescue, revive and renew Return to campus: The pandemic impacted Cardiff researchers, through remote working; inability to access facilities, laboratories and archives; and challenges completing fieldwork. Since March 2020, when only essential or Covid-19 research was allowed, we supported staff and PGR students undertaking research on campus. Our in-house asymptomatic Covid-19 screening service enabled regular testing of campus-based staff and students, ensuring their health and safety. By the end of 2020, almost 600 staff and 300 PGRs were regularly accessing University research facilities, mostly in the biomedical, life and physical sciences. Human participant research restarted later, in September 2020. Guidance around remote working and digital tools, including access to digital libraries, secure online data storage and supercomputing capabilities, additionally supported staff and PGRs. GCRF and international programmes quickly adapted to online engagement and delivery, given travel restrictions. Although Wales underwent further lockdowns (October-November 2020; December-submission), Cardiff remained operational throughout. Our Innovation Campus continued to progress, with support from business partners, Welsh Government and other key stakeholders. Staff and student support: Cardiff provided funding, study spaces and additional time for those affected by Covid-19, including researchers with caring responsibilities. Where staff had to prioritise teaching over research, we committed to considering this during hiring, promotions and investment decisions. Cardiff provided additional stipends for Cardiff-funded PGRs with significant Covid-19 disruption, complementing that provided to UKRI PGRs. The UKRI Covid-19 grant allocation, and HEFCW’s HE Investment and Recovery Fund, enabled funded extensions for delayed UKRI and non-UKRI projects. This is facilitating positive career outcomes for early career staff, and continues to be a core part of our future R&I objectives. Impact on REF preparations: The new REF submission window addressed slowed delivery of REF work, caused by home-schooling, caring responsibilities, illness and increased teaching workloads. Some impact was delayed or stopped, with challenges obtaining evidence statements where organisations closed or focused on Covid-19 mitigations. Covid-19 contributions: Cardiff researchers made significant contributions to resolving challenges presented by Covid-19. The Wales Centre for Public Policy supported the First Minister’s Expert Advisory Group with briefing papers on Covid-19 economic and social recovery. Bioinformatics work with Public Health Wales (Connor) contributed key sequencing data for the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium, informing Welsh and UK Government decision-making. Similarly, analyses of student movement between university and home on Covid-19 transmissibility (Harper) supported Welsh Government decision-making. Other Covid-19 research included: (a) hosting the PAN-COVID database of coronavirus cases from pregnancy to birth; (b) lockdown impacts on mental health of children and young people; (c) public attitudes to the pandemic; (d) Covid-19 impacts on creative freelancers; and (e) measurement of Covid-19 transmission via waste.