The global Information Technology (IT) sector is characterised by low participation of women and the UK is no exception. In response, UK organizations (e.g. Women in Technology), committees (e.g. BCS Women) and campaigns (e.g. Computer Clubs for Girls) have been set up to address the problem and increase the small and falling number of women in IT education, training and employment. To complement and provide an evidence base for future interventions this project will adopt a new approach, differentiated from existing research by considering the problem from two unexplored angles simultaneously. First, India, in comparison with most OECD countries, has a much higher proportion of women working as IT specialists; the project will compare the experiences of IT workers in India and the UK to see what the UK can learn from the Indian case. Secondly, the research will explore the insights of migrant women and men who move between UK and India and have experience of both work cultures in order to obtain new insights into gender norms in each country as well as best practice. Through this multidisciplinary, comparative analysis across the two countries, and of the experiences of migrants, 2 significant but separate fields of academic research will be brought together: 1) gender issues in IT, and 2) gender and skilled migration. The questions the research seeks to answer are: a) What are the patterns of gender differences in the labour market among migrant and non-migrant workers in the IT sector in India and the UK? This aims to identify differences in occupational roles, wages, and whether size of firms or other demographic variables matter; b) What processes have led to different gendered patterns of workplace experiences among migrant and non-migrant workers in the IT sector in India and the UK? This question's comparative approach will address a specific knowledge gap by exploring the perspectives of men as well as women, migrants as well as non-migrants, in both countries; c) is oriented around the concerns of businesses and policy-makers and asks, what is the role of firms, industry and national regulations and cultures in creating barriers and opportunities for migrant and non-migrant men and women's career entry and progression and labour markets? The answers will be sought from HR managers and policy makers in both countries; d) acknowledges that many firms are already trying to develop organisational cultures and career pathways to address the gender disparity in the IT sector; it asks, what are the best practices for integrating women into firms in each country and how does this differ by migration status? This question involves exploring the experiences of migrant men as well as migrant and non-migrant women, and establishes mechanisms for sharing best practice between firms and between the two countries. To ensure the research is timely, relevant and will generate useful information, it was developed through conversations with the Indian and UK IT sectors' key professional and trade associations, chartered bodies, IT education campaigners and advocates, and multinational IT companies. During the project, individual representatives from 5 of these organizations - a Professional Advisory Group (PAG) - will meet regularly with the researchers, to discuss the findings and offer advice. The IT companies will facilitate the research by introducing the researchers to voluntary cohorts of men and women IT employees in each country. Because of the urgency of the issue the firms and PAG have asked for 3 best practice guides during the project. At the end of the project, the researchers will produce a targeted report for the PAG organisations and for firms. Through the PAG, this report will be disseminated to their corporate memberships, numbering in the thousands, and to UK and Indian policy makers through focused workshops. Other users of the research include the OECD and IOM with which the researchers have links.

The last decade has seen a proliferation of social data that betrays human behaviour--from a person's clicks to a group's language to a state's signal data. Concurrently there has been rapid developments in our ability to analyse these data, to identify patterns that enable inferences not conceivable before. These advances open exciting possibilities for understanding human behaviour at the individual, group and population level. But they are also a source of insecurity and vulnerability, challenging the meaning of privacy and exposing individuals to manipulation. NABS+ will deliver 'next generation behavioural science' that addresses these opportunities and threats in the context of security and defence. It embraces new forms of data and analytics for behavioural science, while acknowledging the need to simultaneously address ethical and societal consequences. It will promote a generation of 'analytical behavioural scientists' who are equipped to respond to existential and acute threats, can understand and navigate policy dilemmas, and are adept at working with diverse data. NABS+ will be home to a vibrant community of researchers and end-users who recognise the value of combining social scientific theory and novel data analytics. Our vision is to stimulate an interdisciplinary community that is: (1) focused on identifying, prioritising and developing knowledge in analytical behavioural science through a theory-led, data-driven lens; (2) structured to be agile and responsive to international security trends and stakeholder needs, recognising that diverse data and methods are needed for different challenges; and (3) driven to create a community that is home to an emerging generation of data literate, behavioural scientists. NABS+ will deliver four pillars of activity. The Community pillar will deliver activities that shape new forms of public-private partnerships, connecting academic, industry, and government stakeholders to deliver challenge-driven collaborations. NABS+ is premised on the value of bringing together behavioural and data scientists. It thus invests in outputs that break down traditional groupings and increasing awareness (e.g., white papers, website). The Research pillar will co-develop and deliver interdisciplinary research that responds to immediate needs and prepares for future threats. The work may be an event, a synthetic review, or novel research, and we strive for a diversity of data and methodological approaches. In all cases, however, projects will be theory-led, data-driven activities that consider ethical and society implications at all stages. The Disseminate pillar recognises that progress in analytical behavioural science will depend on researchers understanding the activities and concepts of others. The pillar will deliver world-class activities that 'translate' knowledge so that understanding spreads beyond specialist audiences. As part of this, NABS+ will support researchers inform policy and practice, utilising unique Research to Practice Fellow support. The Build pillar seeks to ensure growth in the NABS+ community so that it becomes home to a next generation of behavioural scientist. The pillar involves activities that foster the skills and leadership of members through training and by providing secondment opportunities (e.g., academic researchers into industry). As part of this, NABS+ will implement a programme of actions designed to progress the network toward being self-supporting. The cumulative impact of these activities will be a world-class analytical behavioural science capability; a vibrant community with shared understanding, common tools, and a programme of ongoing research that shapes understanding and contributes profoundly to policy and practice.

