Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Research grants

• Award winner: Frans Maathuis
• Institution: University of York
• Value: ?684,773

Developing rice with increased resistance to salinity and drought

• Award winner: Samar Hasnain
• Institution: University of Liverpool
• Value: ?409,358

Why does Nature use modular enzyme architectures for biological catalysis?

National Institute for Health Research

Health Technology Assessment Programme

• Award winner: Harbinder Sandhu
• Institution: University of Warwick
• Value: ?1,575,854

Improving the well-being of people with opioid treated chronic pain ¨C I-WOTCH

Public Health Research Programme

• Award winner: Lucy Platt
• Institution: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• Value: ?482,441

Measuring the impact of reducing police enforcement on sex workers¡¯ health in East London: a mixed-method evaluation of a natural experiment

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Leverhulme Trust

Research project grants
Sciences

• Award winner: Matthew Johnson
• Institution: University of Sheffield
• Value: ?178,389

Organisation of photosystem I and ATP synthase in plant photosynthetic membranes

• Award winner: Norman Fenton
• Institution: Queen Mary University of London
• Value: ?383,510

Improved understanding of causal models in dynamic decision-making

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Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Research grants

• Award winner: Darren Walsh
• Institution: University of Nottingham
• Value: ?446,260

Ionic liquid electrolytes for intermediate-temperature electrolysers

• Award winner: Ben King
• Institution: Plymouth University
• Value: ?100,957

Electron-seeded pair creation in intense laser pulses

• Award winner: Savvas Tassou
• Institution: Brunel University London
• Value: ?1,642,830

Optimising energy management in industry ¨C OPTEMIN

In detail

Award winners: Annalu Waller (PI) and Per Ola Kristensson
Institutions: University of Dundee and University of Cambridge
Value: ?1 million

Augmenting Communication using Environmental Data to drive Language Prediction ¨C ACE-LP

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This project aims to change how people with no speech and complex disabilities can converse. Current computer-based systems ¨C voice output communication aids (VOCAs) ¨C use word prediction to speed typing. These average about 15 words a minute, but people without impairments speak about 10 times faster. The research team aims to produce a VOCA system that will predict words and phrases and also offer extended interaction by predicting narrative text elements tailored to a conversation. ¡°In current systems, users sometimes pre-store monologue ¡®talks¡¯, but sharing personal experiences and stories interactively using VOCAs is rare,¡± said Annalu Waller, professor of human communication technologies at the University of Dundee. ¡°Being able to relate experience enables us to engage with others and allows us to participate in society.¡±