Grand Challenges, Grand Impacts exhibition launches

The UCL Grand Challenges initiative was introduced by the UCL Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement) to bring together researchers from UCL and beyond to explore interconnected solutions to a range of societal issues. By supporting strategic initiatives, knowledge exchanges, community building and grant funding, it has thus far brought together over 650 researchers, supported over 420 projects involving 180 departments, and awarded £1.8 million in grants.

To mark the fifteenth year of the initiative, UCL Culture has curated an illuminating exhibition to share the incredible achievements, the people and communities who have played a role, and to explore the future evolution of the programme. The exhibition highlights how a variety of projects, events, and partnerships have created impactful solutions to societal challenges.

Through engaging case studies and digital content, visitors can learn more about key grants such as one awarded to UCL and British Academy academics in 2020 to analyse the impact of artificial intelligence on the workplace. Visitors to the exhibition can listen to an excerpt on this topic from the UCL Grand Challenges podcast series ‘Disruptive Voices’.

Campaigns such as ‘Stand with Hope’ are also highlighted; this brought together 10 teams across UCL to encourage, enable and continue conversations around gender equality and intersectional inequities. Visitors can watch the campaign film and read more about the life-size figure ‘Hope the Lego Suffragette’ displayed in the UCL Student Centre in 2022.

In addition, the exhibition highlights collaborative projects such as the ‘deep-place’ research focused on the village of Sacriston, a so-called ‘left-behind place’ in County Durham. The exhibit features an excerpt of a conversation called “Levelling up or Left-behind?” from an event co-organised by UCL Grand Challenges focused on place-based policies.

Since its inception, UCL Grand Challenges has been instrumental in supporting and fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration at UCL. Born of a desire to break down barriers between academic disciplines, between research and industry, and between the academic community and the communities around us, it was a radical and novel approach – what if the starting point for research was challenge-led, rather than subject-led? How can a university enable and encourage greater collaboration? What can we do with seed corn funding to make a real, tangible impact on the pressing problems facing humanity?

Professor Geraint Rees, UCL Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement) said: “The Grand Challenges, Grand Impacts exhibition is a marvellous showcase of the diverse ways the Grand Challenges has supported research with real potential to help people live healthier, happier lives. It’s amazing to see the innovative ways the UCL community has come together to help find holistic solutions to complex problems, and I’d encourage everyone to come and learn more about the initiative.”

The Grand Challenges, Grand Impacts Exhibition opens on 7 February 2023. It is on display at UCL main campus – South Cloisters, Wilkins Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6AE – until 26 May 2023.

Image

• Credit: James Tye

Links

• Grand Impacts Exhibition
• UCL Culture

• UCL Grand Challenges

Media contact

Molly Bridge

E: molly.bridge [at] ucl.ac.uk