Supporting the regional response to the Covid-19 challenge

A message from our Vice-Chancellor

Professor Koen Lamberts, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Sheffield, shared a message with partners, alumni and friends across Sheffield and South Yorkshire:

“The South Yorkshire spirit is undeniable and it is instrumental in driving forward the University of Sheffield. But the coming months will be challenging for everyone, and I want you to know that the University of Sheffield is here to do all we can to support our region's people, businesses and economy.”

A message to the region

Support for universities in post-Covid recovery

Both the Mayor and Sheffield MPs and Peers (coordinated by Sheffield Central MP, Paul Blomfield) have written to the Government requesting support and highlighting the pressures faced by universities in Sheffield as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

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Health and Wellbeing

Supporting Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, the NHS and its regional workforce is at the forefront of the University’s response to Covid-19. From medical students volunteering their services and teams working round the clock to supply PPE, to offering parking free for medical staff and using our medical facilities to train returning care workers - we’re looking for creative solutions to keep our region healthy.

• Grantham Scholars support Sheffield's food community hub to respond to lockdown food shortages and video

• Recruiting participants from citywide GP surgeries to join a national trial looking to prevent older Covid-19 patients becoming seriously ill

• Supporting Sheffield Teaching Hospitals to manage A&E admissions

• Conducting mental health studies to identify spikes in depression and anxiety following the lockdown announcement

• Providing expert guidance for the public regarding Sheffield’s testing figures

• Partnering with Sheffield Teaching Hospitals to sequence whole genomes of the Coronavirus

Culture and Community

The cultural and creative industries play a crucial role in supporting wellbeing by providing an escape to the current isolation and driving the community spirit which Sheffield thrives on. We’re working with partners across the region to better understand how the current situation is affecting the sector and identify what support needs to be put in place to ensure it continues to flourish. We are also hosting public engagement events and activities for communities online and through the Sheffield Culture Hub.

• Sheffield medical student who led Covid-19 volunteering scheme among University Queen’s Birthday Honour recipients

• Cultural industries to receive boost from researchers to help recover from Covid-19

• University contributes vital evidence to the plea for support for the city and region’s cultural sector

• Distance learning project support students through the coronavirus pandemic

• Keeping Sheffield's arts and culture sector open with new web platform

• Highlighting the creative and cultural industries' crucial role

• Capturing the pandemic's impact on regional venues, events and cultural organisations

• Transforming events, such as FameLab UK, for online delivery

• Providing free at home creative activities for children

• University of Sheffield helps FameLab UK to launch online search for the next Alice Roberts

• University of Sheffield and MakerFutures are providing free at home creative activities for children

Industry

We recognise that many of our industrial partners are currently facing unprecedented uncertainty, not least the start-ups and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) who provide a foundation for the city region’s economy. Our industry facing teams are working hard to identify and deliver support, ensuring continued funding and collaboration opportunities and asking how our students and graduates can provide additional resources at this challenging time.

• Maximising local facilities at the AMRC and Nuclear AMRC to manufacture ventilators

• Providing guidance for our MD Club industry members

• Delivering online networking events, such as Sheffield IoT Meetup

• Conducting research into the financial impact on micro-businesses

• Offering virtual tours of our facilities, such as Royce Translational Research Centre

• Demonstrating how vital apprenticeships are to the region's economic recovery