EPRC is pleased to announce that one of its researchers, Dr Liliana Fonseca (Research Associate), has been awarded a seed grant in the value of £5,000 from The British Academy Early Career Researcher Network’s Scotland hub. The hub received 50 applications in total for its Early Career Researcher’s Seed Grant call and awarded a total of £37,478.65 to 12 projects, representing 29 researchers from across Scotland.
The aim of the grant is to facilitate the creation of new research partnerships across Scotland and support the career development of early career researchers. Applicants were encouraged to propose interdisciplinary and inter-institutional projects, and/or that include researchers from outside higher education institutions.
Dr Fonseca worked collaboratively with Dr Christian Calvillo Munoz from the Centre for Energy Policy, and Dr Tanja Mueller from the Strathclyde Institute Of Pharmacy And Biomedical Sciences at the University of Strathclyde to develop a successful project that aligns with the grant’s goals.
The project, titled “Big projects, little community benefit? How low carbon pilot projects help to tackle fuel and transport poverty in island communities”, aims to examine funding impact in enabling a just transition to low carbon heat and mobility in Orkney. The interdisciplinary project will analyse community perception and engagement, lessons learned, and best practices, and promises to contribute to the advancement of research in the field of just transition in Scotland. It also addresses questions about the translatable benefits on communities in a context of increased cost of living, and relates to post-Brexit debates as Orkney has significantly relied on EU funds, especially in regards to its energy transition.
EPRC congratulates Dr Fonseca, Dr Munoz, and Dr Mueller on this achievement and looks forward to the promising outcomes of the research project. The project promises to contribute to the advancement of research in the field of just transition in Scotland.