The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) has awarded funding of £470,000 to help 29 hard-hit academics in Scotland. The funding call was issued in February – the Research Re-boot Covid-19 Impact Grant – designed to support academics whose research had been disproportionately affected by pandemic restrictions.
- Of the 29 awardees, 79% are women.
- A total of 58% of all applicants identified as early career.
- 67% of all applicants stated they had taken on additional caring duties because of Covid-19.
In 2020, the national response to the Covid-19 pandemic meant the immediate closure of laboratories, libraries and archival centres, resulting in many academics being unable to carry out basic research and secure funding. The ban on international travel meant that academic exchanges stopped and the shipping of lab samples and other research materials also often ceased.
Dr Rebekah Widdowfield, Chief Executive of the RSE said:
“Evidence shows that Scottish-based academics have been heavily impacted by Covid-19, due to the closure of research facilities, and end to face-to-face networking opportunities and research visits, loss of funding, and a substantial increase in family caring and home-schooling.
“The Research Reboot funding awards have created a ‘window of opportunity’ for awardees to reconnect with their research, regaining precious time and resources lost to Covid-19. They are also now part of a unique peer network with each other and RSE Fellows, giving another form of support and mentoring during this time of ongoing challenge.”
Read more about some of the recipients of this funding, and how it will be put to use, on the RSE website.
