October 1, 2015, by Charlotte Anscombe

Research in the School of Geography makes ‘Top 20 in the UK’

Research by the School of Geography has been included in a list of Top 20 Impact Stories from REF2014.

The UK Collaborative on Development Sciences (UKCDS) has included the School’s research on global climate change as one of the strongest in the UK in terms of impact on international development because it shows ‘how UK research is improving the lives of people around the world’.

The case study, submitted as part of the Geography, Environmental Studies and Archaeology unit of assessment of REF2014, was compiled by Dr Simon Gosling. The research provided a scientific evidence base for the EU to argue on the international stage at a major climate conference, for a global deal on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

It was a powerful tool that allowed policy-makers to compare the potential impacts of climate change across multiple countries and to use this information to support their negotiating positions. It also helped to demonstrate the EU’s ambitious and leading position on tackling climate change.

The UKCDS is a group of 14 UK government departments and research funders working within international development. It’s members include the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Wellcome Trust, Department for International Development, MRC, BBSRC, EPSRC, NERC, ESRC and the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

The top 20 stories were chosen from a list of almost 7,000 impact case studies submitted to the REF2014. REF2014 is the system that is used to assess the research quality of all UK universities. Judges from UKCDS picked the ‘top 20 most impressive examples of UK research contributing to global development’.

The full Top 20 is available here.

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