Queen's University Belfast Core Equipment Award 2024

Queen's University Belfast’s (QUB’s) Research Strategy (2021-2030) seeks to attract and support the best global talent, to undertake further research of the highest international standing that addresses societal and planetary challenges, changing the world for the better, and underpins the economic, social and cultural growth of our region. To achieve this ambitious goal requires the procurement and maintenance of state-of-the-art equipment, the foundation for world-leading research. The Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS) at QUB is the primary EPSRC-facing faculty. Our EPS Faculty Research Strategy, and ongoing Technical Review outlines plans to enhance facilities and identify gaps in essential research equipment, with the ambition of ensuring the appropriate resourcing of our research portfolio and capital investments. The research activities undertaken in the EPS Faculty, where this equipment grant will be held, are central to Northern Ireland and the wider UK's economic development. Indeed, by 2030, we will have established a research environment that strengthens both our University and the UK research and innovation landscape. To do so, we seek to acquire equipment that benefits multiple users across our EPSRC-facing staff, supporting researchers from a diverse range of subject areas, career stages, and demographic backgrounds. Our strategy will enhance our research capabilities and ambitions, creating and sustaining a world-class research environment, characterised by cutting-edge facilities, linked with high quality training and support, in alignment with EPSRCs principles of 'World Class Labs ecosystem'. Crucially, the procured equipment allows us to further operate under the ideal of "Best with Best" collaborations with other cutting-edge researchers across the UK and internationally. The equipment we seek is aligned to areas of strength within our research portfolio that have the potential to produce academic, economic, and societal impact relevant to EPSRC’s strategic themes and priorities. The requested equipment was identified from a detailed scoping and decision-making exercise, with items prioritised based on the university's Strategy 2030 research needs, fit to the core equipment call, and the capability of the equipment and technical lead to provide maintenance and sustained operation. ECRs and postgraduate students will always be able to avail of these resources, as we recognise the importance of such equipment for the development of their careers. If successful, equipment will be accommodated in well-established EPS Faculty laboratories, which are supported by well-trained research technical professionals and maintained in a way such that environmental and financial sustainability are core to their operation. Recognising the importance of Place, the equipment we seek to procure will also support a pipeline of doctoral graduate talent, which is necessary to support regional strategies, such as the Northern Ireland Department for the Economy’s 10X strategy, which seeks to deliver a ten times better economy with benefits for all our people, and the innovation pillars of the Belfast Region City Deal, which seek to deliver inclusive economic growth that delivers more and better jobs, a positive impact on the most deprived communities, and a balanced spread of benefits across our region.