CUC Partner Research Summaries
Academy for Innovation and Research (AIR) – University College Falmouth (UCF)
Research and enterprise are central to University College Falmouth's identity and aspirations as a global arts university. UCF aims to develop and sustain an entrepreneurial and internationally distinctive research discourse that drives its academic profile and underpins its contribution to economic, social and cultural advancement.
Key research objectives for UCF in the period 2010-2015 are:
To establish a profile of international excellence in selected areas of research through strategic and targeted investment
To maximise the impact of this research in support of Cornwall's growing, creative economy
To ensure provision of a sustainable, high quality and stimulating research environment within which both to develop staff capabilities and to frame postgraduate research student programmes
To ensure that research and enterprise activity directly enhances learning and teaching.
Building is currently underway on The Academy for Innovation & Research - the home of research and business collaboration at University College Falmouth. This will be a primarily open-plan building, enabling researchers and business development staff to work with businesses in flexible project teams.
At the heart of the building will be a technology-rich, 3D enabled, interactive room for creative idea generation and planning of R&D projects, plus a range of flexible spaces for multi-disciplinary, live project work. The AIR building will open in May 2012.
For further information about the Academy for Innovation and Research or to contact us, please visit the AIR website.
Cornwall College Research
Cornwall College believes that a scholarship-based institution achieves high educational standards and contributes to regional growth. The College supports research and scholarship activities by its staff and values the consequent institutional dynamic.
The status of the Cornwall College Group as a leading provider of further and higher education means research has a critical role in every part of the College's work. Whether it be course development, links with employers or fostering high standards of scholarship, research contributes to the quality and breadth of education in Cornwall.
As you would expect, research throughout the Cornwall College Group matches the diversity of its courses, the local economy and Cornish communities. It ranges from commercial support for businesses to academic research of an international standard and is a key ingredient in our growth as a creative and innovative learning environment.
For more information, please visit the Cornwall College website.
Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI) – University of Exeter
The University of Exeter’s Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI) is a £30 million interdisciplinary centre leading cutting-edge research into the consequences of environmental change and the mitigation and management of its effects.
The ESI will bring together state-of-the-art resources with leading academics in a brand new building at the Tremough Campus near Falmouth. The ESI will build upon the University's established research strengths to lead cutting-edge and interdisciplinary research into solutions to problems of environmental change across three research themes:
- Clean technologies
- Natural environment
- Social science and sustainability
Alongside this, it will actively support the creation of a dynamic ecosystem services industry in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
The ESI has been enabled by a £30 million investment from the EU European Regional Development Fund (£22.9m) and the South West Regional Development Agency (£6.6m). With the University's commitment to working in partnership with businesses, this investment will ensure that local enterprises maximise the opportunities presented by the region’s designation as a Low Carbon Economic Area. Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly provide abundant scope for environmental change research and are home to an enthusiastic and supportive group of regional stakeholders.
The ESI will actively facilitate engagement with a diverse range of partners including businesses, communities, organisations and stakeholders - all within one of the UK's most stunning regions.
The Environment and Sustainability Institute will be headed by inaugural Director and award-winning ecologist Professor Kevin J. Gaston.
For further information about the Environment and Sustainability Institute or to contact us, please visit the ESI Website.
European Centre for the Environment and Human Health (ECEHH)
The European Centre for the Environment and Human Health (ECEHH) is a new research centre, founded with support from the European Union Convergence Programme for Cornwall and based at The Knowledge Spa in Truro. ECEHH is part of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry. This exciting new initiative will provide new opportunities and ways of working to address some of the key human health issues facing us today.
Research at ECEHH focuses on the interconnections between the natural environment and human health. Rather than adopting a conventional approach of investigating threats posed by, for example, air pollutants or specific chemical contaminants, ECEHH looks at how climate change and changes in biodiversity will affect human health and wellbeing in the coming years. ECEHH research also addresses the accumulation of complex mixtures of persistent pollutants, especially in the context of the ageing population demographic, and the extent of the threats posed to living organisms, including humans, by nanomaterials and pharmaceuticals entering the environment. Research into the effects of arsenic, radon gas and ultraviolet radiation on the incidence of skin and lung cancer in the South West is also continuing. Carrying forward the idea of interconnections between the environment and human health, we have chosen to explore how we might use the natural environment to promote health and wellbeing.
To find out more, or to see how ECEHH might be able to work with your business, visit the ECEHH website.
Peninsula Research Group for Marine and Renewable Energy (PRIMaRE)
The Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMaRE) is a response from the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth to the challenges facing businesses involved in marine renewable energy and in support of Wave Hub, the South West of England's £42 million development centre for testing of wave energy device arrays.
PRIMaRE has brought together a team of international researchers and world class facilities to accelerate the development of technology and address the most critical challenges facing the marine renewable energy industry.
PRIMaRE collaborates with industry to support research and development activity across a number of areas, for example, design, engineering, environmental impact and grid connection. It is a centre of excellence delivering world-class research and technology transfer in marine energy.
PRIMaRE is accelerating growth in the Marine Renewable Energy industry, helping the South West UK to become a region of international significance by offering renewables testing, wave energy device arrays, marine renewable energy components and much more.
For more information, please visit the Primare Website.