Cardiff Water Research Institute awarded GCRF Small Projects grants

Researchers from the Water Research Institute have been successful in winning internally-funded Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Small Projects grants to develop collaborative research projects with African universities.

These GCRF Small Projects grants will enable the development of two pilot research projects, led by interdisciplinary groups of researchers from the Institute, to tackle emerging water challenges in Africa.

In collaboration with Prof Benjamin Mapani and Dr Heike Wanke from the University of Namibia, Dr Isabelle Durance, Prof Peter Kille and Prof Steve Ormerod will lead a pilot research project to assess the applicability and potential value of eDNA approaches for freshwater monitoring of both biodiversity and pathogens in Namibia.

Another second grant was awarded to Dr Adrian Healy, Prof Gillian Bristow and Dr Stuart Capstick. Focusing on two cities currently under water stress, Windhoek, Namibia and Cape Town, South Africa, this interdisciplinary pilot project, conducted in collaboration with Dr Gina Ziervogel (University of Cape Town), Dr Earl Lewis (University of Namibia) and Dr Anna Matros-Goreses (Namibian University of Science and Technology), will further explore the role of groundwater reserves in offsetting water crises.

The project builds on earlier GCRF-funded research in Nigeria, which explored the water choices made by households and communities in Nigeria, and how they influence the resilience of communities to future environmental shocks.

The work conducted in the context of these two projects will continue to build the collaboration between Cardiff University and the University of Namibia, initiated by the Phoenix Project, to develop further GCRF facing research linking water for people and ecosystems.

The Water Institute is open to develop collaborations with partners worldwide. Please get in touch if you would like to find out more.