Our Vision is to build national capability bridging scientific, finance, policy and third sector communities, harnessing and catalysing world-leading science to enable the greening of finance for nature and mobilisation of capital for nature recovery. The programme aligns with the 2023 UK Green Finance Strategy and Environmental Improvement Plan and is internationally relevant.?We bring together 17 research institutions, already engaging over 250 partners, into one high-impact network delivering co-designed, excellent and needs-orientated research, with activities that aim for broad-ranging impact. The programme comprises three 'flagship' initiatives, linked by a strategic coordination and integration hub. Flagship 1, Financing Green Sector Transitions, addresses the need to restore nature in the UK's agriculture sector, which accounts for over 70% of land-cover. In collaboration with the agri-food sector, investors and civil society, it will inform the development of financial tools and policies. These will be implemented at real-world sites in England and Northern Ireland to assess their impact on biodiversity. The research will also analyse the impact on habitats of international supply chains, such as tea and rubber imports. The goal is to create financial instruments and reporting mechanisms that benefit investors, land-users, nature and society, while addressing the impacts of global and UK agri-food chains on biodiversity. Flagship 2, Greening Finance for Nature, focusses on the decision-making processes of financial institutions such as banks and asset management companies. Their decisions can impact nature adversely, yet change could substantially address biodiversity loss. The focus will be on portfolio risk management, business strategy, risk disclosure and the prevention of greenwashing. The challenges include securing reliable data, addressing gaps in scientific knowledge and bridging the gap between science and finance. The goal is to revolutionise financial decision-making by incorporating nature within it. This will be driven by scientific data and guidance, and new regulatory frameworks. Flagship 3, Financing Biodiversity, tackles the challenge of financing biodiversity conservation and restoration with integrity at large-scales. It will promote best practices and coordination in biodiversity finance, and will champion the importance of between-site biodiversity and extinction risk reduction. This will ensure that conservation and restoration is effective, interconnected and extends beyond individual sites. Key stakeholders, including the Biodiversity Credit Alliance that co-designed the flagship, will help deliver a theory of change for scaling-up biodiversity finance. The goal is to define what high-integrity finance for biodiversity should look like, identify barriers and opportunities and start addressing them.

Vision - The fellowship seeks to radically transform the linear Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) system to develop a low-carbon, Circular Economy (CE) for Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) in the UK. This fellowship incorporates a programme of research that establishes an innovative whole systems design approach to WEEE, integrating systems engineering, engineering design and product-service system design methodologies. The fellowship will to lead the academic work necessary to support a fully CE for EEE in the UK, through effective reduce, reuse, repair, remanufacturing, recycling and recovery, with the aim of making the UK the first country in the world to eliminate WEEE. Rationale and strategic importance - The rapid development of digitalisation has brought disruptive changes to the economy and life, as well as a growth in the consumption of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE). Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is now the fastest growing waste stream in the UK and globally. The UK generates up to 24.9kg per head and throws 155,000 tonnes of WEEE in household bins every year. In 2013, the UK set out WEEE Regulations, to encourage safe and responsible collection, recycling and recovery. However, WEEE collection rates show that the UK is failing to meet its targets. Less that 35% of EEE placed on the market is recovered, meaning that the vast majority is sent to landfill, incinerated or illegally exported to other countries at its end of life. Developing a Circular Economy (CE) for EEE is expected to result in widespread economic, environmental and societal benefits for the UK. The value of precious metals found within UK's unrecovered WEEE is over £370 million annually. WEEE also includes many critical raw materials (e.g. magnesium, cobalt and tungsten) which are of high supply chain risk and importance to the UK. For example, China provides 98% of the EU's supply of rare earth elements, and South Africa provides 71% of the EU's platinum. Increasing the recovery of such critical raw materials from WEEE is therefore a strategic priority for the UK to mitigate supply chain risks. In addition, the effective recovery of WEEE is critical to achieving the UK's net zero targets. For every tonne of e-waste collected and recycled, 1.44 tonnes of CO2 emissions are avoided. Finally, WEEE that is not properly managed and leaks into the environment can be extremely damaging to nature