Three Glasgow University Projects Nominated for Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards

Three projects from the University of Glasgow have been selected for the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards 2021, which will be held during an online ceremony on Wednesday, April 21.

According to Erudera.com, this ceremony awards contributions and recognizes participants’ impact through academic and business partnerships.

In a press release issued by the University of Glasgow (UofG) official site, it is noted that Professor Fiona Macpherson and Dr. Neil McDonnell are nominees for their collaboration at the ‘Powerful Partnerships’ category.

Macpherson and McDonnell have created ‘Edify’ a virtual reality learning platform that permits students to access the benefits of virtual reality teaching. This project emerged into a new company and has opened 21 new job vacancies.

The Scotland 5G Center is a finalist in the ‘Multiparty Collaboration’ category. The University of Glasgow, University of Strathclyde, and Scottish Futures Trust, which are the center’s founding partners, have brought the industry together and the research community.

In their efforts, the partners also got the Scottish Government to hasten the implementation and adjustment of the 5G network across Scotland.

This year, a new award category will commemorate collaborations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, whose contribution was valued either in medical and health situations or in the economic recovery efforts.

The Lighthouse Laboratory in Glasgow has been shortlisted in the COVID-19 partnerships category. The laboratory has been created as a response to COVID-19, and it is established in collaboration with high-throughput industry experts BioVlavis.

Recently, the Lighthouse Lab has reached a milestone, processing over ten million tests – a significant achievement to support the country’s national COVID-19 testing effort in Scotland and across the UK.

Bonnie Dean, Vice President for Corporate Engagement & Innovation, expressed her excitement for the event.

“I am delighted that the University’s achievements working with partners in industry, the NHS, and Government have been recognized by the panel,” Dean said.

The Vice President also unfolded the University’s plans for the post-COVID-19 era.

“Our focus here at Glasgow is on building upon our success and ambition to enhance the global impact of our research, driving forward our commitment for an inclusive innovation,” the Dean noted.

Last year, Times Higher Education Awards announced the University of Glasgow as the University of the year in the UK. Universities’ constant work with dealing and correcting historical links to slavery has been one reason why UofG earned this title.

According to the Principal of UofG, Anton Muscatelli, the University is one of the first UK universities to acknowledge the historical connection to slavery by researching previous events and claiming responsibility for the findings.