News archive 2009

ESRC ‘Rising Powers’ awards for King’s

24 Nov 2009, PR 251/09

Researchers from King’s have scooped two ‘Rising Powers, Global Challenges and Social Change’ programme awards from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). In total only nine awards were made, out of 33 proposals considered by the panel.

The ESRC’s Rising Powers, Global Challenges and Social Change programme aims to deepen the understanding of the regional and global impact of ‘rising powers’ such as China, India, Brazil and Russia, and the economic, political and social implications for the UK. The new initiative calls for high-quality social science research networks that are embedded with effective international research collaboration and underpinned by engagement with a wide range of stakeholders. King’s researchers are to coordinate two of the nine networks awarded by the Commissioning Panel.

The first project, 'India’s challenge in a globalizing healthcare economy: social science directions’, will consolidate partnerships between researchers at King’s, the London School of Economic & Political Science and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Over the next year network fellows will scope and synthesise existing research literatures and the project will bring together key scholars in workshops in London and in New Delhi.

Dr Susan F Murray, Reader in International Healthcare in the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing & Midwifery, and the Network co-ordinator commented: ‘We are very pleased indeed to have been given this opportunity to work with JNU, LSE Health and other colleagues, to examine the theoretical, methodological and empirical challenges facing this area of enquiry. It will lay the essential groundwork for future collaborative projects’.

Professor Rama Baru of JNU added: ‘We are delighted to be a co-recipient of the ESRC award and view this as an excellent opportunity to work with UK social scientists on the important agenda of globalization and health care’.

Analysis of innovation strategy

The second project, 'State strategies of governance in global biomedical innovation: the impact of China and India’, aims to establish a network of academics and policymakers in China, India and the UK who will work together to develop an analysis of competing state strategies of governance in global biomedical innovation. The analysis will illuminate both the position of China and India in the global bio-economy and the policy implications of their rise for the UK. Once established, the network will then serve as the platform for a full project proposal in the second phase of the Rising Powers programme.

Brian Salter, Professor of Politics of Biomedicine in the School of Social Sciences & Public Policy and Co-Director of the Centre for Biomedicine & Society, who co-leads the project with Dr Alex Faulkner, commented: ‘This is an excellent opportunity for King’s to consolidate and expand both its strengths in biomedical innovation research and its existing partnerships with Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and Hong Kong University to enhance the King’s profile in this important global field.’

Notes to editors

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK's largest organisation for funding research on economic and social issues. It supports independent, high quality research which has an impact on business, the public sector and the third sector. The ESRC's planned total expenditure in 2009/10 is £204 million.  At any one time the ESRC supports over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate students in academic institutions and independent research institutes. http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/

King's College London
King's College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (Times Higher Education 2009) and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King's has more than 21,000 students from nearly 140 countries, and more than 5,700 employees. King's is in the second phase of a £1 billion redevelopment programme which is transforming its estate.

King's has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise for British universities, 23 departments were ranked in the top quartile of British universities; over half of our academic staff work in departments that are in the top 10 per cent in the UK in their field and can thus be classed as world leading. The College is in the top seven UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of nearly £450 million.

King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, the sciences (including a wide range of health areas such as psychiatry, medicine and dentistry) and social sciences including international affairs. It has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe; no university has more Medical Research Council Centres.

King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are part of King's Health Partners. King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering global collaboration between one of the world's leading research-led universities and three of London's most successful NHS Foundation Trusts, including leading teaching hospitals and comprehensive mental health services. For more information, visit: www.kingshealthpartners.org.



Further information
Melanie Haberstroh
International PR Officer
Email: melanie.haberstroh@kcl.ac.uk
Tel: 020 7848 3076

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