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Research undertaken at the University of Ulster has had a global impact on public health advice about fish consumption during pregnancy. Ulster's international collaborative research has been used by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO), and also by industry, to promote greater fish consumption during pregnancy. The work has also been evaluated by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in its assessment of the public health risk of methyl-mercury in food.
Half of the world's bird species cannot be sexed by their physical appearance. This posed a major problem for conservation breeding, which is dependent upon identification of the birds' sex for mating birds, as well as ensuring an equal sex ratio of birds for reintroduction into the wild. Researchers at the University of Glasgow developed a simple DNA test to determine the sex of birds. The test has been adopted by commercial companies in the UK and USA, one of which includes Avian Biotech (USA), who perform approximately 50,000 tests a year for commercial, conservation and private breeders, generating revenues of around £618,000. The test is available to a broad range of international groups, including zoos and conservation organisations, where it has been fundamental to the management of captive breeding of some of the world's rarest bird species.
Communicable diseases are a major health burden in the developing world. Early detection and accurate identification of infectious agents is key to their management. However, the complex procedures and logistics of current diagnostic tests often make them unsuitable for use in developing countries. Two technology platforms have been developed that have led to a new generation of simple and inexpensive rapid tests that can be applied in resource-limited settings. A spinout company was set up to allow translation of these platforms into new products. Three tests (Chlamydia, Hepatitis B and HIV) were launched since 2008, with test kits marketed, allowing patients to receive treatment for infections which would have previously gone unnoticed and untreated. The spinout company has raised >$30 million, of which >$20million is since 2008.
Dr Mark Hampton's research informs tourism policy for the world's 40 small island developing states (SIDS) and poor coastal communities. He generates data that challenge conventional wisdom about the value of large scale tourism for these fragile economies. His findings identify niche tourism as a more sustainable basis for economic growth. The Commonwealth, World Bank and individual governments, as well as numerous other NGOs and industry associations, are amongst those who draw upon Hampton's research findings in order to help vulnerable states formulate effective policies and develop appropriate tourism initiatives.
Research conducted by our International Boundaries Research Unit (IBRU) since the 1990s has improved the understanding of boundaries and boundary-making and developed end-user resources in the form of databases and digital maps. IBRU has developed processes and techniques which support peaceful dispute avoidance and resolution through an expanded notion of boundary-making on land, along rivers, and at sea. Our work has had direct impact on a range of geopolitical conflicts and disputes, particularly on boundary demarcation and dispute resolution within Africa. It has also shaped practitioner debate over jurisdictional issues in the Arctic and improved the representation of river boundaries in globally-used geospatial data products.
Research by the Centre for Business and Insolvency Law is helping to increase investor confidence and economic stability through influence on laws in Africa and practice in the UK.
Integrating developing countries into the global economy and encouraging investment require sound legal infrastructure, with modern insolvency laws that increase investor confidence over likely outcomes of financial crisis. Burdette's research has directly influenced Seychelles legislation, legislation currently before parliament in Malawi and insolvency practice in South Africa.
Robust insolvency laws are also important for maintaining a stable domestic economy. Walters (with external co-authors) has influenced public debate regarding costs in insolvency.
Molecular and evolutionary research by Dr Jim Groombridge at the University of Kent, (2003 onwards, lecturer 2003-2008, Senior Lecturer 2008-2012, Reader 2012-), undertaken in partnership with the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation, the Seychelles Islands Foundation and Government Ministries of both states, has identified unexpected evolutionary distinctiveness and established high conservation priority for rare populations of birds and frogs on Mauritius and Seychelles. Subsequent studies have led to the recovery of three critically-endangered species and to the alleviation of problems with wildlife disease. Groombridge's research has led to renewed investment of international conservation resources across the Indian Ocean. His work on island species conservation is particularly important because islands host a high proportion of global biodiversity and help define our understanding of evolutionary science; these `living laboratories' also host many of the World's rarest species making them a global conservation priority.
University of Manchester (UoM) research considers the role, position and perception of developing countries in the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It is informed by a deep unease at the way developing and least developed countries (LDCs) have been consistently unable to participate in the multilateral trading system on an equitable basis, and are routinely rendered powerless to realise the meaningful gains that the global trade regime habitually promises. Impact is achieved through a systematic and sustained programme of dissemination, consultation and engagement with high level international policymakers, government officials and civil society organisations, resulting in measurable and meaningful policy change. In conjunction with these stakeholders, the research has: informed the negotiating positions of several states — including South Africa, Turkey, the Seychelles and Nigeria; shaped thinking around the future of the global trade architecture; and contributed to a number of training programmes, most notably at the UN.