Boosting research at Cardiff University via the Wellcome Trust’s
Institutional
Strategic
Support
Fund
October 2016 Review
2
College of Biomedical Life Sciences
Strengthening Biomedical and
Clinical Sciences Research at
Cardiff
ISSF2 built on the success of ISSF1 by widening our
approach to encompass our five priority Research
Themes within the College of Biomedical and Life
Sciences (BLS).
We also looked to boost collaboration with researchers
in the physical sciences, humanities and social
sciences, and consolidate ties with other Universities,
including in the South West.
What is the Wellcome Trust
Institutional Strategic Support
Fund (ISSF)?
The Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support
Fund (ISSF) provides UK-based universities with funds
for investment in research of strategic importance to
the Institution. Awards are flexible in scope, allowing
host institutions to use the funding for a range of
diverse activities, from biomedical research to social
and cultural studies, from applied R&D to public
engagement. Funded universities are encouraged to
invest in areas of unmet need, including early careers
and interdisciplinary initiatives.
Cardiff has held two ISSF awards. The most recent
secured £1.5m over two years (2014-2016), with the
College of Biomedical and Life Sciences providing
£1.5m match funding to the award.
Aims of ISSF2
To catalyze key priority areas aligned to the
College research strategy
To encourage new cross-disciplinary
collaborations across the College
To add value to existing Wellcome Trust
investments at the Institution.
Cardiff University
£1.5m
for ISSF2
2014-2016
secured
run between
£1.5m match funding
to the award.
with the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences providing
Integrative Biosystems
Cancer
Immunology, Infection
and Inflammation
Mind, Brain and
Neuroscience
Population Health
www.cardiff.ac.uk/bls/issf
3
Broad Benefit:
In ISSF2, all Schools in BLS received ISSF funding for
research or engagement activities. This reflects the
goal of the College to invest in the very best science
across BLS.
ISSF Management Board & Expert Review Advisors:
Delivery of the ISSF schemes was guided by the
ISSF Management Board, chaired by the Pro Vice-
Chancellor for the College (Professor Dylan Jones),
and including ISSF Panel Leads and College Research
Theme Leads. Review of applications was based on
peer review involving individuals from all Schools in
the College.
Future:
The College has just been awarded funding for ISSF3.
This new award focuses on key areas of unmet need
in the College, including enhancing opportunities
for early career researchers, equality and diversity
and providing the right form of support at different
career stages. Further details about schemes will be
provided shortly.
For any further information on ISSF, please contact
Mrs Swapna Khandavalli, ISSF Administrator &
Research Support Officer, BLS, at:
ISSF1
ISSF2
Medicine 66%
Psychology 19%
Optometry 7%
Biosciences 6%
Pharmacy 2%
Medicine 46%
Psychology 17%
Biosciences 15%
Pharmacy 9%
Healthcare 5%
Optometry 4%
Dentistry 4%
4
College of Biomedical Life Sciences
What did we do with ISSF1 &
ISSF2 funding?
Strategic recruitment of senior
staff in neuroscience and
immunology. These were
Professors Jeremy Hall and Philip
Taylor.
New core posts in informatics,
generating an embedded group
now supporting a wide range
of data analysis and training
requests across the College.
New research activities via small-
scale grants for research and
mobility, with a particular focus
on interdisciplinary collaboration
across BLS Research Themes,
as well as linkage to the
social sciences and medical
humanities.
New equipment of benefit to
researchers across the College:
• PhotonIMAGER Optima
• Fluidigm’s microfluidic devices
C1TM and BioMark HD
system LEEC Crystallisation
Incubator, Formulatrix Rock
Imager
• Cell-IQ System; Mass-director
preparative high performance
liquid (pHPLC)chromatography
system
Enabling a wide range of public
engagement activities.
www.cardiff.ac.uk/bls/issf
5
Bioinformatics Hub
“With ISSF Funding we have built a data analysis
resource available to all College researchers,
contributing to two weekly, drop-in data clinics.”
