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Welcome to the fourth St George’s, University of London research news bulletin. This edition comes to you in very different circumstances to the last one, with Covid-19 having changed the landscape of the University profoundly in many different respects. 

  • Many thanks to both those who are now researching Covid-19 or are managing to pursue their own research at home analyzing data, writing papers and grants. Also, many thanks to Research Operations and JRES for working hard keeping the system going and dealing with the many different complexities which continue to arise.  However, if you are on-site, do be aware that there is only a skeleton support staff, which means sticking to health and safety measures is even more important than usual.  

  • Although I am delighted by the increase in grant submissions in part in response to the opportunities offered by Covid-19, we do want to maximise our chances of being successful, so all grants over £250,000 must be internally peer-reviewed. If you are not sure how to achieve this, then your Institute Director will be able to assist.   

  • Keeping in touch is important in the remote working world, so do consider setting up local team coffee meetings and the like via MS teams. Personal Development Reviews (PDRs) should happen as normal and they provide a forum to review all your activities more formally. Research seminars are getting back under way, following the lead of Audrey Teh whose energy started the I&I ball rolling – please support your local one.  Also, do keep abreast of the news – it really is worth finding out what is happening by reading George’s Weekly and keeping an eye on the FAQ area of the website. 

  • You may have heard this good news but in case you did not, our University was the only one in the UK which had 100% success with applications for the highly prestigious Academy of Medical Sciences Springboard competition, the first time we have ever been successful.  This is a testament to the strength of our Lecturers and many congratulations are due to Sally Hargreaves, Sile Malloy and Laura Southgate.  Congratulations are also in order for Professor Elijah Behr who has just been awarded around £750,000 from the British Heart Foundation.  

  • Although much commercial research has temporarily been halted, please remember that we should be charging 150% of full economic costs and that entry of patients into clinical studies is worth a huge amount for companies. Please discuss this with Sven Hofmann and his team in JRES to ensure that your work is adequately rewarded. 

  • The new University Seminar Series due to start in the Curve lecture theatre (formally opened by the Chief Scientific Officer, Sir Patrick Vallance just prior to lockdown) has been delayed but this is just a temporary hiccup caused by Covid-19. 

  • Finally, mark your diaries for University Research Day 2020 which will be on 2 December with the exact format to be announced in due course.  Prizes will be on offer again, so do keep your eyes open for the formal invite to submit! 

Jon Friedland, 
Deputy Principal (Research & Enterprise) 

 

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