15 September 2022
Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) has triumphed in two of three categories at the first-ever TrackImpact.org Global Project Competition.
The competition recognises some of the exceptional societal, economic, environmental and cultural impact delivered by researchers around the world, with entries drawn from projects live on the TrackImpact.org global collaboration platform.
With three categories open to contestants, LJMU’s Dr Emma Ashworth and Dr Joanna Kirkby triumphed in the People’s Choice for Most Engaging Project category for their work on Act, Listen, Act, while the institution also received the Most Overall Votes prize for its collective entries. Meanwhile, the Vertigo Ventures Choice for Most Outstanding Project was received by the University of Wollongong.
Dr Emma Ashworth (l); Emily Walker, Impact Officer at LJMU (r)
The winning team conducted Act, Listen, Act across a range of schools in Liverpool, analysing the impact of the pandemic on children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) and delivering priorities for policy and practice to support recovery going forward.
LJMU’s success in the overall votes category was driven by its wide range of strong impact projects. These include several entries from the FaceLab, which uses digital rendering technology to animate famous historical figures, such as Robert the Bruce and Robert Burns, and allow viewers to experience how they would have appeared and spoken.
More information about all of the winners, including interviews and video explorations of the projects, is available at https://www.vertigoventures.com/trackimpact-winners
Diana Leighton, Head of Research Excellence and Research Strategy at LJMU, commented: “Liverpool John Moores University has a strong commitment to delivering excellence across research and impact. It is so exciting to have such a wide range of wonderful projects to enter into the TrackImpact competition and I am very proud of the success our teams have produced.”
Andy Styles, Head of Engagement at Vertigo Ventures, added: “The world is facing worsening and intersecting crises, which makes it even more important to recognise, celebrate and accelerate the outstanding positive impact that is being achieved by individuals and organisations. Congratulations to Dr Ashworth, Dr Kirkby and all of the teams at Liverpool John Moores for their fantastic efforts and commitment to delivering wide-reaching and significant impact, which have rightly received global recognition. When dealing with complex challenges such as the SDGs, cross-sector, international collaboration is the only way we will be successful.”