Thread by @MaryRARyan

The cuts to @UKRI_News #GCRF are disastrous. While the gov't is not wrong that the UK will still be a significant source of aid funds, the cuts to research threaten to undo so much of what has been accomplished in the past 5 years and leave the UK worse off. 1/

Since 2016, @UofGlasgow has used our annual allocation of @GCRF from the @ScotFundCouncil to run our GCRF Small Grants Fund. We've funded 184 unique initiatives in 306 partners across 54 countries. 49% of those were led by female PIs, 39% by our early career researchers. 2/

Now those partnerships, those networks, those early career links are in danger. The ability of our UK researchers to develop forward-looking, globally relevant researcher agendas is under threat. And we will pay the price. Just look at what these funds have been used for...3/

The @UofGlasgow #OneHealth Research Beacon includes all our work on diseases that move between animals and humans. Like #COVID19. Efforts to detect & understand these diseases around the world protect us here in the UK. Now the partnerships that enable such work are at risk 4/

Water and Sanitation research to develop decentralised water treatment systems in southeast Asia also develops systems that will work in rural Scotland. Now those industry partnerships are at risk 5/

@UofGlasgow researchers works all over the world in conflict zones to help create lasting and sustainable peace through working with people affected by conflict to rebuild their lives. Now those delicate partnerships and the trust needed to make them work are in danger 6/

We have interdisciplinary teams tackling sustainable energy challenges, climate change, disease threats, health threats and true global challenges. By removing the funding that enable this work to continue, the UK diminishes their leadership on a global scale 7/

COVID-19 has shown us that we are not safe until we are all safe. The cuts to UKRI ODA budgets make us all less safe, directly impact the careers of up-and-coming researchers, damage partnerships that took years to build and show the world we do not keep our promises 8/

At @UofGlasgow, we have built research programmes & incredible partnerships in the past 5 years with GCRF research: gla.ac.uk/research/az/gc…

But remember, we are only 1 institution. Multiply this across the entire UK. The loss will be massive. For us and the world. /end

So far I am aware of 2 letters requesting signatories on this issue:
docs.google.com/document/d/1wd…
t.ly/Fm2W (this one is a bit Global Health specific and it's worth noting that these cuts affect many more critical areas)