Ian Duncan, Conservative MEP for Scotland, has seen first-hand the impact of 1 million Euros of research funding, which he secured for Glasgow Caledonian University students and staff.
Last week, the European Parliament in Strasbourg voted through a joint bid by Ian and Rohinton Emmanuel, Professor and Subject Leader in Sustainable Design and Construction at Glasgow Caledonian University, for research funding.
The money will help develop a set of standards to assist the creation, management and governance of green infrastructure projects. The ultimate goal will be to improve the use of green space, such as parks, and to reduce emissions.
Ian and Professor Emmanuel met with students and spoke to members of the Department of Construction & Surveying at the university, including the head of the department, Tony Patrick and Senior Lecturers Dr Caroline Gallagher and Dr Craig Thomson.
Speaking from the George Moore building at Glasgow Caledonian University, Ian said:
"It was a hard fight in Strasbourg to get the funding approved, but I am delighted we were successful. Today, I was able to see the incredible research that Professor Emmanuel and his staff are doing, which could improve the health outcomes of people living in city centres across the world. This is an example of where the EU can work well, and I will continue to push for as much funding as possible to come to Scotland".
Professor Emmanuel said:
"This two year project will support two Post-Doctoral Research Associates and two PhD researchers to undertake the research tasks as well as enable closer cooperation with leading European research centres in GI.The Pilot Project will develop urban green infrastructure (GI) assessment protocols to identify environmental ‘hot spots’, determine targets and promote the creation, management and governance of GI in European cities. The funding will enable the project to develop and test proof-of-concept decision support tools to aid urban planning decision making related to GI. It will pilot such approaches in a number of European cities under different planning regimes."