UCL GRAND CHALLENGES
OFFICE OF THE UCL VICE-PROVOST (RESEARCH)
Executive Group
UCL Grand Challenge of Intercultural Interaction (GCII)
10am-11.30pm, Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Ground Floor Meeting Room, OVPR, 2 Taviton St
Minutes
Present
Dr Henriette Bruun
Sarah Chaytor
Dr François Guesnet (Chair)
Dr Martin Holbraad
Professor Axel Korner
Jacob Leveridge
Dr Ruth Mandell
Professor Tim Matthews
Professor David Napier
Dr Ben Page (representing Claire Dwyer)
Professor Karen Radner
Michael Reade
Dr Caroline Selai
Dr Ian Scott
Nicholas Tyndale
Apologies
Professor Robin Aizlewood
Dr Tim Beasley-Murray
Professor Susan Collins
Dr Claire Dwyer
Professor Stephen Hart
Dr Amna Malik
Marianne Knight
Dr James Paskins
Dr Alexander Samson
Roselle Thoreau
Professor Jo Wolff
Professor Maria Wyke
1.
Welcome and introductions
2.
2.1
Minutes from previous meeting (4 June 2013)
China and India at UCL
Vivienne Lo and Axel Korner will be organising a freedom of speech in China
event on 6 March 2014, which will be supported by GCII.
3.
Carried over business from previous meeting
3.1
Gender/post-feminism and GCII
3.1.1 A gender segregated event at UCL earlier in 2013 had raised an important
subject for GCII. Members were asked how they could most effectively
respond to this issue:
3.1.2 It was suggested that GCII could contribute to the UCL 50/50 Group that
scrutinised a number of operational human resources issues at UCL such as
the gender composition of interview panels. However, the priority for GCII was
the encouragement of new cross-disciplinary research and other activities
rather than policy development.
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3.1.3 The Science Medicine and Society Network will be considering the issue of
technology and gender selection.
3.1.4 ACTION
The next round of small grant applications (opening in April 2014) will
make a specific request for proposals addressing the complex relationship
between gender/sexuality and culture.
 Ian Scott to liaise with GCII members on an appropriate form of words
to encourage such applications.
3.2
GCII Newsletter
3.2.1 It was noted that there was a lack of clarity concerning the transparency of
GCII’s activities; there were questions about what GCI was doing and
why.
3.2.2 ACTION
It was agreed that a termly newsletter beginning in Term Two would help to
address these issues.
 Michael Reade to organise the content and distribution of a GCI
newsletter beginning in Term Two.
The minutes of GCII executive group meetings should appear on the
website
 Michael Reade to post past and forthcoming GCII minutes on the
website.
4.
4.1
Grand Challenges small grants report
There was agreement that the report was an impressive survey of the small
grants programme which has been in operation for four years. In that time the
availability of small grants had become an important and widely valued aspect
of the Grand Challenges programme which had succeeded in bringing
together researchers from different disciplines.
4.2
The importance of follow-up impact reports, detailing new collaborations,
publications and larger grant applications was mentioned. These reports
helped to demonstrate the utility of small grants to UCL researchers and
justified the continuation of the scheme.
5.
Plan for GCII executive group meetings, 2013-14
5.1
Term Two: decide GCII priorities in 2013-14 including large scale suggestions
for applications to DARO’s Annual Fund to fund projects similar to the
wonderments of Cosmos and the Culture and Health Lancet Commission.
5.2
Term Three: decide GCII members activities for 2014-15
5.3
ACTION
Ian Scott to send a reminder to members to forward their suggestions for
large-scale activities in early 2014. A follow-up meeting to be organised
before Easter 2014 to decide which proposals should be supported.
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6.
GCII activity program 2013-14
6.1
UCL Amazonia Centre
6.1.1 A proposal (in draft form) for a UCL Amazonia Centre had been received from
Manuel Arroyo-Kalin, Institute of Archaeology, which was comparable to the
Wonderments of Cosmos. The proposal was welcomed. However, the
following observations were made:
6.1.2 It was also noted that initiatives such as these led almost inevitably to
proposals for new research centres.
6.1.3 There was already a proliferation of research centres and institutes at UCL
and other approaches should be considered to develop this initiative.
6.1.4 Among the options were that the proposed Amazonia Centre (or any other
form of subsequent activity) might be hosted are the Institute of the Americas
or the Environment Research Domain.
6.1.5 ACTION
Members were requested to forward their reactions to this proposal to Ian
Scott.
An informal meeting to be held first rather than a town meeting to identify the
best way to support the initiative. (Francois Guesnet)
6.2
Wonderments of Cosmology (Martin Holbraad)
6.2.1 A well-attended cross-disciplinary seminar in June 2013 had been successful
in attracting interest from across UCL.
6.2.2 It had been decided to undertake an in-depth exploration of some of the
themes, which had emerged via a seminar series, which would begin in early
2014.
6.2.3 The seminars would lead to a research prize workshop, which would provide
seed corn funding for a larger grant application.
6.2.4 A steering group would be established to oversee this development. Once the
prize workshop had taken place, there would be scope to work with the
Institute of Origins.
6.2.5 It was important that the current initiative went beyond the traditional ‘two
sciences’ discussion as well as the relativisation of science debate. Instead,
an anthropological study of science was planned, which considered the core
issues of cosmology and the way they radiated outwards into other fields.
6.2.6 There was also potential for outreach work such as the development of the
school curriculum.
6.3
Religion and Society (François Guesnet)
6.3.1 A one-day meeting, entitled Negotiating Religion in the Contemporary
Research University supported by GCII will take place in December 2013 and
will develop some of the themes, which had emerged at the previous meeting
in May 2013 held at Cumberland Lodge.
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6.3.2 A volume will be published by Ashgate in 2014.
6.3.3 The religion and society project would soon leave GCI I and would move in a
variety of new directions, some of which might be developed by the Science
Medicine and Society Network.
6.4
Centre for Research into the Dynamics of Civilisation (CREDOC) (Maria
Wyke)
The centre will be launched at an event on 13 February 2014, which would
include a special guest lecture by Professor Wang Mingming, Minzu University
of China, Beijing. The centre's website was in the process of being developed
and will be available shortly.
7.
GCI I activities programme 2014-15
7.1
Higher cost flagship activities – see point 5
7.2
Lower cost leadership activities
7.2.1 GCI members activities in 2013-14 had been summarised in a paper.
Members will be asked in term three to make new suggestions for crossdisciplinary activities in 2014-15 with funding from GCII of up to about £1000.
7.2.2 It was noted that more could be achieved by co-funding events and other
initiatives with other partners. This also demonstrated that GCII was not solely
reliant upon OVPR funding.
7.3
Small grants call to support activities in 2014-15
7.3.1 The next call for small grant application (opening in April 2014) should
encourage reflections on contemporary contexts governing gender and society
as detailed in point 3.
7.3.2 More awards could be made if projects were funded up to a maximum of
£3000 rather than £5000.
7.3.3 Applicants needed to state clearly how they intended to use the money if they
were successful.
8.
2014 meeting dates in terms two and three

2-3pm, Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Venue: Ground Floor Meeting Room, 2 Taviton St.
Meeting to review proposals for large scale activity to be funded from
the Annual Fund

10-11.30am, Tuesday, 25 March 2014
Venue: Ground Floor Meeting Room, 2 Taviton St.
GCII Executive Group term two meeting

2pm - 3.30pm, Tuesday, 10 June 2014
Venue: Ground Floor Meeting Room, 2 Taviton St.
GCII Executive Group term three meeting
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