In 2022, Anna Donnelly (Centre for Teacher Education), approached the GRP for financial support to begin a small-scale pilot study on children and environmental literature. The initial findings are that children were highly engaged with the texts used, and the study itself offered valuable insight into the pre-existing environmental knowledge of children. Those who took part demonstrated an understanding of the importance of the environment and the environmental or moral messages contained within stories they read.

The findings at this stage illustrate the need for further research into this topic to further understand the child's relationship to environment and environmental change. The study also highlighted the vital role of Early years and primary school teachers as facilitators to ensure the scientific, moral and philosophical nuances of the environmental challenge we face are communicated to children and young people. Environmental fiction could be the key to making connections between the curriculum, real-world debates, and climate action.

You can find out more about the research and its findings here.

GRP co-lead David Armstrong has recently been awarded £1.3 million grant from UKRI’s Frontier ResearchGuarantee SchemeLink opens in a new window. He will lead continuing pioneering research into planet origins in collaboration with research groups at the Universities of Geneva, Bern and Porto. The anticipated findings will transform our understanding of planetary formation.

STFC runs a Challenge Led Applied Systems Programme (CLASP) to support the application and commercialisation of STFC research in key global research challenge areas.

The key challenge areas for CLASP 2020 are security and environment. Applications that address a specific challenge within one, or both, of these themes can be submitted.

For more information, including specific criteria, see the STFC website.