The University welcomed a senior delegation from Wellcome last week to hear more about their new vision and strategy and how this will affect support and opportunities for Liverpool researchers.
Hosted by the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, the event was part of a wider tour of northern universities and gave staff the opportunity to hear presentations from the Wellcome team, followed by the chance to ask questions and share perspectives.
Wellcome’s new, more streamlined strategy, focuses on three worldwide health challenges – mental health, infectious disease, and the health impacts of climate change. Underpinning it all is a broad programme of discovery research, which aims to give researchers the freedom to search for new knowledge.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Janet Beer opened the town hall forum by talking about the importance of partnership working and highlighting the invaluable funding support Wellcome provides for the University’s world-leading research, including the flagship Children Growing Up in Liverpool project which is due to launch later this year.
Following presentations about the new Wellcome strategy, a Q&A covered topics from equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and climate concerns to postgraduate funding and pandemic research approaches.
The Wellcome team then held a series of strategic meetings with senior academics and managers from across the Faculty to discuss the future of Liverpool-Wellcome relationships and potential new opportunities.
The visit was topped off with a drinks reception and poster presentations by Wellcome-funded postdoctoral researchers and PhD students.