On 6th April, the RSE welcomed 29 awardees of the RSE Research Re-Boot (Covid-19 IMPACT) Research Grant for a peer networking event, designed to enable the sharing of experiences, knowledge, and good practice.
Through their RSE Grant, each awardee received up to £25,000 to restart existing research or kick-start new work. The Grants were created to support anyone whose work was disproportionately impacted by Covid-19 restrictions. Applications were particularly encouraged from those who have taken on caring responsibilities due to Covid-19, disabled, LGBTQIA+, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and/or Early Career Researchers (ECRs). Of the 29 awardees, 79% were women, 58% of all applicants identified as early career, and 67% of all applicants stated they had taken on additional caring duties because of the pandemic.
The event, chaired by RSE Awards Convenor, Professor Charlie Withers, provided awardees with an informal space to connect with RSE Fellows and academic peers to celebrate the successes and challenges of their research journey. Dr. Leslie Mabon, Lecturer in Environmental Systems, The Open University; Dr. Senga Robertson-Albertyn, Post Doctorate Research Assistant, University of Dundee; and Dr. Rowena Murray, Founder Anchorage Education offered inspiring presentations, and the day featured a discussion session and poster competition.