and human health. A CE for EEE will also eliminate reliance on highly-polluting mining and material extraction industries. Academic contribution - Existing research has addressed problems in the WEEE sector across different life-cycle phases including: material extraction (e.g. technology metals circularity), manufacturing (e.g. increasing post-consumer plastic in WEEE), distribution (e.g. circular business models), use (e.g. emotional durability, repair), and, end of life (e.g. novel recycling technologies). However, a holistic perspective is currently lacking, which is needed to transition to a fully CE for EEE. This fellowship will address these limitations and build on an established body of research to develop novel solutions for a low-carbon, CE for EEE in the UK. It is academically excellent in that it will: (1) generate scientific knowledge and data on the WEEE system in the UK, which includes material flow analysis and data on related carbon emissions. This data can be used to inform decision-making, policy and research; (2) develop novel (technology-enabled) solutions for a CE for EEE in the UK. These solutions can be replicated in other contexts via circular product design and circular business model frameworks; (3) establish an innovative whole systems design methodological approach, which can be applied to study other material streams (e.g. plastics, textiles), to enable a low-carbon, resource-efficient CE.

Vision - The fellowship seeks to radically transform the linear Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) system to develop a low-carbon, Circular Economy (CE) for Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) in the UK. This fellowship incorporates a programme of research that establishes an innovative whole systems design approach to WEEE, integrating systems engineering, engineering design and product-service system design methodologies. The fellowship will to lead the academic work necessary to support a fully CE for EEE in the UK, through effective reduce, reuse, repair, remanufacturing, recycling and recovery, with the aim of making the UK the first country in the world to eliminate WEEE. Rationale and strategic importance - The rapid development of digitalisation has brought disruptive changes to the economy and life, as well as a growth in the consumption of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE). Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is now the fastest growing waste stream in the UK and globally. The UK generates up to 24.9kg per head and throws 155,000 tonnes of WEEE in household bins every year. In 2013, the UK set out WEEE Regulations, to encourage safe and responsible collection, recycling and recovery. However, WEEE collection rates show that the UK is failing to meet its targets. Less that 35% of EEE placed on the market is recovered, meaning that the vast majority is sent to landfill, incinerated or illegally exported to other countries at its end of life. Developing a Circular Economy (CE) for EEE is expected to result in widespread economic, environmental and societal benefits for the UK. The value of precious metals found within UK's unrecovered WEEE is over £370 million annually. WEEE also includes many critical raw materials (e.g. magnesium, cobalt and tungsten) which are of high supply chain risk and importance to the UK. For example, China provides 98% of the EU's supply of rare earth elements, and South Africa provides 71% of the EU's platinum. Increasing the recovery of such critical raw materials from WEEE is therefore a strategic priority for the UK to mitigate supply chain risks. In addition, the effective recovery of WEEE is critical to achieving the UK's net zero targets. For every tonne of e-waste collected and recycled, 1.44 tonnes of CO2 emissions are avoided. Finally, WEEE that is not properly managed and leaks into the environment can be extremely damaging to nature and human health. A CE for EEE will also eliminate reliance on highly-polluting mining and material extraction industries. Academic contribution - Existing research has addressed problems in the WEEE sector across different life-cycle phases including: material extraction (e.g. technology metals circularity), manufacturing (e.g. increasing post-consumer plastic in WEEE), distribution (e.g. circular business models), use (e.g. emotional durability, repair), and, end of life (e.g. novel recycling technologies). However, a holistic perspective is currently lacking, which is needed to transition to a fully CE for EEE. This fellowship will address these limitations and build on an established body of research to develop novel solutions for a low-carbon, CE for EEE in the UK. It is academically excellent in that it will: (1) generate scientific knowledge and data on the WEEE system in the UK, which includes material flow analysis and data on related carbon emissions. This data can be used to inform decision-making, policy and research; (2) develop novel (technology-enabled) solutions for a CE for EEE in the UK. These solutions can be replicated in other contexts via circular product design and circular business model frameworks; (3) establish an innovative whole systems design methodological approach, which can be applied to study other material streams (e.g. plastics, textiles), to enable a low-carbon, resource-efficient CE.