On 2-6 July 2018 the University of Kent hosted a major Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) conference bringing together more than 100 researchers from around the globe.
The researches came together to learn about this significant research fund, but also to meet with colleagues to develop projects that would benefit those living and working in ODA-compliant countries. It was a huge success with the creation of fresh collaborations and development of a number of new research project ideas.
Kent Business School had a significant contribution the the conference, presenting five research ideas to the expert panel. These diverse ideas, ranging from road infrastructure development in South East Asia; green logistics in Thailand; food production across South East Asia countries and hydro-power plant location in the Amazon, were put forward by members of the Management Science group, and their collaborators from several developing countries, and were extremely well received. It highlighted how the Management Science group can offer a huge amount of knowledge and expertise in this area with the view to help solve problems related to sustainable development.
The next step will be to develop these ideas into full project proposals, building on the links formed with researchers in other disciplines across the University and the ODA partners present at the conference. The inter-disciplinary contributions and co-creation of proposals with stakeholders is essential to develop impactful projects and the GCRF conference has been instrumental in this respect.
View the full GCRF event report and find out more about the activity within the Management Science group.