ISSF funding supports two core data analysis
posts. This investment forms a service-hub
supporting research grant applications, study
design and data analysis across the College. A
request for support can be made via two weekly
drop-in Data Clinics, held within the University.
For contact please email data-clinic@cardiff.ac.uk
– Robert Andrews (CBLS), Core posts.
Developing novel online cognitive tests of spatial
perception and memory for use in UK population
cohorts, starting with ALSPAC
“The ISSF Population Pilot helped us develop new
web-based cognitive tasks sensitive to cognitive
aging, and we are now piloting the use of this in
a population study in collaboration with Bristol
University. It helped us make the transition to
cognitive epidemiological approaches, and build
on research opportunities afforded by GW4.” –
Kim Graham (PSYCH), Population Pilot Award.
Contextualising deprived women’s risky health
behaviours within pregnancy: a qualitative
longitudinal study using visual methods to inform
future intervention co-development
‘’Within the health and wellbeing in pregnancy
project, funded by the ISSF Public Health Award,
my team has used visual, participatory and
creative methods to understand barriers and
facilitators to healthy behaviours in pregnancy
among women living in poverty. Creative and
participatory techniques are not commonly
used in the College of Biomedical and Life
Sciences, and have proved very popular with
participants, and allowed a greater understanding
of the challenges of delivering public health
interventions at this time, through creating a
strong relationship with participants.’’
- Aimee Grant (SEWTU, Centre for Trials
Research), Public Health Award.
Case studies highlighting the value of ISSF to our researchers
New technology for higher resolution non-invasive
longitudinal in vivo bioluminescence imaging
“We have used the award to develop our work in
a sub-field of synthetic biology we call ‘synthetic
bioluminescence’. This application-driven work will
feed directly into the enablement of biomedical
research by providing advanced tools to study
mammalian genetics, development, treatments
or pathologies using dual colour near-infrared
bioluminescence imaging (BLI). We are confident
that our new enzymes (called iLucs) will lead
to next generation high-resolution dual or
multiparameter in vivo BLI technology.’’
- Amit Jathoul (BIOSCI), Fellowship Award.
6
College of Biomedical Life Sciences
ISSF1 (3 years) - £4.5M
Focus:
I&I and NMH
5 Schemes
Schemes:
Fellowships
Seedcorns
Equipment
Mobility
Project Grants
SR% (Award/Apps)
26% (7/27)
30% (31/103)
50% (6/12)
35% (7/20)
21% (7/33)
Core Posts (No. of posts)
Professors (2)
Basic Researcher (1)
Bioinformaticians (2)
PhD Student (4)
Admin Support (1)
195 Applications
58 Awards (29% SR)
ISSF2 (2 years) - £3M
Focus:
All BLS Themes
10 Schemes
Schemes:
Fellowships
Seedcorns
Equipment
Mobility
Cross-disciplinary
Populations
Humanities
Public Health
Public Engagement
Clinical Taster
SR% (Award/Apps)
20% (8/40)
22% (15/69)
40% (10/25)
55% (11/20)
32% (18/52)
36% (9/25)
71% (5/7)
71% (5/7)
52% (12/23)
20% (1/5)
Core Posts (No. of posts)
Bioinformaticians (2)
Admin Support (1)
273 Applications
94 Awards (34% SR)
ISSF 1 and 2 schemes and success rates
The table compares our ISSF1 and 2 schemes, and includes information
about the number of applications and success rates (SR%), the latter
mostly between 20%-55%.
Crystallisation facility for
the determination of protein
structures at atomic resolution
“Since installation this equipment
has been used to successfully
generate over 30 unique protein
crystal structures. New structures
are being generated at a rate of >4
per month. Structures generated
by this equipment have featured
on the cover of three journals
including the Journal of Clinical
Investigation. This article has been
selected as a feature article.”
- Andy Sewell (MEDIC), Equipment
Award.
