McMaster University and the University of Birmingham (UoB) have partnered to establish a new seed fund that will support collaborative research projects at both institutions.

McMaster and UoB share historic similarities and interests and recognize that to achieve exceptional research outcomes and the best possible student experience, constant nurture and support is necessary and cannot be done in isolation.

To help support academic collaboration between the two world-leading universities, McMaster and UoB have established the BIRMAC Project and Ideas Fund: A seed fund created with matching funding from each university and designed to identify, establish and develop first-rate research projects and student outcomes.

BIRMAC PROJECT AND IDEAS FUND: 2022/23

McMaster and UoB are excited to announce the successful projects for the first BIRMAC Project and Ideas Fund. Researchers from a diverse range of disciplines will collaborate on projects that investigate and address key questions across a number of academic areas.

The enthusiastic response to this first round of funding reflects McMaster’s and Birmingham’s shared vision to advance impactful research and strengthen the student experience, says Karen Mossman, McMaster’s vice-president, research.

“Congratulations to this first round of recipients on this well-deserved investment. This early-stage funding will plant the seeds for further collaborations that will address a diverse range of global challenges — including migration, aging, advanced materials, sustainability and entrepreneurship — and advance knowledge, health and well-being in Canada and abroad,” she says.

The 2022/23 fund will help to drive forward nine research projects and strengthen the broader UoB-McMaster institutional relationship, as well as academic collaboration into the future.

“We are proud to be working with colleagues at McMaster University. At the heart of the BIRMAC Project and Ideas Fund lies our shared interests and a collective recognition that to achieve exceptional research outcomes and the best possible student experience, nurture and support is necessary and cannot be done in isolation,” says Professor Robin Mason, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International) at UoB.

Learn more about the researchers and their projects below.

A tale of two cities: exploring parallel research and initiatives into age-friendly cities, communities, and universities

• UoB PI: Professor Afroditi Stathi, Community Health Lead – Centre of Urban Wellbeing, School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences
• McMaster PI: Audrey Patocs, Research Manager, McMaster Institute for Research on Aging

BIRMAC quantum materials collaboration

• UoB PI: Dr. Lucy Clark, Associate Professor in Materials Chemistry, School of Chemistry
• McMaster PI: Bruce Gaulin, Professor, Physics & Astronomy

Digital authoritarianism in comparative perspective

• UoB PI: Professor Jonathan Fisher, Professor of Global Security International Development Department
• McMaster PI: Netina Tan, Associate Professor, Political Science

Examining the intersection(s) of forced migration and gender based violence: global perspectives – local designs

• UoB PI: Dr. Lisa Goodson, Lecturer, Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology
• McMaster PI: Mirna Carranza, Professor, Social Work

Entrepreneurship support for Ukrainian refugees

• UoB PI: Samuel Adomako, Associate Professor Department of Strategy and International Business
• McMaster PI: Benson Honig, Professor, Human Resources and Management

Establishing an international research team for applied social cognition

• UoB PI: Geoffrey Bird and Professor Jennifer Cook, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology
• McMaster PI: Sukhvinder Obhi, Professor, Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour

Exploring the potential for collaborative work in urban sustainability

• UoB PI: Dr. Phil Jones, Senior Lecturer in Cultural Geography, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
• McMaster PI: Bruce Newbold, Director and Professor, School of Earth, Environment & Society

New methods for understanding perceptual development and multisensory processes in human infancy

• UoB PI: Professor Andrew Bremner, Professor of Developmental Psychology and Head of Education, School of Psychology
• McMaster PI: Gabriel (Naiqi) Xiao, Assistant Professor, Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour

Reimagining the role of international financial institutions in gender and development

• UoB PI: Professor Kate Bedford, Professor of Law and Political Economy, Birmingham Law School
• McMaster PI: Judith Fudge, Professor, Labour Studies