The work we support

We are close to launching a revolutionary clinical test that can reliably distinguish aggressive prostate cancers from harmless ones. Finally, we can tell the tigers from the pussycats. The Tiger Test, as we call it, could transform prostate cancer treatment around the world. More men getting the treatment they need. And thousands spared from suffering needless side-effects.

Each year, people around the world will endure a disease that disproportionately affects children, is poorly understood, can only be fought with brutal treatments and from which there is little hope of survival. But Dr Darrell Green at UEA thinks he can change that. Dr Green and his team are developing a new treatment that specifically targets cancer cells and leaves the rest of the body alone

Each year, a number of students at UEA experience financial difficulty through circumstances beyond their control, such as a bereavement or an emergency. For many students, a financial hardship like this can be the difference between being able to continue their studies and having to leave university, which could have a knock-on effect for the rest of their lives. Our Student Hardship Fund provides emergency assistance to students who need it.

Will you help transform our understanding of Britain’s naval and maritime history? The wreck of royal warship, The Gloucester, which sank 340 years ago, was discovered off the coast of Great Yarmouth by Norfolk-based brothers, Julian and Lincoln Barnwell, and their friend James (Tiny) Little. The shipwreck, hailed as the most significant historic maritime discovery since the Mary Rose in 1971, was announced to the world in June 2022. This important historical research project led by UEA’s Prof Claire Jowitt and Dr Benjamin Redding, will explore not only how and why the Gloucester sank, but theories about the tragedy’s causes and its political consequences. Their work will go on to reveal the lives of those on board, build a clearer picture of 17th century society, and tell stories of political intrigue, gossip, scapegoating and class.

Climate change is one of the biggest threats facing our planet. In the past few years, we have seen its devastating impacts across the world, from wildfires and extreme weather, to loss of biodiversity and saying goodbye to Canada’s last intact ice sheet. The most recent crisis, COVID-19, is also rooted in our relationship with the natural world, and has revealed just how interconnected we all are, how problems on the other side of the globe are also our problems, and that it is only through working together that we can make a difference. We are at a critical point in our fight against climate change; this decade must be the decade of action. And we need your support.

In 2020-21, we invite you to join UEA in celebrating 50 years of creative writing, during which time we’ve become the UK’s most awarded MA programme and seen Norwich become a UNESCO City of Literature. With your support we want to find and raise the next global generation of writers through creating the Global Voices Scholarship programme and International Chairs of Creative Writing.

Scholarships inspire students to face challenges they wouldn’t think possible and experience exciting new opportunities they might never have otherwise had the chance to. With your help, undergraduate students can gain the confidence to embark on a degree – regardless of their family income or background. They’ll get the support they need to overcome the financial commitment required to achieve their potential.

We are seeking to raise £3 million to offer student and alumni entrepreneurs mentoring and access to industry expertise, grants of up to £7,500 and investments of up to £50,000 in return for equity in the business. UEA will invest all of the returns from equity investments back into the Enterprise Fund – benefiting more emerging businesses in the future.

Food security is one of the most critical issues facing our planet today. The Norwich Institute for Sustainable Development is deepening collaborations between world-leading research centres across the Norwich Research Park (NRP), leveraging expertise in international development, business, crop sciences, environmental sciences, food and nutritional health, to create equitable, food secure and sustainable futures for all.

Dementia is a relatively common yet devastating condition that prevents the brain from functioning normally, and which can have life-changing effects on thinking, memory and behaviour. There are over 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK today. Research has shown that former professional footballers are five times as likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s. This is thought to be due to repeated heading of the ball causing damage to the brain over time.