Developing Clinical Academics
‘’This award provided a valuable
insight into research and
academic work, allowing me to
make informed decisions about my
future career. I now recognise the
challenges and rewards academic
work entails, such as fellowship
proposals and presenting work.
With this new appreciation of the
work of a clinical academic, I fully
intend to pursue an academic
component to my future training.
Following the Taster for Clinicians
Award, I was awarded a MRC
funded Clinical Academic
Mentorship Scheme with Cardiff
University.”
- Sarah Healy (MEDIC), Taster for
Clinicians Award.
Brain Games for Adults
“‘Brain Night’, was an evening
event in which we took the pre-
exisiting Brain Games concept that
has been used for engagement
with children and adapted it for an
adult audience. Approximately 200
visitors attended, with 94% saying
they were likely or very likely to
recommend the event to a friend
or colleague.”
- Gavin Perry (PSYCH), Public
Engagement Award.
www.cardiff.ac.uk/bls/issf
7
Public Engagement (PE)
Enhancing researcher engagement in PE is of
particular importance to the Wellcome Trust. ISSF2
supported proof-of-concept public engagement
including:
The implementation of a new lay faculty
linked to our Systems Immunity University
Research Institute.
A programme of public lectures.
Extension of, and new, PE activities:
• Brain Night
• STEM work around bee-friendly cities
• Activities at the Science Pavilion at the
National Eisteddfod
• A lecture on ‘Consciousness and
Coma’, a Shadow puppet performance
and a visual art exhibition
• Lab tours and talks to Cyfarthfa High
School children on ‘The body’s battle
against Cancer’
WHEN
April 28th 2016
7pm - 11pm
BRAIN NIGHT
AN EVENING OF SCIENCE AND ENTERTAINMENT ALL ABOUT THE BRAIN
WHERE
The Gate Art Centre, Roath
Keppoch Street, CF24 3JW
FEATURING
Brain Games l Brain Art Exhibition l Neuroscience Q&A l Science Ceilidh
Meet the Scientists
l Live Performances l Bar l Buet
Entry is free, but registration is required. For details visit:
www.thegate.org.uk/event/brain-night-2016
CardiUniversityBrainGames
Presents:
Mrs Swapna Khandavalli
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 02920 888697
Swapna is the ISSF Administrator and Research Support
Officer in the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences.
Swapna manages the day-to-day running of the ISSF
scheme, including collation of applications, panel meetings
and general enquiries relating to the scheme.
Professor Dylan Jones
Email: JonesDM@cardiff.ac.uk
Tel: 02920 870468
Dylan is the Chair of the Wellcome Trust Management Board,
as well as Pro Vice-Chancellor in the College of Biomedical
and Life Sciences. His role with the Wellcome Trust ISSF is
overall responsibility and governance of the scheme.
Professor Kim Graham
Email: GrahamK@cardiff.ac.uk
Tel: 02920 870468
Kim is the ISSF Principal Investigator and the Dean of
Research in the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences.
Kim is responsible for the strategic and operational delivery
of the ISSF schemes, and regular reporting of outcomes to
the Wellcome Trust.
Dr Amanda Roberts-Jones
Email: JonesAL6@cardiff.ac.uk
Tel: 02920 872796
Amanda is the Acting Head of Research Development,
Research & Innovation Services. She was the programme
manager responsible for our previous ISSF awards, but now
manages the professional team (based within Research and
Innovation Services and the College) responsible for delivery
of the ISSF awards.
Dr Andrew Staphnill
Email: StaphnillA@cardiff.ac.uk
Tel: 02920 688957
Andrew is a Research Development Officer based at the
University’s Research and Innovation Services. He is
responsible for managing appropriate use of the ISSF grant
in alignment with the College match funding, and providing
support in identifying opportunities for grant funding.
visit: www.cardiff.ac.uk/bls/issf
Who’s who – Meet the ISSF Team
Members of the
Wellcome Trust Board
and our research
community contributed
to strategic decision-
making and grant
reviewing. Without this,
we could not make
ISSF such a success
for researchers at the
University.
