Completed Public Health & Healthcare Economics & Business

Institutional Strategic Support Fund Phase2 FY2014/16

Funder Wellcome Charity-funded
Recipient organisation Cardiff University
Funding £1.6M
Period Apr 2015 — Oct 2018

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

Cardiff University is using a Wellcome Trust award to weave its biomedical research into a broader web of computing, physical sciences, humanities, and social sciences. This funding addresses a structural gap: specialised research silos rarely talk to each other, yet many of the most stubborn problems in health—such as how the immune system interacts with the brain, or how cancer evades treatment—require insights from multiple disciplines. The university has identified five priority themes—Immunology, Infection & Inflammation; Mind, Brain & Neuroscience; Cancer; Public Health & Integrative Biosystems—and will use the money to seed new collaborations, hire academic staff, and buy equipment that no single department could justify alone. If successful, this approach could accelerate the translation of fundamental biological discoveries into clinical tools and public health interventions. The impact is not a single breakthrough but a more resilient research infrastructure: faster pilot studies, stronger cross-institutional ties, and a pipeline that turns curiosity-driven science into practical applications. Previous rounds of this fund have already supported seven project grants, thirty-one seedcorn grants, and eight mobility awards, demonstrating that flexible, strategic investment can reshape how a university tackles health challenges.

View original technical description
The Trust’s major directions for use of this Fund are as follows: 1. To assist the Institution in developing its research strategy across College’s and Schools 2. To encourage new inter-departmental synergies, cross-disciplinary collaborations, and inter-institutional initiatives 3. To add value to existing Wellcome Trust investments in the Institution. Strengthening Biomedical and Clinical SciencesCardiff University will build on successes of the first ISSF Award, widening the portfolio to encompass all the priority research areas in the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences (CBLS). We will build new links with relevant research in computing, physical sciences, humanities and social sciences and consolidate ties with partner Universities in the South West. CBLS, which includes all the Health-related Schools in the University, has recently completed a comprehensive review of its research portfolio and identified five Themes around which investment will be focused: Immunology, Infection & Inflammation; Mind, Brain & Neuroscience; Cancer; Public Health & Integrative Biosystems. The ISSF Award will impact in all these areas. Previous ISSF success 2013The Award, with matched funding, supported new academic appointments, seven project grants, thirty-one seedcorn grants and eight mobility awards. Infrastructure was supported through substantial spend on new equipment. Public engagement was supported through contributions to high profile local events and stand-alone meetings.

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Researchers

Colin Riordan (EPMC Awardee)

Related Research

Grants with similar aims, by meaning.

Institutional Strategic Support Fund 2011/12.

Original classification

Institutional Strategic Support Fund

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