About the Project

How it all began

In 2008 members from two of Keele’s Research Institutes, The Institute of Science & Technology in Medicine (ISTM),and Environment, Physical Sciences and Applied Mathematics (EPSAM), were awarded a £285k EPSRC Bridging the Gaps grant, entitled 3ME Initiative, which was completed successfully in July 2011.

The 3ME developed a number of platforms to deliver the objectives including, sandpits, seminar schemes, researchers in residence, mini-projects, speed dating opportunities and dissemination forums. The Initiative worked alongside our other existing EPSRC, MRC and BBSRC programmes such as our Creativity at Keele, CDT and Centre grants from the EPSRC and LOLA activities of the BBSRC programme as well as MRC trial programmes.

The 3ME programme quickly gained momentum and was very successful with a significant impact in terms of long lasting interaction between the two groups. Output metrics have been reported in the final report to the EPSRC submitted on 19 October 2011 including a number of high quality papers published and awaiting submission.

During this period the 3ME members applied to various organisations for follow on funding to progress the ideas born through the various sandpit meetings or from the 3ME seed corn projects totalling £5 million.  A further £3 million worth of grant applications are still in peer-review and the final projects are in the process of submitting applications based on their results obtained during the summer. This has resulted in the 3ME Initiative initiating a total of over £8 million in grant applications with approximately a 25% success rate on grants awarded to date. This provides a good basis to ensure that activities within the 3ME will continue beyond the lifetime of the grant in this area.

Moving Forward

Our award of follow–on funds from the EPSRC which spans the period between 2011-2012 follows on extremely well from this programme as it allows us to use similar schemes which have now been trialled and tested through the 3ME to expand the activities beyond these two Institutes into other research disciplines within the Humanities and Social sciences. The University has highlighted two multidisciplinary research platforms which form horizontal themes across multiple departments: Ageing and Environment. We plan to dovetail with activities in these two theme areas as target topics to look at multidisciplinary working across the University.

To deliver this objective we have formed a new Bridging the Gaps Executive Board which is chaired by Professor Alicia El Haj, Chair of Cell Engineering (former Chair of the 3ME initiative). The group has been meeting to plan our future activities which will fall into 3 categories broadly focused on Leadership, Communication and Strategy Setting multidisciplinary activities in line with the EPSRC Forward Plan.  The following sub-topics have been highlighted for our activity across the University:

  • Environment and Health,
  • Ageing,
  • Politics & Ethics with Human and Regenerative Medicine,
  • Creative disciplines with Health and Wellbeing
  • Engineering and Music.

Activities will follow under three programmes:

  • Workshops with seed corn funding for projects which will allow us to formulate Strategy,
  • Research Group Open Days which will focus on improved Communication,  and
  • Researchers in Residence programme which continues our focus on generating multidisciplinary Leaders at Keele from our younger academic community.