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£10 million in research contracts for health, environment and innovation

Posted on 6 November 2001

Dirt in eighteenth century London, an electronic ‘tissue' which mimics plant and animal tissue in its ability to grow and repair itself, and the potential of anti-tumour products from marine life are the subjects of just three of 75 new research grants and contracts worth £10,366,750 announced by the University of York.

Income from research grants, which are reported to the University's Council four times a year, continues to grow. Research income reached £25.6 million last year.

One of the largest grants is for a study of the dynamics of the cell cycle in Arabidopsis, which was the first plant genome to be completed. An international team took five years to sequence the DNA blueprint of Arabidopsis, and York is playing a leading role in sharing information about subsequent developments. This award for £237,216 from the Biology and Biological Sciences Research Council is held by Dr Susan Bougourd of the Biology department.

New grants include:

• £9,453 from the Arts and Humanities Research Board for a study of cleanliness, dirt and public health in London in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
  Grant holder: Dr Mark Jenner, department of History.
• £98,680 from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology for £98,680 from the CEH for an investigation of the controls on nitrate leaching in two polluted upland catchments.
  Grant holder: Professor Malcolm Cresser, Environment Department.
• £7,000 from the Department for Education and Skills for a placement at the Department of Trade and Industry to investigate the availability of family friendly work practices to single parents in Britain.
  Grant holder: Dr Karen Mumford, department of Economics.
• £5,100 from the DTI for an investigation of the causes of indoor air pollution.
  Grant holder: Dr Nicola Carslaw, Environment department.
• 555,868 euro from the European Commission to design and develop ‘POEtic Tissue' - an electronic tissue with the ability to grow, learn, self-repair and self-replicate for applications requiring high levels of reliability.
  Grant holder: Professor Andy Tyrrell, department of Electronics.
• £7,222 from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation for a study of the potential of new urban parish councils.
  Grant holder: Dr Mark Bevan, Centre for Housing Policy
• £84,750 from the Natural Environment Research Council for a study of the role played by body mass on the impacts of predators on their prey, and the implications for ecosystem stability.
  Grant holders: Professor David Raffaelli, Environment department and Dr Richard Law, Biology department.
• £144,234 from the NHS Executive Northern and Yorkshire for a randomised trial of nurse-led implementation of calcium and vitamin D supplementation for fracture prevention.
  Grant holder: Dr David Torgerson, department of Health Studies.
• £52,081 from Yorkshire Cancer Research for a studentship award in a wider programme which studies novel anti-tumour agents from marine natural products.
  Grant holder: Professor Richard Taylor, Chemistry department.