BPI Seedcorn Fund: Projects 2023-24 Showcase and Call 2024-25 Launch

Note - doors will open for this event at 1:45. So please come along then to grab a refreshment before we kick off at 2pm.

The Bristol Poverty Institute (BPI) invite you to join us for our Seedcorn Fund showcase. The event will kick off with an introduction to the BPI, our Seedcorn Fund and our 2024-25 call, followed by presentations from our two 2023-24 Seedcorn projects with a chance for Q&A with both the project teams and the BPI. Refreshments will be available, and there will be a chance to mingle, discuss, and network at the end. So, do come along if you’re interested in finding out more about either (or both!) of the projects from our first Seedcorn cohort, and/or if you’re interested in applying for the next round of funding. This event, and the Seedcorn Fund, is open to University of Bristol (UoB) academics at all career stages.

Our interdisciplinary Seedcorn Fund was created to support our academics to explore emerging research areas, break down disciplinary boundaries, and develop new partnerships. All projects must involve academics from at least two different schools at the University, and must be focused on issues around poverty and social justice. The fund is intended to be a pipeline to developing larger funding bids relating to the analysis, understanding, and ultimate reduction of poverty.

The two projects we’ll be hearing from in the Showcase are:

From pen to print: Tracing the evolution of poverty narratives in The Times over centuries  

• Principle Investigator: Dr Ran Tao, Lecturer in Finance, Faculty of Social Sciences and Law, University of Bristol
• Co-Investigator: Dr Jin Zheng, Lecturer in Data Science, Faculty of Engineering, University of Bristol
• Co-Investigator: Professor Adrian Bell, Chair in the History of Finance, Faculty of Prosperity and Resilience, University of Reading

Developing a net-zero vulnerability index for the UK 

• Principle Investigator: Dr Ed Atkins, Senior Lecturer, Human Geography, Science and Engineering, University of Bristol
• Co-Investigator: Dr Sean Fox, Associate Professor in Global Development, Science and Engineering, University of Bristol
• Co-Investigator: Dr Caitlin Robinson, Senior Research Fellow, Science and Engineering, University of Bristol
• Co-Investigator: Professor Martin Parker, Professor of Organisation Studies, Social Sciences and Law, University of Bristol

Note, when registering for this event, please ensure that you click on the 'complete this order' button on the final page otherwise your order will not be processed:

The next call is OPEN NOW for projects in the 2024-25 academic year, with £3-6k available per project. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all funds have been allocated or the final deadline of 10 April 2025 has been reached, whichever is sooner. We anticipate funding 4-6 projects this academic year, and welcome applications from academics in all Schools and Faculties. You can find out more on our call webpage.

Come along to find out more and meet the teams! We look forward to seeing you there.

We will also be hosting an informal 'Meet the BPI' drop-in session immediately afterwards, so do stick around to meet the team who run the BPI, find out what we do, learn more about the support and engagement opportunities available through the BPI, and mingle with like-minded colleagues over a drink. This will run until 16:45 in the same venue as the Seedcorn event.

Additional Information

The Bristol Poverty Institute (BPI) is a Research Institute at the University of Bristol dedicated to multi-disciplinary research on the causes, effects, and measurement of poverty around the world to inform effective policy and practice. The BPI works in partnership with a wide range of organisations across the globe, from local community groups to national governments, united by the common goal of SDG1: To reduce poverty in all its forms everywhere.

For any queries, including building accessibility, please contact the BPI team via bristol-poverty-institute@bristol.ac.uk.

Please be aware that the organisers plan to take photographs during the event, which we will share online (including our Twitter/X feeds, websites and/or blogs). If you are uncomfortable with this, please notify a member of the team on the day and we will endeavour to try and avoid including you in any photographs. Due to the nature of the event, we cannot guarantee you won’t be in any images, but we will try and avoid taking photos where you are clearly visible.